After thirty years serving as Vice President for Marketing and Development at the A.F. Gilmore Company, the owner of the Original Farmers Market, Mark Panatier, is retiring to spend more time with his family and recreate his vegetable garden lost to an earlier landscape project, he told the Buzz this week.
Panatier has worked closely with Gilmore Company CEO Hank Hilty to expand the footprint of the Original Farmers Market and develop additional parcels owned by the company. In the late 1990s, Panatier played an active role in overseeing the expansion of The Farmers Market + The Grove. More recently, he oversaw the development of Gilmore Station, the shopping center at 3rd Street and Fairfax Avenue just west of the Original Farmers Market.
“The entire area started as a dairy farm,” Panatier told us. It was settled by Arthur Fremont Gilmore (the A.F. in the A.F. Gilmore Company) who acquired nearly 260 acres in what we now know as the Fairfax district. One day, when drilling a water well, Gilmore struck oil, changing the family fortune forever. Arthur’s son, Earl Bell Gilmore, built the Gilmore Oil Company into the largest independent oil company west of the Mississippi. The last of the Gilmore Oil wells on the property was capped in 2005. It’s located under what is now Public Storage.
Panatier speaks passionately about the unique community that composes the Farmers Market and his efforts over the years to bring visitors to market by offering seasonal events and activities such as the annual Gilmore Heritage Auto Show and the Summer Music Series.
“The Gilmore company is a good steward of all of their assets and the management team understands that; they are sensitive to how they manage their properties, including their merchants,” explained Panatier. “The company owns the Market, but it’s really the merchants that make the experience. While it’s clearly a landlord/tenant relationship, we promote the Market to draw people here…but once you get here, it’s up the merchants to sell their services and products, and that has been very successful over the years.”
After the expansion of the market and the addition of The Grove in the 1990s, the company made improvements in the historic market that opened in 1934.
“People came because of the market,” explained Panatier. “We have improved it with better infrastructure, a lot of it you don’t see, like plumbing, electrical, internet, etc. but this community has lived at the market, people met here and got married. On the morning of 9/11, we decided to stay open, we gave merchants the option to close but many opened and people came — this is where the community plays out it life. Even now, people come and find a place to stand to talk, even though you’re not supposed to gather, they say it’s “my market” and I’m proud to be part of that over the years.”
Panatier appreciates that the “Market has created its own initiative. We help and facilitate, but the market is a special place.” He explained there are three faces of the market; the morning face, with people coming for coffee on their way to work; the late morning and lunch, with lots of people, including tourists coming in; and the evening, with more local residents.”
But historically, the Market has relied on the community, said Panatier.
It’s not tourists, he explained, even though a great deal of them visit the Market. The income comes from locals who spend more money at the Market.
“What tourist is going to buy a turkey, or a lamb roast, or a bunch of carrots? It’s all local,” said Panatier. Which is why his office has worked so hard to promote the Market during the COVID-19 pandemic. As an essential businesses, the Farmers Market merchants have remained open and many are doing well as people discover and re-discover how easy it is to shop at the market.
Panatier also said The Grove, now closed because of the pandemic, is an interesting neighbor. Grove developer Rick Caruso often speaks about his projects as community spaces, and the Original Farmers Market has been a community gathering place for over 80 years.
Panatier wouldn’t comment on plans to develop the nearby Town and Country Mall, except to say that, clearly, creating housing is very important. He commended the development team and the Council Office for their efforts to engage the community, adding that “ultimately they will do something. Housing is good, but you have to take everything into consideration, how you try to improve access and egress, etc. But then who knows what will happen with traffic, in a post-pandemic environment?”
Panatier has been with the A.F. Gilmore Company since 1991. Over the years, he has represented the Gilmore Company on a number of boards of directors during his tenure.
In February, Panatier was honored by the Miracle Mile Chamber of Commerce’s Annual “Trailblazer” Luncheon for his role as a “central and contributing figure” of the Greater Miracle Mile.
“Is it hard to give up the job? Yes and no. But it’s OK, ” said Panatier. “I am pleased to have helped create a vibrant, effective marketing and outreach effort, extend our involvement in community activities and the developments that expanded the property…all the while keeping the market open every day, during the construction.”
“It was fun to be involved in acquisition and new construction and relations,” he added. “Hank (Hilty) and I worked very closely on all those things; Hank is creative and a brilliant guy. It was a team effort. But I’m leaving it in good hands and there people are in place to carry on the work.”
Before joining the Gilmore Company, Panatier was the Student Union Director at UCLA from 1977 to 1991. At UCLA he was responsible for the overall administrative, financial and operational aspects of the Associated Students’ 300,000 square foot Student Union complex, including two main buildings and four satellite Unions. His duties included project planning, financial forecasting, Student Union operations, physical plant operations, energy management, recycling, advertising, special events, marketing research, and Board/student relations.
Prior to his time at UCLA, Panatier served as the San Jose Convention Center Manager 1976-77, and the Pasadena Convention Center Assistant Manager 1973-76. He was responsible for promoting and managing the operations of the cities’ convention and cultural centers.
Panatier lives in Van Nuys with his wife of 45+ years, Gail, who recently retired from UCLA. They have two grown daughters and a granddaughter. Panatier received his business and public administration degree from San Diego State University. He has presented papers at a number of national and international conventions – one of which was published.
An avid gardener, Panatier is looking forward to spending time recreating his vegetable garden, which was removed a while back when he replaced his landscaping with climate-friendly plantings.
We wish him well!
