In 1997, the Fairfax Business Association received a $330,000 grant from the city of Los Angeles to fix up the four-block stretch of Fairfax Avenue between Melrose Avenue and Beverly Boulevard.
The grant, secured with the help of then-City Councilman Mike Feuer and Mayor Richard Riordan, enabled the business association to install medians, street lighting and seating areas along Fairfax Avenue. A shiny sign welcoming visitors to Fairfax Village was erected on the median near Melrose Avenue.
The FBA, led by Jacqueline Canter of Canter’s Deli, continued the improvement efforts for years, maintaining the landscaping on the median. In 2016, Canter and the FBA received a proclamation from the city commending nearly 20 years of keeping the area beautiful.