EVANS OF CALIFORNIA INVITATION TO SHOP OPENING AT THE LOS ANGELES FARMERS' MARKET

[Los Angeles]: [Evans of California], [1948]. Very good. Leather cut in the shape of the state of California. Invitation to the opening of the leather goods shop Evans of California in 1948. Fred Beck announced the shop's opening in his Farmers Market Today column for the Los Angeles Times on May 2, 1948, introducing the owners, Bob Evans, a cattleman, and his wife, Hazel Evans, a former beauty pageant contestant. The shop specialized in all manner of leather goods, such as belts, purses, luggage, and custom wares, as evidenced by the leather saddle craftsman Al Shelton was fashioning in the shop's window during its opening celebration.

The Farmers' Market is located at the corner of Fairfax Avenue and 3rd Street in Los Angeles, California. Originally a dairy farm, then an oil field on property owned by A.F. Gilmore and a partner, the Farmers' Market was established in July 1934 as a place for local farmers to sell their produce. Permanent stalls were built in October 1934 to house produce stands, restaurants, and services. In the decades following World War II, the market was a popular place to bring visitors from out of town as well as a shopping destination for locals. [The Original Farmers Market site] (5-3/4"x2-1/4")