The Santee Alley

Hi I had a really sad experience here, first thing that happened is we choose to park where it said $3 parking and when we got in there and parked he upcharged us to $20 , same thing happened on the streets while looking we kept getting charged more than what they charge everyone else or they didnt even want to help us ,im half white half Mexican and I felt no matter where I went I was being judged up and down. It was very unfortunate , I bought a hot dog also and it was completely cold , and when I asked to speak to her she ignored me , they were very rude 😔 we looked at purses and they tried charging is $120 for a flea market purse. Like we were stupid we had a lot of money to spend but they were trying to rob us. So we ended up leaving. Even when we were just walking on the sidewalk no one said excuse me or nothing. It was very prejudice down there . Maybe because of the recent ice raids. But just a heads up to anyone who is not a dark Mexican. You might be racially profiled and given higher prices because of it. The sad part is my dad's from Michoacan and my daughters dad is from guadalajara I love mexico 🇲🇽 however treating people like this isnt right and I hope to help someone else that might experience the same .

I drive here every year from Las Vegas to do my Christmas shopping. I definitely get my money's worth. Highly recommend. It is a shopping experience not to be missed at any time of the year!

This was nothing like I expected. Thought the street was filled with arts and craft shops - wrong! A bunch of cheap clothing, and 'Fredericks of Hollywood' wannabes. A few food stands (churros at covered end were fantastic!). There was an nice boot store, but very little else of interest. Some of the shops on the surrounding streets looked far more interesting. Not worth travelling cross-town to see Santee Alley.

We went to look around after a visit to USC. It’s a fun market that reminds me of Mexican markets in that you can find anything, including food inside. The best products by far are women’s formal dresses. Negotiate the price of absolutely everything beforehand, a guy tried to charge me $20 for two small cups of watermelon. Don’t expect that much of a deal on anything, I found all prices to be very high for the quality. Honestly I wouldn’t go back to the area because I feel I can find everything this market offers in a better atmosphere for the same price, maybe even less

The alley and surrounding area is now a travesty of what it once was! Lawlessness personified… Be careful not to hit people aimlessly be directed to j-walk across the street by parking lot salesmen in the middle of the road. There’s no parking and all of my legit good businesses have vacated for junky throwaway goods and counterfeits. I drove through and didn’t dare get out of the car. First off, no street parking and the people trying to guide you in their parking lots look shady! THE WHOLE PLACE IS SHADY AND DIRTY AND DISGUSTING! GO AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!! ⚠️⛔️✋🏽

Was a nice experience but everything was overpriced from toys to food. Don't go to buy things, go for the experience only and you won't be disappointed. Super pack with people.

Santee Alley is a outdoor market with lots of junky treasures. The clothing is not even close to designer knock off, so I guess it depends on what you are looking for... Parking was easy. There are shops galore! The area itself is a little shady. I felt like you could definitely get pick pocketed here, so if you wanna go to check out this strange little part of LA than plan accordingly.

If you are in downtown,you should visit this garment district.It’s not different than any other local bazaars in different countries.By the time I’m here,I bought some souvenirs for my kids and my family.

This is the LA version of open markets that you see around the world in Morocco, Instanbul, Mexico, etc...vendors packed in one next to another selling their goods of all different types. Much of it is clothing but there is almost every type of item sold. Don't go looking for name brand items though - lots of knockoffs and lower priced versions of different goods. We went on a weekday in the late morning and the market (about 3 blocks long) was packed full of people. If you don't like crowds then it may be uncomfortable. The main language spoken appears to be spanish but people were kind and friendly, but I would be aware of my surrounding. An interesting place to visit but not for the purchase of name brand goods. It is in the 'fashion district' but does not have much in the terms of fabrics and goods to make your own garments. I'm glad we went once, but unlikely to come back.

I've been going to Alley since the late 80s never seem to have problems,but the last time it was bad.Bought a suitcase from a vender paid $40 seem strong but when I went to transfer my items to that suitcase handle broke, I went back (same day,60min later ) he didnt want me to give me a refund ,he showed me a sign which was hidden NO Refund or Exchange wow but got an exchange that should cost me $20 Beware