New market lacks size but packs enthusiasm

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There’s a new farmers market in Topanga Canyon, an affluent community with many residents passionate about local and organic produce, and thus an ideal locale, except for one detail: Its population is a fraction of the 25,000 typically considered necessary to support a farmers market. No certified farmers market has existed there, but Howell Tumlin, executive director of the Southland Farmers’ Market Assn., is determined to make it work.

Tumlin maintains that his venture, with just eight or nine growers, compact stands and a limited selection, can be viable. And judging by the enthusiasm of shoppers at the market’s opening, he may have a shot. Read more in David Karp’s weekly Market Watch report.