First, Palisades Village swung open its doors anew last weekend, welcome clients anew after more than a year of closure in the aftermath of the deadly Palisades wildfire.
And on Wednesday, the Pacific Palisades Farmers Market returned home to the Village with its own gala reopening, hosted by nonprofit Raw Inspiration, which has organized the market since 2000.
“For years, the Pacific Palisades Farmers Market has been a Sunday tradition, a place to fill a basket with fresh produce, run into neighbors, catch up with a favorite farmer and begin the week surrounded by the familiar rhythm of community,” according to a blog post on Raw Inspiration’s website.
“This August, we are incredibly grateful to begin gathering again,” said a statement from the organization.
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Traci Park, who represents Pacific Palisades, was on hand to welcome back the vendors. Park called the reopening an important moment in the community’s recovery.
Following the fire, the nonprofit relocated its displaced vendors into the Brentwood Farmers Market. Before then, the market — which features California-grown produce, fresh flowers, prepared foods and artisanal vendors — was a Sunday tradition. But organizers opted for a Wednesday schedule at the Village because many of its vendors have other market commitments on Sundays.
Organizers say the market will temporarily operate on Wednesday afternoons from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., allowing participating vendors to maintain their established Sunday market commitments.
The nonprofit emphasized that farmers markets are about community.
“They create connections between farmers and the people they feed. They give small businesses a place to grow. They create weekly rituals and a spontaneous conversations. And, perhaps most importantly, they give a community a place to simply be together,” Raw Inspiration’s post said.
Last Saturday, crowds streamed into Palisades Village for the first time since January 2025, when the Palisades fire killed 12 people and destroyed nearly 7,000 homes, businesses, schools and churches.
Across the street, the charred frames of buildings destroyed in the fire still stood, a stark contrast to the bustle inside the Village, where shops welcomed visitors back with opening-day promotions and give-aways.
The reopening marks one of the most visible signs of commercial recovery in Pacific Palisades, even as many residents remained displaced, homes and schools are still being rebuilt and portions of the neighborhood still bear the scars of the fire.
Palisades Village, which survived the flames but closed after the fires, reopened with a morning ribbon cutting attended by residents, business owners and community leaders. Shops and restaurants opened at 11 a.m., drawing large crowds throughout the property.
Caruso CEO Corinne Verdery said the company spent more than $100 million over the past 19 months to rebuild and improve the property, including new interiors, kitchen equipment, major infrastructure and a new park. The Village is now 99% leased, she said, with roughly one-third of its tenants new to the property, some are even opening their first brick and mortar store this weekend.
Rick Caruso, founder and executive chairman of the company that owns the Village, described the reopening as a major step in a recovery that remains far from complete.
“We are in the middle of a recovery, and this is one chapter,” he told the crowd. “It’s a mega step, no doubt, but there’s many more mega steps to come.”