Altadena Urban Farmers Market Wins Marketing Contest

Organizers of the Altadena Urban Farmers Market announced the have won a contest sponsored by a Silver Lake nonprofit that would provide a "free rebranding package that includes a brand strategy, key messaging and logo system." 

As , organizers of the market are trying to bring back the the market that was once held in Altadena, though it may or may not still be held in town.  

They wrote Monday on their Facebook page that they won the contest, which was sponsored by  the nonprofit, Think Farm, a design studio that specializes in print and web design.

The underground market ended in the spring of 2011 after several months of operation.  It featured prepared foods and crafts from local vendors and other community members.

The original organizers of the market have given control of the market over to the  Arroyo Time Bank,  which a local labor exchange group that works on community projects and hosts events around Altadena, Pasadena, and Northeast Los Angeles.

The new market organizer, Los Angeles resident Justin Bilow, told Patch that the branding contest is one of the key elements for bringing back a regular market.

The original Altadena market faced a variety of problems and did .  Parking was a concern, and the wide interest in the event made it a challenge to contain it at the small space available at the Zane Gray Estate.

The group  in a meeting last summer.

The biggest challenge for the event, is finding a way to make the distribution of food comply with the law: because people who sell or distribute food at underground markets like the AUFM are not always certified gardeners, bakers, or food distributors, complying with state and local laws can be a challenge.

Bilow said that the main focus of volunteers with the Time Bank and the AUFM right now is finding a way to hold the market in a "sustainable" fashion that will not run afoul of any local or state regulations.  Bilow has said he believes the group is close to finding a way to do that and they are beginning to plan their next market now.