Atwater Village Farm Market Preview Tonight

Rachael Narins

jam and toast

Tonight, July 28th, the Atwater Village Farm Market will be open for a sneak preview as part of the very charming Atwater Village's Summer Nights on the Boulevard from 5 to 10 p.m. at 3224 Glendale Boulevard. If you haven't been to one of these exceptionally well-organized evenings, go. It's like a trip to idyllic small town America, but with better food and more tattoos.

The Village Farm Market's event -- sweetly billed as "Toast and Jam" -- will feature a selection of locally made foods including bread from Secret Goldfish Baking Co., jams by SQIRL, Lemon Bird Jam and more, whose products will be on the shelves, soon. A portion of sales will go towards the ongoing efforts to raise funds to make the community market a permanent fixture.

In this economically questionable new world, former chef and current urban farmer Piper Goldstein took a novel approach to finding money to bring her wholesome corner store vision to life. Using social media, online fund-raising site Kickstarter and her disarmingly lovely and evangelical self, she is primed to make her dream of an "old fashioned corner market, where new generations get to embrace a historic shopping experience" come true. In a neighborhood with only one other small grocery store, this will be a truly welcome addition.

In keeping with Goldstein's commitment to the Slow Food ethos, the store will offer local, small-batch and organic foods at reasonable prices and act as a neighborhood meeting place with classes and more. By engaging neighbors and having them actually financially contribute to the launch of the business Goldstein is creating a true communal experience, perfectly in line with the Atwater vibe.

Permits have been issued and the market is slated to open sometime this fall. In the meantime, the market will have ongoing events promoting local purveyors and bolstering community involvement.

Atwater Village Farm Market: 3224 Glendale Boulevard, Los Angeles.

Follow Rachael Narins on Twitter @chickswknives.