02 Jan Looking Back at 2024
The theme of 2024 was MAJOR SHIFTS.
Each year we change and grow, but this year the Greenway Arts Alliance team navigated large challenges while remaining creative and committed to its community members.
One major challenge arrived publicly on March 3rd: We changed the Melrose Trading Post layout back to what it was pre-COVID, with the intimate, festival feel of the Live Music Lawn and Food Court in the Fairfax High School quad. While the market’s overall footprint got smaller, we were able to recover spaces that were lost in the market’s COVID expansion. This project took months to plan and communicate, but it was well worth the effort!
Now the community gets to enjoy the intended layout of the Melrose Trading Post with spaces for people to gather, to showcase their talents and wares and to meet creative people in Los Angeles.
BEFORE
AFTER
Another major challenge the MTP team faced was outgrowing our booking system. After a long search, we found a great local company that custom built a new booking system for MTP. This system launched in September, and it also took months to plan, communicate and launch. We’re grateful for this new system’s features, which help our team better understand the composition of the market’s merchandise, and enables our vendors to advertise themselves on our website. In 2024 we launched the Vendor Directory on this website, and in 2025 we will be launching an interactive map showing which vendors are booked each Sunday.
Here’s what else happened at Greenway and MTP this year:
GREENWAY ARTS ALLIANCE’S PROGRAMS:
GREENWAY COURT THEATRE (GCT)
Under the leadership of Producing Director, Mohammed Ojarigi, the Greenway Court Theatre has developed innovative programming and community partnerships.
Click to enlarge the “Greenway Eggs and Yams” year end snapshots below and see what the Greenway Court Theatre was up to this year:
GREENWAY INSTITUTE FOR THE ARTS (GIA)
Greenway Institute for the Arts successfully launched a new session of GreenwayREADS in January 2024. Though this program, Greenway leads the Fairfax High School community and several LAUSD partner schools in a community reading of a pre-selected literature. The chosen novel for the 2023-2024 school year was the highly acclaimed “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter,” which promised to catalyze meaningful discussions and explore diverse perspectives and themes.
In April, GIA hosted its first “Fairfax Visual Arts: Student Art Expo” in which the Fairfax Rotunda was transformed into a student art gallery. Students from the Fairfax Visual Arts Magnet had a chance to present their work to local artists, their Fairfax community, AND to the public during the Melrose Trading Post with a gallery in the historic Rotunda.
Later that year, eight talented Fairfax High School student acts competed in Greenway’s Got Talent for $1000 in cash prizes! All semester long, students attended Greenway’s after school program to prepare for their performances.
In June, GIA concluded the school year by celebrating the graduating seniors, sending them off with best wishes, and hosting a summer outing to an escape room for the Melrose Trading Post student staff as a team building exercise. Summer brought new interns, Payton and Suzette, and preparations began for the annual Kickoff event in August.
The 2024-2025 school year began with the Fall Kickoff celebration! This was an exciting event held at the Greenway Court Theatre introducing Fairfax students to Greenway’s educational programming. The theater was buzzing with energy and excitement as new and returning students engaged in a variety of fun activities such as speed painting, a scavenger hunt, singing, and dancing. They also got to enjoy a delicious free meal sponsored by Taty’s Food Truck.
GreenwayREADS returned in the fall for the 2024-2025 school year, where students read the popular Mexican myth La Llorona. Students in participating classrooms engaged with the myth during a 5-week residency, which consists of a teaching artist who develops arts-based activities that highlight the work’s themes. After the classroom engagement, our Greenway Court Theatre produced a stage version of the story and hosted free matinee performances for the students, which included a post-show discussion with the cast. This year’s production at GCT was called Ghost Stories: The Dead Can’t Dance and integrated story telling, dance, and music. It even featured musician Smiley Bone Jones who frequently plays at MTP!
Finally, on December 4th, the talented students from GIA’s After School program put on two performances of their Winter Showcase, titled “Monsters & Mistletoe,” at Greenway Court Theatre! The production was written entirely by the student stars and directed by teaching artists Jonny and Zuri, incorporating song, dance, interactive improv, and immersive storytelling.
Overall, GIA has had a great year filled with unique student programming that focused on the arts and personal development. Congrats to the GIA team!
MELROSE TRADING POST (MTP)
FUNDRAISING FOR NON-PROFITS
Non-Profit Boost Program
Our Non-Profit Boost Program approves local non-profit applicants to receive a free booth at Melrose Trading Post, plus equipment (tent, table, chairs), for their organization to use to spread awareness of their cause, collect donations or petition signatures, register people to vote, connect people with services, and more.
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- Best Friends
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- League of Women Voters
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- World Orphanage Foundation
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- Panorama Med
This year we donated 135 booths plus equipment to 32 Local Non-Profit Organizations including pet rescues, art collectives, LGBTQIA+ organizations, Girl Scout Troops, environmental initiatives, local arts non-profit organizations, voter registration and local fundraising initiatives, and more.
If you are connected to a local non-profit organization, share this link with them: MTP Non-Profit Free Booth Program
LAUSD Entrepreneurship Program
This year, we hosted 5 pop-up fundraisers with LAUSD school groups who participated in the MTP Entrepreneurship Program for LAUSD PTSA & PTA Groups and Booster Clubs. We walk them through the planning process, and get them ready for MTP with a group orientation. Then we promote their pop-up across our channels (newsletter, website and social media), asking the greater community to support their fundraising efforts.
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- Grand Arts VAPA
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- Mark Twain Biz Art Club
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- Wilshire Crest Elementary
Each group met the $500 goal, and received a matching grant from Greenway Arts Alliance for up to $500. We look forward to helping more school groups fundraise at MTP in 2025.
If you are connected to an LAUSD school, please share this information about the program: MTP Entrepreneurship Program Info for LAUSD School Groups
Fairfax Entrepreneurship Fundraising Program
We hosted 7 Fairfax Club / Team pop-up fundraisers in the Entrepreneurship Program this year. Fairfax High School student clubs and athletic teams are walked through the process of learning how to host their own pop-up at the Melrose Trading Post. We provide the equipment, and they provide the activities, items for sale, and signage.
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- Fairfax Lions Football
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- Fairfax Visual Arts Magnet
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- Fairfax Computer Science Club
In December we also started a new fundraising option for Fairfax Clubs and Teams during Merry Melrose. We received a $300 donation from Target to purchase their stylish gift wrapping supplies for students to wrap gifts purchased at MTP for a donation. We’re excited to continue this fundraising tradition next year during Merry Melrose.
Melrose Trading Post Artist Showcases & Community Collaborations
We started 2024 collaborating with our very own Greenway Court Theatre for their GreenwayREADS production of “I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter.” To promote the show, GCT brought El Groupo Folklorico Mexica de CSU Long Beach to perform at MTP. Their vibrant performance was so joyful.
Every year we strive to partner with local organizations to bring special pop-ups to MTP. This year was no exception, with the return of our favorite cookie sellers, the Girl Scouts of LA! We look forward to their cookie pop-ups at MTP in February and March each year. We also collaborated with Re-Imagined from Sage Hills High School, a student-run sustainable fashion club that creates items out of existing clothing, plastic goods and more. Additionally, we welcomed the League of Women Voters who ran a monthly Voter Registration booth for most of the year leading up to the 2024 Election.
This year marked the first annual CicLAvia Melrose! We got to collaborate with the awesome CicLAvia team, programming their Fairfax & Melrose Hub Stage, and MTP served as the anchor of the west end of the event. We were able to bring awesome performers to the CicLAvia stage, including an Intermission yoga + sound bath session, a performance by the Greenway Dance Team, the amazing Rollettes Dancers and a powerful performance by Sydney Raneé and her band. It was so epic to hear Sydney’s performance across the whole market! We’re looking forward to the CicLAvia Melrose event returning in 2025.
We grew our community ties with local arts organizations, hosting a showcase with Hollywood Fringe Festival, several poetry readings with the Los Angeles Poet Society, and poetry readings with Virginia Bulacio’s Luna Inmigrante.
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- Hollywood Fringe!
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- Virginia Bulacio and Friends
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- Poets from LA Poet Society
We also hosted the Art x Science performers from PST art through the Getty, who performed magic tricks based in science to teach and inspire kids about the wonders of being a scientist!
In November, GAA team members Natalie, Mahagany, and Michelle popped up at the Great Pumpkin Bash this year to tell the community about Melrose Trading Post and Greenway Court Theatre programming. They were joined by eco-friendly MTP art vendor Jordan of Kent Bindery – who got to sell her work and offer hands-on paper making workshops to Pumpkin Bash attendees.
MTP Programming & Activities
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- Author Sibylle Westbrook
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- Author Alexus Mozell with LToya of Eclectuals
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- Author Latrice McGlothin
In 2024, our Melrose Mornings programming celebrated one year of Eclectuals Story Time in the Garden and Intermission Yoga + Sound Bath by Cranes Studio. These two vendor-produced programs have grown over the past year, including the number of participants, and adapting to the new stage layout. We look forward to continuing to work with LToya Wilson of Eclectuals Book Market and Jasmine Galindo of Cranes Studio on these family-friendly morning programs. Join us every Sunday at 11 AM for Melrose Mornings in 2025.
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- Dr. Kischa leading a soundbath
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- Yoga in session
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- Homemade Play Dough Crafts
Speaking of vendors, we got to host amazing art workshops by artists from MTP. Jordan Kent of Kent Bindery brought back her Papermaking Workshop. It’s always a hit, and participants walk away learning so much about making paper from existing scraps. The other workshop we got to host is the Cyanotype (Sun Print) Art Workshop with Bo Sapphire of Little Gem Gallery. This unique art technique is demystified by Bo, and you get to keep beautiful art you made using pressed flowers, plants, and sunshine.
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- Jordan Kent teaches patrons about papermaking
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- Making green paper
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- Bo leads a cyanotype workshop
We hosted several school field trips to MTP – some were for fun and team-building, while others served to highlight local economics and the fashion industry in action. Santa Monica College’s Fashion Department makes MTP an annual field trip to explore the local fashion economy. Brentwood High School’s AP Economics class runs experiments in the market, studying pricing, merchandising and customer service. UCLA and Chapman University offered MTP as a fun field trip for students living on campus. Whether visiting for fun or for an in-person lesson, school groups get to take advantage of our discounted group rate.
The MTP team started some new traditions this year, including the Sunday Scribbles wall. This is a wall with a prompt from our team, where patrons can write their response and pin it to the wall. It’s a fun interactive way to learn more about the community at MTP.
We also started an Easter Egg Hunt, where we hid 4 giant golden eggs filled with MTP Goodies throughout the market. We left clues on social media, and before long all of the eggs had been found! Another tradition we started this year was the Mother’s Day Rose Giveaway. This was a sweet way for our staff to give appreciation and a rose to any moms (including pet moms) in the market that day. People were really touched by this small gesture of kindness, so we’ll be bringing it back in 2025!
Friends we’ve lost in 2024
Designer & MTP Vendor, Josh Lobb
In 2024 we tragically lost friend and vendor, Josh Lobb, the creator of Infinite Expression. Josh was a unique clothing designer who was a wizard with a sewing machine. His creative energy inspired everyone who spoke with him. He started at MTP fresh out of high school in 2014, with one sewing machine and a dream. Eventually, he grew his business to the point where celebrities were wearing his clothes, and he had repeat customers asking him to customize their favorite clothing items with his special touch. We collaborated with Josh on a capsule collection of button up shirts and jackets which he sourced and designed. Josh had a passion for sustainable fashion and for creating one-of-a-kind pieces for his customers. We miss him and will be honoring his memory during our Melrose Fashion Week event in March 2025.
The MTP x Infinite Expression Collection
Josh’s friends and family joined us at MTP to hold a booth in his memory and sell his pieces.
Holidays
JUNETEENTH
On June 16th, we hosted our third annual Juneteenth Celebration in partnership with the Mid City West Neighborhood Council at MTP. It was a beautiful day filled with inspiring speakers and poets, an awesome line-up of musicians and performers, and the amazing featured vendors and artists who sell at MTP. We kicked off the celebration with a local African Dance Group who rallied everyone to the stage area.
Local non-profit organizations received a free booth to promote their causes, including art programs, mental health programs, and local advocacy and volunteer groups.
HALLOWEEN
On October 27th, we hosted our third Dog Costume Contest and it was even better than the previous years! We were able to bring the same wonderful event to this new stage area, and the crowd brought great energy to compliment M.C. Sampson McCormick’s hosting and comedy!
Last year we had incredible floats in the contest, so this year we decided to make the floats their own category.
Best Float: Foxy the Cavewoman 🌴
Best Human-Dog Duo: Jolene & Laurie the Disco Divas 🪩
Best Handmade: Sophie the Trader Joe’s Captain 🛒
Best In Show: Einstein the Bark-rista from Starpups ☕️
Our team really appreciates all of the hard work, thought, time, creativity and investment that went in to each costume.
Thank you for making this year’s contest unforgettable!
Our fantastic vendors also went above and beyond this year for our Vendor Costume Contest. We saw so many great costumes, but JM Film Resins’ recreation of this iconic scene from The Shining captivated voters for this year’s win!
WINTER SEASON
To spread peace, wonderment and cheer to the community at the end of this tough year, we transformed into the Merry Melrose Holiday Market for the month of December. Patrons enjoyed free photos with Santa Claus, plus pop-up performances from Little Women Ballet, holiday caroling by Grand Arts (Ramon C. Cortines High School) Vocal Jazz Singers, artist-made photo installations, and typewriter poets from the LA Poet Society. We also joined the Toy Drive by Mágico USA and they collected 35 toys at our location alone!
We started a new tradition for Merry Melrose, a Festive Dog Parade! The parade was led by Mrs. Claus, and it included patrons with their dogs dressed for the holidays, as well as 3 local pet rescues with adoptable dogs. The rescues who participated were Pup Culture Rescue, Roadogs Rescue and Queen’s Best Stumpy Dog Rescue. It was so fun that we’re definitely doing it again.
The real star of Merry Melrose was Denise, aka Mrs. Claus. We decided to tap into this incredibly talented staff member’s abilities to create promotional videos and in-person interactions that are funny and unforgettable.
The vendors are at the heart of our market all year round. That’s why we host an Annual Vendor Appreciation Breakfast on the Holiday Market (usually the last or 2nd to last Sunday of December). This year we partnered again with Batterberries Cafe (aka GC Crepe Makers) for a super delicious breakfast!
Greenway Arts Alliance also hosts an Annual Pancake Breakfast for all staff members. This year, our Holiday Pancake Breakfast incorporated a feedback session with the staff and a surprise performance from MTP’s Operations Manager J Scott as Santa!
In the Media
In 2024 Greenway Arts Alliance / Melrose Trading Post were featured on:
Food & Wine Magazine’s L.A. Travel Guide
CicLAvia’s Local Gems: Melrose Guide
Afar Magazine
Discover Los Angeles
Spectrum News
Inside Hook
Beverly Press / Park La Brea News
Larchmont Buzz
Fashion Journal – Australia
Qweerty.com
Los Angeles Times
Maeil Business Newspaper
The Big News Network
Good Day LA on Fox 11
Thank you to everyone who has shared our story!
