The downtown Rochester Farmers' Market has always run on Saturdays from May through October at East Third and Water. This year it keeps going. On Saturday, Nov. 28, the Rochester Downtown Development Authority opens a Saturday Market inside Market + The Graham, its new building at 265 E. Second Street. The market then runs 21 Saturdays through April 24, 2027, skipping only Dec. 26.
The building's first public weekend comes even earlier. The Festival of Trees moves there Nov. 20–22, so this November the run-up to the holidays in downtown Rochester starts on the lot by the market, a block off Main Street.
A Barn on East Second, Built So the Street Can Stay Open
The Graham stands on what used to be the Animal Emergency Center at 265 E. Second, right next to the market lot at Third and Water. The DDA describes the project as a market and community gathering space. It is named for Rochester's first settler family. The Detroit News reported that the name comes from James Graham. When he settled in 1817 in the area that is now Rochester and Rochester Hills, it became the first settlement in Oakland County, according to the Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce.
From the outside the building looks like a barn. Inside are 4,500 square feet of vendor space and another 1,000 square feet of restrooms that serve both the building and the outdoor market. DDA Executive Director Kristi Trevarrow told The Detroit News that the idea grew out of a visioning session held before COVID-19. That session produced two clear goals: an indoor farmers' market and an entertainment venue for downtown. She also told the paper what that second goal fixes:
"It was kind of a two-pronged thing, because right now, if we want to do any events, we have to close the street, which is not always conducive to the atmosphere of outdoor events."
According to the same Detroit News report, the project costs $4.4 million in total. Oakland County American Rescue Plan Act money covers $931,000, and the DDA pays the rest from its property tax captures in the district. Trevarrow said the authority had been saving for more than four years. Crews broke ground this spring.
Before The Graham, a downtown event meant closing a road. Now the DDA has a room it can fill, and it is filling it with the season's first two events.
The Building's First Public Weekend Belongs to the Trees
The Downtown Rochester Festival of Trees displays trees, wreaths and centerpieces that people and groups across Metro Detroit design and donate. This year the DDA's Festival of Trees page says the event is moving to The Graham.
- Friday, Nov. 20, 7 p.m.: The preview party, with a strolling dinner, refreshments, a silent auction and a cash bar. Guests get first pick and can bid on items before the public opening.
- Saturday, Nov. 21, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.: Free public admission.
- Sunday, Nov. 22, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Free public admission.
All proceeds go to the Big, Bright Light Show. The DDA's separate calendar entry for Nov. 21 lists a 5 p.m. close and adds visits with Santa and a children's craft. Check the hours with the DDA at 248-656-0060 before you plan a Saturday evening visit.
The next night the lights come on. The DDA lists Lagniappe, its kickoff for the show's 53rd anniversary, for Monday, Nov. 23, from 6 to 9 p.m. The Big, Bright Light Show page lists the show nightly from 5 p.m. to midnight through Jan. 17, 2027, presented by Fox Automotive Brands. The DDA's event calendar lists the first full night as Tuesday, Nov. 24, so check the date with the DDA if you're aiming for opening night.
Nov. 28 Is the Market's Real Opening Day
The Saturday after Thanksgiving is the public grand opening Trevarrow gave The Detroit News, and it is the first day of the winter market. If you know the summer market, you know the routine. Only the address and the clock are different.
| Outdoor Farmers' Market | Saturday Market at The Graham | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | E. Third and Water | 265 E. Second |
| Season | Saturdays, May through October | Nov. 28, 2026, to April 24, 2027, no market Dec. 26 |
| Hours | 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
The hour shift matters on a winter morning. The market opens at 9 instead of 8 and runs until 2.
The building holds 22 vendor spaces, each 8 feet by 8 feet, and vendors filled them fast. At the DDA's August meeting, staff reported on in-person and written surveys of Farmers' Market vendors. Thirteen wanted a full winter season, four wanted half a season and ten wanted selected dates. The DDA's Farmers' Market page now calls the season sold out and promotes existing market vendors as available year-round at The Graham.
One familiar name has said she will be there. Barbara Marriner, owner of The Cheese Lady in Rochester, told The Detroit News she plans to use the building so she can keep selling through the winter. "It's a great opportunity, and we're excited about it," she said.
Fitting The Graham Into the Downtown Holiday Calendar
With The Graham in the middle, downtown's holiday dates line up in order. Here is the sequence from the day this post goes live:
- Monday, Nov. 9, 5 to 7:30 p.m.: The DDA Holiday Expo at 431 Main. Admission is free, and the listing advertises more than 60 vendors, with shopping, sampling and services.
- Nov. 20–22: The Festival of Trees at The Graham.
- Monday, Nov. 23, 6 to 9 p.m.: Lagniappe and the start of the Big, Bright Light Show.
- Saturday, Nov. 28, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Grand opening and the first Saturday Market at The Graham.
- Friday, Dec. 4, 4 to 10 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 5, noon to 10 p.m.: Kris Kringle Market at W. Fourth and Walnut Boulevard, with European-inspired shopping, specialty foods, greens, wreaths and handmade gifts. This year brings a new logo and a collectible mug.
- Sunday, Dec. 6, 2 p.m.: The Rochester Area Hometown Christmas Parade, themed "Winter Wonderland Wishes."
Saturday, Dec. 5 is the day the two markets overlap. The Graham runs 9 to 2 and Kris Kringle opens at noon, so for two hours both are open. A morning at the indoor stalls can roll straight into the European-style market on Fourth. Plan to stay after dark that evening, since the Light Show starts at 5.
For the parade the next afternoon, the Rochester Regional Chamber says road closures begin at 1 p.m. It recommends the East Parking Platform Garage at 415 East Street and the West Parking Platform Garage at 414 Walnut Boulevard.
Any of these Saturdays can end at a downtown table that wasn't there last winter. As of early October, WXYZ reported that Harrison's Restaurant & Wine Bar had opened in the former D'Marco's space at the corner of Fourth and Main. The DDA directory lists it at 401 Main.
What Happens on the Lot After the Last Winter Saturday
The winter series ends April 24, 2027. The DDA plans to move straight into the 2027 outdoor Farmers' Market season on May 1, the following Saturday. To support that year-round schedule, the board expanded a market manager job from seasonal to regular part-time, starting Oct. 5, 2026.
The lot will also keep changing. C&G News reported in March that phase two, scheduled for 2027, covers a pavilion, a market office and storage, a renovated parking lot and landscaping. The DDA's project page says parking stays available on non-event days. At the August meeting, the Rochester Pollinators offered to plant and pay for a pollinator garden at The Graham, and the board told staff to work with them on it.
For this season, the dates that count are Nov. 20, when the building opens its doors for the trees, and Nov. 28, when the market moves inside for the winter.
A downtown that holds a market every Saturday of the year is one of the details buyers ask about when they look at homes near Main Street. If you're thinking about what that means for your own Rochester home, Kyle Matta follows these changes block by block and can show you how they fit into today's market. Request a Complimentary Home Valuation, and we'll start with the streets around The Graham.
