Weekends offer an opportunity to spend time with friends, get work done and explore Malibu. Many students said they spend time on the weekends at nearby farmers markets, catching up with friends and picking up groceries for the next week.
Students can explore the local Malibu Farmers Market in Malibu Country Mart on Sundays from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. closest to campus, but there is also the Pacific Palisades Farmers Market, Calabasas Farmers Market and Brentwood Farmers Market near Pepperdine’s Malibu campus.
“These farmers markets have definitely added value to my experience so far at Pepperdine because it’s something to do with friends and be more connected to the area that you live in,” junior Marla Steel said.
Steel said she started visiting the nearby farmers markets when she moved off campus because she found them to be more accessible — she was used to driving and wanted to explore new places. The desire to explore, coupled with her passion for food, led her to these farmers markets.
Steel said she loves that most of the produce is organic, and she can find quality items such as farm-fresh eggs and sometimes wild fish. She said she also enjoys finding unique things from local businesses.
“I love to look around, supporting local farms and people,” Steel said.
Steel noticed there is a different farmers market culture in the Los Angeles area compared to her hometown of Coronado, Calif., she said.
“The ones here are a lot more trendy, meaning there are a lot more items at these farmers markets you wouldn’t think would be at a farmer’s market — paleo pancake mixes, gluten-free crackers,” Steel said. “It’s L.A., so there’s a lot more access to more things compared to my small hometown farmers market.”
Malibu Farmers Market
The Malibu Farmers Market on Sundays from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. in Malibu Country Mart is the easiest to navigate, so it is harder to miss something, junior Aoife Klopcic said. At the Malibu Farmers Market, students said they enjoy buying flowers, produce, hummus and sourdough bread.
“I feel more hesitant going to the Malibu one because it becomes more social in my experience,” Klopcic said.
Senior Capra Schwabe said she enjoys that the Malibu Famers Market is close to where she lives and has a good atmosphere.
“The Palisades one is better, but I want to say the Malibu one is my favorite because it’s the only one I go to weekly,” Schwabe said. “They do a great job, it’s right in Malibu, it’s family-friendly, it’s cute and it’s perfect.”
Schwabe recommends hummus from Brothers Products, which she said is one of her favorite items to buy each week.
Unlike Klopcic, Schwabe said she additionally loves to run into friends at the market in Malibu.
Steel said she surprisingly has never been to the Malibu Farmers Market because it became less convenient to go to after she moved off campus.
Pacific Palisades Farmers Market
Many students said the Pacific Palisades Farmers Market on Sundays from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. in Palisades Village is their favorite because it has an abundant variety of goods, it is expansive without feeling too crowded and it seems to keep its loyalty to both vendors and customers — making it a great community to be a part of.
At the Palisades Farmers Market, students said they enjoyed the berries, pastries, yogurt and pesto. Steel said she loves the Palisades Farmers Market and has purchased a variety of items including tamales, granola and fresh fruit.
Steel and Schwabe both said they enjoy how the Palisades Farmers Market sits in the middle of the village, so one can pick up a coffee or stop at Erewhon while visiting.
Klopcic said she discovered the local farmers markets for the first time during her first year when her “big” sorority sister took her to the one in Palisades Village.
Klopcic said the farmers market she goes to the most is the one in Pacific Palisades. She likes it because it seems a lot bigger and offers a variety of different goods but does not feel crowded.
She likes how the Palisades Farmers Market is far enough away from campus that she does not know anyone, so it is like an escape from the Pepperdine “bubble,” Klopcic said.
Similar to Steel and Klopcic, Schwabe said she likes the Palisades Farmers Market because it is bigger and has a greater variety of goods.
Calabasas Farmers Market
At the Calabasas Farmers Market on Saturdays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. in Old Town Calabasas, students have found fresh tuna to make poke bowls, fresh coconut water, pickled ginger, seaweed salad, paleo pancake mixes and farm-fresh eggs, students said.
Steel loves the Calabasas Farmers Market because it is in the sweet area of Old Town Calabasas, she said. She has met many fun people, and the vendors recognize her when she comes back.
Steel recommends Mingles Coconuts at the Calabasas Farmers Market.
Brentwood Farmers Market
Students can explore the local Brentwood Famers Market, located in Brentwood Country Mart, on Saturdays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Because this market is farthest away, Steel, Klopcic and Schwabe each said they have not yet visited it.
Steel has heard many wonderful things about the Brentwood Farmers Market, and it is higher on her bucket list to visit than the Malibu one is, she said.
Similar to the Palisades Farmers Market and Malibu Farmers Market, the Brentwood Famers Market is located inside an outdoor shopping center.
Each of these markets offers its own unique elements, making it difficult for students to decide which is their favorite.
“It’s hard to decide which is my favorite because the Calabasas one is bigger, but the Palisades one is more quaint and less busy,” Steel said. “I guess I’ll go with the Palisades one, but I love the Calabasas one too.”
The Value these Farmers Markets Add
Going to these farmers markets has definitely added value to her experience at Pepperdine, Steel said. It is something to do with friends, something to make an event out of and a way to get plugged into the area that you live in.
“It is good to discover what is offered to you in the local area as a student,” Steel said. “Attending these farmers markets is a good thing nutritiously too.”
Steel not only said she finds shopping at farmers markets to be fulfilling because most of the items are healthy and organic, but it is also beneficial for the community as it puts money toward local businesses.
“It’s something to do on the weekends that’s holistic, healthy and wholesome,” Steel said.
In comparison to the farmers markets in her home state of Michigan, Klopcic said it is nice that the farmers markets here are open year-round. The ones at home are harder to find and offer produce that is not as lush.
Schwabe said she started going to farmers markets in the area during her junior year because her first year was during Covid-19, and she spent her second year abroad.
These farmers markets added immense value to her time at Pepperdine, Schwabe said.
They elevate her whole mood every Sunday, and while the specialty, gourmet items are more expensive, Schwabe said she has found buying her produce for the week at these markets is cheaper than going to the grocery store. It is a fun outing each week and a way for her to feel a sense of community.
Additionally, students can look forward to attending the upcoming on-campus farmers markets that will be on the first and third Tuesdays of each month for the rest of the spring semester from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in Mullin Town Square.
“I like it [visiting the local farmers markets] because it’s grounding to go, and it’s rejuvenating, especially if you’ve been locked up in the library all day,” Klopcic said. “It’s something that can transport you to a kind of calm — a good reset.”
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Contact Samantha Wareing via email: samantha.wareing@pepperdine.edu or by Instagram: @samanthawareing
