Salem's Saturday farmers market shopping has worked as a two-part schedule. The outdoor Salem Saturday Market on Marion Street runs from spring through October. The Salem Public Market on Rural Avenue SE stays open every Saturday of the year, so the winter months have always had somewhere to go. On the night of Oct. 21, a fire took the winter half of that schedule offline. The outdoor market's last scheduled Saturday of 2026 was Oct. 31, ten days later.
The Public Market now has no reopening date. Its comeback depends on a building fund and a small volunteer board. Saturdays for the next few months will look different.
The handoff that used to happen every November
The Salem Saturday Market sets up at 865 Marion St. NE every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., March through October. Travel Oregon listed the 2026 season as March 7 through Oct. 31, which made Oct. 31 the final scheduled market of the year.
The Salem Public Market has never had an off-season. When Salem Reporter visited in January 2026, it was open Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1240 Rural Ave. SE. That feature named vendors including Sonja Neal of Neal's Farm, Marshall Haueter of Alperose Bakery, and Ash Roth of Feral Grains Granola Co. and Rhythm Craft Kombucha.
The market's year-round schedule goes back to how it started. Salem Reporter's coverage of the fire tells the story. During World War II, gas rationing made it hard to drive from farm to farm. A Salem local took the idea of a Saturday tailgate market to the City Council on a Monday night, and the market was running by that Saturday. The next year, vendors and sponsors formed a nonprofit and later bought the land on Rural Avenue. The market dates to 1943 and calls itself Oregon's oldest farmers market.
What the fire took, and what is still standing
Salem Reporter says the fire was reported at about 10:20 p.m. that Wednesday, with smoke and flames coming from the roof. Salem Fire Department crews were on scene by 10:32 p.m. and had the fire out in about 20 minutes. Nine vehicles and 37 personnel responded, and they saved about two-thirds of the building. No one was inside.
The market posted an update on its own website explaining what's left:
- The building's contents are a total loss.
- The building urgently needs a new roof and a stabilizing beam.
- About a third of the market has to be rebuilt.
- All of the market's infrastructure has to be rebuilt.
- The cause is in the hands of law enforcement, and the market isn't commenting on the investigation.
The building is the small red one, built in 1951, a few blocks east of South Salem High School. Inside, it has about 30 vendor tables and draws more than a hundred shoppers a week. Vendors sell candles, jewelry, fiber arts, baked goods, kombucha, fresh meat, and produce. A regular told Salem Reporter in January that she came every week for eggs, produce, and dairy, and that she knew almost every vendor by name. "If I miss a week, life is just not the same," she said.
Why the damage estimate is only part of the story
Salem Reporter put the damage at about $167,000. To get the market reopened, the nonprofit's treasurer, Tina Thompson, started the Salem Public Market Building Fund with a goal of $140,000 for urgent structural work and rebuilding.
The market board president, Trisha Henny, who is also a vendor, told KPTV the damage estimate is low and the market is underinsured.
"We don't know how short we are yet. We only know that we are short."
Henny told KPTV that tearing the building down and starting over would cost too much. If what's still standing can't be saved, she said, the market could end after 80 years. She expected to know within the week whether the structure can be saved.
All of that work falls to a small group. Salem Reporter says the nonprofit is run by about six volunteer board members. Henny told KPTV the market had 35 vendors, and that they were also setting up their own online fundraiser for repairs. Jeremy Greenwood of Rhythm Beverage Company, who told KPTV he has been coming to the market since he was a child, said, "Hopefully we'll figure out a way to resurrect it."
As of late October, the market had not named a temporary location. Its website said it would post updates there and on social media about alternative market locations, volunteer opportunities, and reopening dates.
Where Saturday shopping goes starting Nov. 7
The Oregon Farmers Markets Association's winter market directory covers November through March. It lists no winter farmers market in Salem, Keizer, Turner, Aumsville, Independence, or Monmouth. The closest one on the list is the Silverton Winter Farmers Market at 303 N. Church St. in Silverton. Silverton's market had opened vendor applications for winter 2026, but that page doesn't list public market dates.
Inside Salem, these are the options:
| Where | Address | When | What you'll find |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wavra Farms Winter Market | 7882 Jordan St. SE | Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., through March 13 | Makers, produce, and baked goods in a heated greenhouse |
| E.Z. Orchards Farm Market | 5504 Hazelgreen Rd. NE | Weekdays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Year-round farm store with winter produce, local meat, and packaged local foods |
| Salem Holiday Market | Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE | Dec. 11 to 13 | Seasonal market of local vendors selling handmade, homemade, and homegrown goods |
Of the three, Wavra Farms is the closest match to a Saturday Public Market morning. The market runs every Saturday from October through mid-March in a heated greenhouse. Travel Salem's listing shows weekly dates from Oct. 31 through March 13, with free admission. Vendors sell honey, jams, coffee, bread, soaps, quilted and crocheted goods, woodworking, and jewelry. The greenhouse has accessible parking, restrooms, and paved paths. The farm posts its 2026-2027 vendor roster and says vendor schedules can change, so check with a vendor before making a trip for them.
E.Z. Orchards is a farm store, not a market of separate vendors, and it's open more days of the week. Its market page lists weekday and Saturday hours along with Sunday hours of 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The farm's FAQ says Sunday hours are only during October, so call before planning a November Sunday visit.
The Salem Holiday Market is a once-a-year event, not a weekly market. Salem Community Markets, the group that runs the Saturday Market, has posted the Dec. 11 to 13 dates at the fairgrounds. The only hours on its page are Sunday, Dec. 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., listed with the gingerbread contest schedule. Check the Holiday Market page for the other days' hours before you go.
Keeping the Public Market on your Saturday list
If you shopped on Rural Avenue, the market itself has asked for help in three ways:
- Give to the Salem Public Market Building Fund, which has a $140,000 goal for the roof, the stabilizing beam, and rebuilding.
- Share the fundraiser if you can't give right now. The market says that helps just as much.
- Check salempublicmarket.net and the market's social media for an alternative location, volunteer shifts, and a reopening date.
You can also keep buying from Public Market vendors at their other outlets while the building is closed. Any business that has posted where it's selling this winter is easier to find from its own pages than from a building that's being rebuilt.
If you have questions about how Saturday markets and neighborhood anchors like this one fit into your plans for a home in Salem, I'm glad to talk it through. Stacey McGhehey is here for Salem neighbors, and a good first step is a short conversation. Let's Connect. Smile! Relax! Enjoy!
