Our Neighborhood
Skid Row is a historic African American working class neighborhood in Downtown, Los Angeles—one of the few remaining in the city. The neighborhood is predominantly African American (58%), Latinx (25%), White (13%), Indigenous (2%) and Asian (1%). The median income in Skid Row is around $11,000 annually, and the median age is 52 years. The gender makeup (gathered by D.W.A.C.) is X% male, 35% female and X% non binary and trans.
Skid Row has the largest concentration of low-income housing in the country and two-thirds of its population are housed and rent paying residents. Skid Row also has the largest concentration of unhoused residents living in street encampments in the country. Homelessness is prevalent in Skid Row, a byproduct of structural racism and stated sanctioned violence against the poor through gentrification, mass incarceration and the war on drugs.
Our Story
In 1995, Mama May and Bob Park opened Best Market on the corner of 5th Street and San Pedro in the Brownstone Apartment. For 23 years and 365 days a year, May and Bob served the community of Skid Row, both the unhoused and the local residents. The market is known in the neighborhood as the place that carries everything (this is thanks to Mama May’s labor of love of shopping and proving requested items for all her customers everyday. It is also because of food apartheid that this area has been and continues to be deprived and disposed, an example of structural violence. After founding Best Market and running the company while building that business model that persists until today, Bob Hong Sik Park died in 2014. Long lasting friendships and relationships between the workers/staff/employees continue to this day and Mama May’s bright and vibrant spirit fills up the corner like sunshine and sunflowers.
In 2015, Bob & May’s son, Danny Park transitioned Best Market into Skid Row People’s Market with the intention of becoming a full service grocery store with a variety of healthy foods and local employment. Inspired by the community and relationships, that his parents and the market cultivated over the decades. Today, SRPM is a full service small neighborhood grocery shop with over 10 employees. Our mission is to focused on healthy community. Some of our projects include food & culinary justice, racial reconciliation & healing, community accountability and preservation of public life and place in Skid Row.
