Walking up Girard Street in La Jolla on a Sunday morning leads you into the La Jolla Open Aire Market. You can see a golden retriever wagging its tail, a mom pushing her daughter’s stroller, a college student juggling her iced matcha with a bouquet of hydrangeas, and a group of friends giggling while sharing crêpes and freshly-squeezed orange juice. Stands bustle with happy customers in line, some trying new foods and others returning for their favorites. Whether you enjoy coffee, breakfast, fresh produce, clothes, or live music, there is a stand for it all.

As she sipped her favorite coffee from Hot Bevs, a coffee truck, Chloe Chereque (‘26) said, “I love the community here. There are certain booths I look forward to every week. I love the ladies at Smashed Avocado Toast and the man at the açaí place. They are the friendliest!” At the La Jolla Open Aire Market, customers can buy apples from a farmer, cookies from a chef, and skirts from the seamstress. There is an intimacy that cannot be found at any typical store or company.

A Sunday ritual for many people, the La Jolla Open Aire Market is a place for community, rest, and reset. For vendors, the Market is the perfect place to promote and expand their brand.

Mika Tway works at the Tea Bazaar booth, a business that sells loose-leaf tea. She talked about how the owner of Tea Bazaar, Shell Singal, started her business from scratch when she was “practically homeless” and now it is a national success. Mika explained that the La Jolla Market helped Tea Bazaar advertise and build community, which led to them winning awards, such as “Small Business of the Year” from Asian Business Association of San Diego (ABASD), and becoming a larger business.

Megan Alapi owns Seaside Jewels, a jewelry stand. Customers can buy premade necklaces or create their own charm bracelet or necklace from an array of charms. Seaside Jewels creates an experience for the customer — allowing them to mix and match charms to their liking — which makes the business flourish. Megan said the Market helps her business get a lot of exposure. “Every week there’s a new group of customers, but then I have all the regulars too,” she said.

Student clubs that originated at Bishop’s host booths, too. Bishop’s stopped allowing on-campus fundraising as of this year, so certain clubs have turned to other options. Some clubs have chosen to end their affiliations with Bishop’s in order to fundraise at the market.

Austin Hill (‘26), the co-founder of Building Baja, a service club that builds houses for families in Tijuana, used the Market in January as a way to fundraise. “The farmers market was a great way to advertise our club to the community and to spread awareness about the issues we are trying to solve. The money we raised will go directly toward the homes we build, and the farmer’s market was eager to help us out,” Austin said.

Olina Shi (‘27) and Kate Bennett (‘27), the founders of Clay For A Cause, which creates ceramic pieces to raise money for various non-profits, had a stand at the Market last December. They promoted their cause and raised money for Nurses Beyond Borders, a non-profit organization that helps send nurses to give check-ups to children in developing countries. “The farmer’s market let us reach more people and expand our cause beyond the School,” Olina said. Clay For a Cause was able to raise over $600 through the La Jolla Open Aire Market. 

Aside from the student clubs that have stands at the Market, some Bishop’s students go for fun and pleasure as well. Ellie Devoe (‘25) said that her favorite booth is the same avocado toast place that Chloe loves. “Going to the farmer’s market is a great way to try new foods and spend time with my friends!” she said.

Kaia Kuehn’s (‘28) favorite stand at the Market is also the avocado toast stand. She said that the Market is fun to go to because of the plentiful options of food. She also said, “It’s so fun to get the food there and have a morning debrief [with friends].”

Mika Tway, from Tea Bazaar, said her favorite part about Sundays at the La Jolla Open Aire Market is the community. She added that “the atmosphere is great.” Ryan Schwartz, an employee at Magnolia Kitchen and Bakery, a stand at the Market, said her favorite part is meeting people. Megan from Seaside Jewelry added, “The customers are always happy and in a good mood, and it makes me happy.” 

The unique experience of shopping at the La Jolla Open Aire Market is scarce, as it is only open on Sundays. The impact of even just one hour at the Market on businesses and people is evident in the radiating happiness that emanates from the Market every Sunday. As Ellie said, “I love the farmer’s market because it gives me something fun to look forward to on Sundays!”