Keeping It Fresh with the Corvallis Winter Market

 

Get your weekly produce and other needs at the indoor winter market!

The Corvallis Indoor Winter Market features local artisans, freshly made foods, local produce, and so much more. This market is open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., starting in January and running until the beginning of April. It is located at the Benton County Fairgrounds in Guerber Hall. Most of the parking is on gravel, but there is paved parking available for anyone who has physical limitations.

The indoor market draws over a thousand people every Saturday. Providing a place for the community to come together and support each other since 2002, the market currently hosts around 60 vendors any given week. Organized and run by volunteers the market has created a positive community.

“The community here is really irreplaceable. It’s such a fun mix of demographics and dynamics between the sellers and the customers,” said Ciera Hilkey, a customer and previous vendor of the market.

When you first walk into this market you’ll be met with a variety of smells like fresh baked bread and home grown flowers that will captivate your senses. With crowds of people milling about, the market can get a little loud. At the indoor market you can find a variety of different vendors, all committed to their craft. There are woodworkers selling hand-carved bowls, beekeepers selling fresh honey, bakers and many more vendors with almost anything you might be looking for in a market. Many of the vendors will attend the Saturday market in Corvallis in the summertime as well as the indoor market.

“The more people you find at the summer market, the more regulars show up to the winter market,” said Liam Shin, a vendor representing Cameron Ridge Farmstead.

Some of the vendors at the market will accept both debit cards and cash, so it is good to bring both with you. But if you forget to bring cash, a system is in place so you can still purchase from the cash-only vendors. Market patrons can use their debit card to get tokens that can then be used like cash with any of the market vendors.

Patrons with EBT can also use their EBT cards at the market; the indoor market has a program that even gives people double food bucks for using their EBT on fresh produce.

The Corvallis Indoor Winter Market has been a staple in the community for many years and continues to thrive because of the hard work of the community. Many of the vendors said their favorite part of the market is the connections they make with both customers and the other vendors. 

The patrons of the market, meanwhile, said they enjoy how friendly everyone is and the variety of things available to them.

First-time market goer Sarah MacClary and her daughter enjoyed their visit to the market: “There’s a lot of people out here. Good energy, good time, and lots of offerings. I was surprised!”

At a glance -

Corvallis winter market
When: Every Saturday

Hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Where: Benton County Fairgrounds



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