"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," Kristi Trevarrow, executive director of Rochester's Downtown Development Authority, told The Detroit News in late September. She was explaining why the DDA spent more than four years saving for a barn-style building at 265 E. Second Street. The building is called Market + The Graham, and it sits next to the farmers' market lot at Third and Water.
Most coverage reports a simple story: the farmers' market is going year-round. That's true. The DDA's own planning documents add detail. The winter market will be a smaller, rotating version of the Saturday market. It will share its building with a planned events program. And it opens on one of the busiest shopping days of the downtown year.
The calendar from Halloween to May Day
The outdoor season isn't over yet. The last listed outdoor market is Saturday, October 31, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the corner of East Third and Water. After that, there's a four-week gap before the indoor season begins. Here's how the months ahead line up, using dates from DDA minutes and the DDA events calendar:
- Tuesday, October 27: Downtown Trick-or-Treat and Halloween Fest.
- Saturday, October 31: Final outdoor farmers' market of 2026.
- Monday, October 19, 5:30 p.m.: The Graham ribbon cutting, with Rochester's State of the City to follow. This is a ceremony, not a market day.
- November 23 or 24: The Big, Bright Light Show begins. The DDA's event calendar says November 24, and the show's own page says November 23.
- Saturday, November 28: The first Saturday Market at The Graham, on the same day the DDA calendar lists Small Business Saturday.
- Friday and Saturday, December 4 and 5: Kris Kringle Market.
- Saturday, December 26: No indoor market.
- Saturday, April 24, 2027: Last indoor market of the winter run.
- Saturday, May 1, 2027: The outdoor Farmers' Market season begins again.
That adds up to 21 indoor Saturdays. Between now and the end of April, the only Saturdays without a downtown market are November 7, 14 and 21, plus December 26.
The opening date matters too. The first indoor market falls after the light show has started and on Small Business Saturday. So the first winter market opens into a downtown that's already set up for heavy foot traffic. That fits the DDA's broader holiday focus, which we covered when the city's social district was timed for November.
One gap remains: as of early October, no winter-market hours have been published. The outdoor market runs 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., but that may not carry over to the indoor season, so check the DDA's site closer to November 28.
What 22 booths means for a Saturday
The Graham has 4,500 square feet for vendors and another 1,000 square feet for restrooms that will also serve the outdoor market. According to the DDA's September 16 meeting packet, it can hold 22 vendors, each in an 8-by-8-foot space.
Before approving the winter season, DDA staff surveyed current Farmers' Market vendors, first in person and then formally. Here's how the interest broke down:
| Vendor interest | Count |
|---|---|
| Full winter season | 13 |
| Half season | 4 |
| Select dates only | 10 |
Those numbers measure interest, not signed contracts. They still show what a winter Saturday will probably look like. If all 13 full-season vendors sign on, they'll fill a little over half the room every week. The other booths would go to half-season and select-date vendors, so the lineup in January may not match the lineup in March. The outdoor market already works this way. Its 2026 vendor page says attendance varies week to week, and the winter room has less space to absorb that variation.
One vendor is named so far. Barbara Marriner, owner of The Cheese Lady in Rochester, told The Detroit News she plans to use the space and keep selling through the winter: "It's a great opportunity, and we're excited about it."
The vendor mix may look familiar. Our earlier look at the Farmers' Market's vendor directory found a Main Street market as much as a farm market. The DDA says the Saturday Market at The Graham "will remain firmly rooted in the food-and-farm mission" the downtown market has followed for more than 25 years.
DDA staff proposed higher inaugural booth fees for the indoor season, and the board agreed to go ahead with the Saturday Market:
| Space | Outdoor market | Graham inaugural |
|---|---|---|
| Daily | $30 | $40 |
| Half season | $250 | $275 |
| Full season | $400 | $450 |
Under the proposal, the daily rate goes up a third, while the full-season rate goes up an eighth. That pricing would reward vendors who commit to the whole winter, which helps keep the lineup steadier from week to week.
The building's second job
The quote at the top of this post points to the building's other purpose. The idea came out of a pre-COVID DDA visioning session. Trevarrow said that session produced two main requests: an indoor farmers' market and an entertainment venue. The DDA's project page lists a performance stage, expanded indoor and outdoor market space, ADA accessibility, seating, and landscaping.
The first proposed events program is called The Sunday Edit at The Graham. It's a curated market for artists, creators, and small businesses, planned for every other month starting in January, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The DDA presents it as a complement to the Saturday market rather than a competitor. For now it's still a proposal from the September DDA packet, and the DDA's events calendar doesn't list any Sunday Edit dates yet.
The project cost $4.4 million in total. American Rescue Plan Act money, distributed through Oakland County's Main Street program, covered $931,000. The rest came from DDA tax capture within the district. Trevarrow described the process as "starts and stops." Several designs came and went, and the plan changed when the building next to the market became available. Construction finally started this spring.
A few details will be visible from the sidewalk. The name honors the Graham family, who settled the area in 1817. The Detroit News, citing the Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce, reported that this was the first settlement in Oakland County. A "Graham 1817" stone was scheduled to be set in August. Inside, a display of photos, artifacts, and farm implements will cover Rochester's farming history. The Rochester Pollinators have also offered to plant and fund a pollinator garden on the site, and the DDA board asked Trevarrow to work with another person on it.
On parking, the DDA's FAQ says the Third and Water lot will stay open for parking on non-event days.
Building a winter Saturday around it
A year-round market gives a winter Saturday a fixed starting point, and several businesses that opened downtown in 2026 are a short walk away.
- Asterism Artisan Chocolate, 203 E. University. It moved into the former Train Depot and Catching Fireflies space. The City describes it as a cozy shop serving artisan chocolates and refreshments, open on weekdays and weekends.
- Le Juice, 118 W. University. An organic juice café in the former Refresh space. The City's July 1 update said it had recently opened.
- The Candy Attic, 413 S. Main. It moved from Pine Street to the front of the Shamrock Travel building and sells vintage-style sweets.
- Harrison's Restaurant and Wine Bar, 401 S. Main. The Free Press listed it among September's metro Detroit openings. The menu includes Italian specialties, beef entrées, burgers, and wood-fired pizzas, along with an extensive wine list. Glen Wilhelm of the Roxy bought the building and rebranded the former D'Marcos side, while Backdoor Taco and Tequilla stays in the other half under a newly painted façade mural.
None of these replaces a farm stand. Together they give someone heading to the indoor market in February somewhere to go before or after. If you've used our late-summer weekend playbook for downtown Rochester, this is its winter version, with Second Street as the anchor.
If you have questions about how The Graham or downtown's winter calendar fits into life near Main Street, including whether a home within walking distance of Third and Water makes sense for you, Jane Evans is happy to talk it through over coffee, with no pressure. Let's Connect.