Fairfax Fundraisers Turn Trash into Treasure
by Brent Gorski
Every Sunday, Greenway’s Melrose Trading Post offers vendors a space to sell items ranging from antiques to vintage clothing to one-of-a-kind art pieces. The weekly event raises money for both Fairfax Senior High School and the Greenway Court Theatre.
The eclectic market, started by artists Whitney Weston and Pierson Blaetz, is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Sunday, rain or shine. At face value, it looks like any other Los Angeles street bazaar when, in fact, it is actually an ongoing fundraiser for both the school and the theatre.
Looking for a way to give back to their community, Weston and Blaetz—of the Greenway Arts Alliance—persuaded Fairfax Senior High School to allow them to throw a fundraiser in 1998 to compensate for some of the state budget cuts. What began as one-time event quickly snowballed into a weekly happening offering anything from furniture to jewelry, old books to new art and everything in between. The Melrose Trading Post has now become a staple in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles, yet many people are still unaware of its origin and outreach efforts.
Within the first year of running the MTP, Weston and Blaetz discovered an unused building on the high school property and were granted permission to turn it into a theatre. From that building they now run the Greenway Court Theatre, a 99-seat professional theatre, which the school utilizes for programs during the day.
Under the umbrella of the Greenway Arts Alliance, the Melrose Trading Post raises money for both Fairfax Senior High School and the non-profit Greenway Court Theatre. The Fairfax Parents and Friends Foundation, along with Greenway, determines how the money is allocated for the high school. In order for students to gain access to the funds raised for clubs and activities, they must make an appeal to the foundation detailing how they would like to use the money. Additionally, students seeking money must work at the MTP to be eligible for funding. The system has been set up as a teaching tool as well as a financial benefactor.
The market has many long-standing vendors who have set up stations every Sunday since the market began in 1998 as well as a mix of new vendors constantly trying to get their own spot. Management works hard to keep a diverse mix of merchandise throughout the market, so when there is a high volume of specific merchandise (ie: clothing and jewelry) they try to minimize any new vendors selling similar products. But for vendors without a long-standing reservation or for those with saturated commodities, there is a standby system in place. Vendors without spots begin lining up outside the school around 6 a.m. on Sunday hoping to grab one of the few remaining spots that may still be available by 8:30 a.m. (the cut-off time for merchants to claim their spots).
In recent years, fundraising from the Melrose Trading Post has helped Fairfax Senior High School purchase the following: a trip to Washington D.C.; a camera system; soccer uniforms and girls' softball uniforms; tumbling mats for the cheer squad; renovations to the baseball field; plants and flowers for the school front and much more.
November 21, 2009
Contact: gorski@usc.edu