Brentwood Whole Foods newsstand owner, customers fight eviction

BRENTWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A newsstand owner and members of the community are fighting to save the business from eviction.

Locals consider Marck Sarfati's newsstand at Whole Foods on San Vincent Boulevard to be a landmark. He has owned the stand for 28 years and thinks it contains one of the largest selections of news in Los Angeles.

"Their e-mail states that they're looking for a better parking situation," he said.

Sarfati posted the correspondence from Whole Foods so patrons could view it. The letter said his lease will expire on September 30. Amazon announced its intentions to purchase the grocery chain a week ago, but Sarfati does not think the potential new owners contributed to his eviction.

"I wish Amazon would take over sooner, because I think Amazon would be keeping us," he said.

Sarfati's most loyal customers are not happy with the news.

"There's not many magazine stands like this around anymore, I don't even know where I would go if this place closes," said customer Kelly Bennett.

According to Sarfati, the community response supporting his newsstand has been overwhelming. A petition has gathered more than 2,000 signatures so far.

"It's just nice to see a person running their own business and enjoying the community and meeting people," said Jeannine Frank.

Whole Foods sent ABC7 a statement saying it appreciates the longstanding relationship Sarfati maintained with the Brentwood store. It also added that the eviction decision was not made lightly.

Sarfati is planning for a larger protest on Saturday. He hoped the support is enough to keep his newsstand in business.

"I've got to fight, I've got no other reason to be here on this planet if I don't fight for this," he said.