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Prepare Yourselves: The 626 Night Market Wants to Return
Photo by @terrencecho
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On the one hand, last week's 626 Night Market ended up being a nightmare: it was overcrowded, there were too few vendors for too many people. Even those who did manage to get a parking spot and brave the crowds and get food complained that the selection wasn't great.
On the other hand, the market was a massive success. When the organizers came up with the idea for the event, their biggest problem was trying to convince vendors that it would be worth it for them to come out and sell their food and wares to the crowd.
“The first month, we were cold calling and going door-to-door and no one wanted to be a part of it,” organizer Johnny Hwang told the Los Angeles Times.
That's all changed. After last week's turnout estimated at 10,000, there can be no doubt that the demand for a local Night Market was massive—and grossly underestimated.
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So prepare yourselves: the Night Market wants to return. And why wouldn't they? Vendors loved having a bottomless supply of customers, so they're eager to jump on board now. And even if a lot of folks got turned off from the first poorly-organized event, there's clearly an unmet demand.
“Almost all our vendors were very happy and they want to work with us on another event,” Hwang told the Times. “Despite the criticism, there’s been a lot of people supporting us and have faith that we’ll do better."
But if the market wants to become a regular event, it sounds like they're going to need more help so that they can learn how to manage the crowds, the parking and better estimate just how many people might show up. The original event was labor of love put together by three people who the Times said had no background in organizing food events: Hwang, his wife Janet Lan, and their friend Brian Gi.
A lot of you told us you were turned off by the event: is the 626 Night Market worth another shot?
Related:
Was the 626 Night Market a 626 Nightmare?
L.A.'s First Asian Night Market Pops Up April 14
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