The Mar Vista Farmers Market still keeps the same Sunday hours, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine. The rest of Sunday on Venice Boulevard keeps different hours now. This fall, an arepa counter that got its start at the market opens an hour before the first farm stand sets up. A holiday market next door keeps going an hour after the last stand packs up. A Sunday on Grand View used to be a five-hour morning. For the next seven weeks it stretches from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The market itself is what makes that longer day possible. Both of the new additions describe themselves by their connection to it.
The Sunday clock, hour by hour
Here's how the day lines up through Dec. 20, based on each business's posted hours:
- 8 a.m. The Arepa Stand's storefront at 12906 Venice Blvd. opens. It's open Tuesday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed Mondays.
- 9 a.m. The Mar Vista Farmers Market opens at Grand View and Venice boulevards. Holiday House opens next door at rèunion, 12204 Venice Blvd.
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. On December Sundays, Santa is at Holiday House for free photos.
- 2 p.m. The farmers market closes. The Arepa Stand's market booth runs on the same 9-to-2 schedule.
- 3 p.m. Holiday House closes.
- 4 p.m. The Arepa Stand's storefront closes.
For a few hours mid-morning, all three are open at once. It's a good window for anyone who wants produce, a gift, and lunch without moving the car more than once.
The market at the center
The market has been around for a while. A 2011 Los Angeles Times profile said it was founded in 2006 and sponsored by an association of local residents and business owners. Twenty years on, it has enough pull that new businesses introduce themselves by where they stand in relation to it.
The farm roster on the market's website includes Ace Ranch, Arnett Farms, Avila and Sons Farms, Kenter Canyon Farms, and Weiser Family Farms, among others. The prepared-food list names 4th St Baker, Drip Daddy Coffee, Le Frenchie Cafe, Des Croissants Paris, and The Arepa Stand. Both lists are the market's full posted lineup, so not every vendor is there every week. If you're making the trip for one particular stall, it's worth checking first.
The market's regular programming is what turns a quick produce run into a whole morning, especially with kids:
- A free craft workshop every week for younger visitors, with a different project each time. The workshops come from Alexandra Brandoli and Rediscover with Steve's Machines.
- Face painting on the last Sunday of each month, by Liza Vosbigian.
- A vegan-chef cooking demonstration on the second Sunday of each month.
- A kids' cooking class on the fourth Sunday of each month.
- Resident DJs playing through the month, according to the market's music page.
Everything else on Venice Boulevard this season is built around that weekly anchor.
How a market booth became a Venice Boulevard storefront
The Arepa Stand shows what the market can grow. Yo! Venice reported in August that siblings Mercedes Rojas and Zeus Ferrini, who were born and raised in Venezuela, launched the business with help from their mother, Belinda, along with California farmers and friends. Its first appearance was at the Mar Vista Farmers Market. According to the business, The Arepa Stand eventually grew to five market locations while the siblings worked toward a permanent restaurant. By Aug. 20, that restaurant had soft-opened at 12906 Venice Blvd.
The market booth is still going too. The Arepa Stand's locations page still lists its Sunday booth at the Mar Vista Farmers Market, plus Saturday stands at the Torrance and Playa Vista farmers markets. On Sundays you can find their arepas in two places on Venice Boulevard, at the booth where the business started and at the restaurant it grew into.
The menu Yo! Venice described has a Los Angeles map running through it:
| Arepa | What's in it |
|---|---|
| The Cheester | Venezuelan artisanal cheese, also called queso de mano |
| The 405 | Braised beef, black bean purée, fried plantains, cotija, cilantro |
| The Hills | Black bean purée, market greens, sofrito, fried plantains, avocado, cilantro |
| The Westsider | Shredded chicken breast salad with house-made aioli, avocado, bell peppers, parsley, cumin, lime, Gouda, cilantro |
| The Red Queen | Shredded chicken, pickled red onions, avocado sauce, Dutch cheese, cilantro |
| The East LA | Chorizo, eggs, plantains, garlic sauce, Gouda |
| The Inglewood | Braised barbecue pork, árbol chile spicy sauce, avocado, queso de mano |
The Hills calls for "market greens," which fits a business that started a few blocks east at a farm stand. Because the storefront opens at 8 a.m., The East LA, with its chorizo and eggs, also works as breakfast before the market opens at 9.
Next door, a second market that leans on the first
The other end of the day belongs to rèunion. It describes itself as a family-owned Mar Vista business started by the founders of The Venice Fest. It's set up as a flexible event and creative space, not a café. On a typical week, the space hosts private celebrations, wellness classes, workshops, dinners, and brand experiences. Its website also lists a recurring Sunday Social Market, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., next door to the farmers market.
For the holidays, that Sunday slot becomes Holiday House by The Venice Fest. It runs every Sunday from Nov. 1 through Dec. 20, 2026, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free and all ages are welcome. The event listing pitches it as a holiday market "right next door to the Mar Vista Farmers Market" and suggests visitors stop by while they're at the market. The opening hour matches the market's, and the closing hour gives shoppers one more hour after the farm stands are gone.
The listing promises:
- A rotating group of local makers, artists, and independent brands selling handmade goods, jewelry, homewares, and other gifts
- Free gift wrapping throughout November and December
- Free photos with Santa every Sunday in December, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Because the vendors rotate, Holiday House on Nov. 8 may not look like Holiday House on Dec. 13. If you have a long gift list, it's worth coming more than once.
The remaining Sundays, date by date
Holiday House opened on Sunday, Nov. 1, and it has seven Sundays left after that. Here's what the posted schedules show for each one:
| Sunday | At the farmers market | At Holiday House |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 8 | Second-Sunday vegan-chef demo; Food Forward glean, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. | Rotating makers, free gift wrapping |
| Nov. 15 | Weekly kids' craft workshop | Rotating makers, free gift wrapping |
| Nov. 22 | Fourth-Sunday kids' cooking class | Rotating makers, free gift wrapping |
| Nov. 29 | Last-Sunday face painting, if the market is open that weekend | Rotating makers, free gift wrapping |
| Dec. 6 | Weekly kids' craft workshop | Santa photos, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Dec. 13 | Second-Sunday vegan-chef demo | Santa photos, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Dec. 20 | Weekly kids' craft workshop | Santa photos; last day of Holiday House |
A few notes on the table. The Nov. 8 glean is listed on Food Forward's events calendar. As of late October, registration was full and standby spots were available. Nov. 29 is the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and the market's homepage says it operates every Sunday except major holidays. Check the market's website before that weekend. Holiday House lists Nov. 29 as one of its dates either way, and The Arepa Stand's storefront keeps its regular Sunday hours.
Because Holiday House ends Dec. 20, the last Sunday of December, Dec. 27, goes back to the usual 9-to-2 market morning. The arepa counter will still be open until 4.
If your Sundays already start at Grand View and Venice, I'd love to hear which stall you head to first and how the new storefront compares to the booth. I'm happy to swap notes on local spots anytime. Let's Connect with Jaecey Parham.