Malibu Farmer's Market Is Open, Thriving, And Cautious

MALIBU, CA —On a typical Sunday, the Malibu Farmer’s Market behind City Hall is bustling. In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s still bustling, but you may not know it at first glance. That’s because booths and customers are spread out as far as the vast parking lot will allow.

“You space it out as far as you can go, and you think of yourself,” said Director Deb Bianco. “I’m a human being. If I want to go to shopping, and they say six feet and I can do ten, why not? If they say 20 feet and I can do 70, why not?”

Out of empathy for her fellow human beings, Bianco has instituted stringent regulations to keep the farmer’s market open and safe in mid-pandemic. She requires all of the market’s vendors to wear face masks and display visible six-foot distance markers even before it was mandated by the County Department of Health. But those go beyond the usual easy-to-miss blue tape on the ground: at the Malibu Farmer’s Market, yellow caution tape marks six foot boundaries. The market also has over 30 handwashing stations, comprised of a hot water dispenser, a plastic bucket below, soap, and towels. Although that is not required by the Department of Health, Bianco requires every vendor to have a station at least nine feet away from their booth.

Customers are required to wear masks (some vendors sell them for $10 if none are available), and are not allowed to sample food like they normally do. Instead, they are given food by vendors wearing gloves. Bianco says that despite the pandemic, attendance has remained mostly steady, and customers respect the social distancing requirements.

Because of its attention to detail, the market was never closed down by the Department of Health, unlike many others around the county. Quite the contrary, in fact: officers from the department even filmed the market as an exemplar of social distancing practices.

One weekend, the market ran its own delivery service, but Bianco has temporarily paused that service to improve the ordering website. She is actively searching for volunteers who can consult pro bono on how to make an efficient shopping cart website, and anyone interested can email thecornucopiafoundation@gmail.com.

“I tell people if you don’t have to go out, don’t come,” said Bianco. “But if you are gonna shop, then the Malibu Farmer’s Market is a safer place to shop.”

The Malibu Farmer’s Market is open every Sunday from 10 to 3 at 23555 Civic Center Way in Malibu.