By Kelly Hartog
If you drive past Whole Foods on San Vicente Boulevard, you can still see Marck Sarfati plying his trade at his iconic newsstand and you could be forgiven for thinking that his dispute with Whole Foods had been resolved.
Over the last eight months, Mirror Media has been reporting on Whole Foods’ decision to not renew Sarfati’s long-standing lease. He was supposed to shut down operations last fall. However, Sarfati and his attorneys tried to negotiate for an extension on his lease to no avail.
While Sarfati is still at his old site, he does indeed have to leave, although no official date has been announced. However, thanks to major support from the community and from Councilmember Mike Bonin, Sarfati’s newsstand may find a new home at the Bundy Triangle.
The Bundy Triangle is a small park at Santa Monica Boulevard and Bundy Drive and has been fenced off and closed to the public for over a decade. However, the West Los Angeles/Sawtelle Neighborhood Council (WLASNC) voted on Jan. 24 to support the relocation of Sarfati’s stand to the Triangle.
In a letter to his constituents, Bonin’s office stated that Bonin “has asked the Department of Public Works, Bureau of Street Services, the Department of Water and Power, the Department of General Services, the Office of the City Attorney and the City Administrative Officer to work together with Marck Sarfarti to negotiate and execute a one year lease for one dollar, in order to move and operate the local newsstand at the Bundy Triangle.”
Sarfati’s newsstand was his income revenue stream to help support his 96-year-old Holocaust survivor father, Nic, who was suffering from dementia. Sadly, Nic passed away on Feb. 3. Nic was a huge supporter of his son’s Newsstand (pictured).
It is truly the end of an era with the passing of Nic Sarfati and the loss of Brentwood Newsstand in its original location. Negotiations for the relocation of the newsstand to the Bundy Triangle are ongoing.
Photo: LA Streetsblog
Photo: Kelly Hartog
Photo: Kelly Hartog
