New location draws more shoppers to Rocky Butte Farmers Market

SEE A VIDEO OF THE MARKET, SET TO MUSIC | If you haven’t yet visited it, learn where this outer East Portland farmers market went, why it moved, and how that move is going for them …

On Saturday mornings, NE Siskiyou Street is closed off, west of NE 82nd Avenue of Roses, for the Rocky Butte Farmers Market.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

What started out as a series of “pop-up” farmers markets back in 2017 has grown into the weekly Rocky Butte Farmers Market (RBFM) – and it continues to mature. For the 2021 through the 2023 seasons, the RBFM was hosted in the Mannahouse church parking lot.

But, for their 2024 season, the Rocky Butte Farmers Market picked up and moved – lock, stock, and canopies – right next to Glenhaven Park. It’s just west of NE 82nd Avenue of Roses, along Siskiyou Street.

At the market’s own booth, here are RBFM Board of Directors member Sarah Mooney, Market Director Liz Braun, Loree McKenna, and volunteer Alyson Leatherman.

“Having been with the market since its inception, I’m really pleased with the move to our new location,” market Board of Directors member Sarah Mooney told East Portland News.

“We had had an amazing space [up on Rocky Butte]; the church there is so generous with their space – but, it turned out to be a difficult location for people to find,” she added.

At the RBFM Kid’s Patch, volunteer Caitlyn Whitcomb helps Virgil do some berry tasting.

“We considered, and worked on, a few different locations nearby – but, in working with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), we found this to be a better and more cost-effective location, than working with the school district [to hold it a Leodis V. McDaniel High School] or the Parks Department [having the market inside Glenhaven Park].

“The people from PBOT have been so helpful getting us moved here; they were incredible,” Mooney added.

Shoppers snap up fresh berries while they’re still in season.

“Just look at the neighborhood foot traffic we’re getting! Here we have families with their kids, strollers, and dogs, all walking in for a visit,” Mooney remarked. “And, being right off NE 82nd Avenue, this is easy for people driving here to find.”

See what a visit to this farmers market is like, in our musical video:

The RBFM hosts from 15 to 20 vendors a week, said Mooney. “We try to make sure that we have a wide variety – a little bit of everything for sale – including fresh fruits and vegetables, dry goods, and crafts.”

All this, plus the youth education area – “The Kids Patch” – where kids earn $5 tokens for participating, and there’s live music every week. “We also have the ‘SNAP Match’ to help people’s money go further,” Mooney remarked.

From all over outer East Portland, folks flock to shop at the Saturday Rocky Butte Farmers Market.

Rocky Butte Farmers Market

A Saturday market – from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
Open through September 28
Now in the Madison South neighborhood at Glenhaven Park
NE Siskiyou Street between 80th and 82nd Avenues.
For more information, see their official website: CLICK HERE.

>> On our Front Page: Kayliya and Stephenson Hubbard stop for a photo while shopping at the Pablo Munez market at the Rocky Butte Farmers Market.

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