For over 30 years, San Fernando Valley families would gather at the North Hollywood Swap Meet for good deals, delicious Mexican food, and live music on any day of the week. At the end of February 2022, however, the atmosphere quickly turned to worry and doubt as vendors were fighting to keep their booths alive.
"El valiente vive hasta que cobarde quiere," vendors chanted as they faced potential displacement. "The oppressor will stay in power until the oppressed revolt."
Vendors at the North Hollywood Swap Meet received notice that they would have to vacate the building on March 31st after rumors of redevelopment. After weeks of protests and negotiations, the swap meet landlord Moshe Hager agreed to let the vendors keep their spots under a new management company and the North Hollywood Swap Meet will remain open.
Juana Medina, a merchant who inherited her father's sports and menswear businesses two years ago, was shocked when she first heard news of the potential closure on February 19.
"The management should give the vendors a heads up for common courtesy," says Medina. "It feels like a grieving process, but I'm not there yet because I still have hope for it to be open for a little bit longer, at least a year more.”