I know Echo Park because of the fine weekday evening market that is run by SEE-LA, which also runs many others in L.A. including the iconic Hollywood Farmers Market. When I worked at marketumbrella.org, they conducted a pilot of their NEED tool (meant to measure social capital) at that location and at SEE-LA’s other markets. I visited during the survey days and was very impressed at the location and vibrancy of it and their other “food security” and “neighborhood/niche” types of markets.
This Green Grocer was not around in 2007, so I have to believe that part of the credit for its birth must go to the Echo Park Farmers Market and the SEE-LA organizers.
Cookbook LA