The Farmers Market Near Pleasant Valley Has Four Saturdays Left. The Farm Store Meant to Outlast It Hasn't Opened.

"When we opened our west Little Rock location at Breckenridge Village, we realized there was no farmers market west of University, an area of Little Rock that is home to about two-thirds of Little Rock's residents." That's Jack Sundell, owner of The Root Cafe, explaining to Little Rock Soirée why the West Little Rock Farmers Market exists. The market opened on April 18 at Breckenridge Village, the shopping center at Interstate 430 and Rodney Parham Road.

Its first season ends Saturday, Oct. 31. No winter market and no 2027 schedule have been announced. One of the market's organizers is already working on something that could keep local produce on Rodney Parham through the winter: a permanent farm store in the same building as The Root. When that store opens is the real question for anyone who has gotten used to Saturday mornings at Breckenridge Village. As of this month, nobody has said.

What's left on the calendar

The market runs every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at 10301 North Rodney Parham Road, Suite C3. When it launched, KARK placed it in the parking lot between The Root Cafe and Film Alley. This is the rest of the season according to the market's official calendar:

The calendar shows a market that kept adding reasons to come back. It held themed Saturdays for Earth Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day and Independence Day. There was a bounce house from Epoch Church in May, storytime with Sammy's Bookshelf in July and August, a Summer Sizzle Celebration, and an "Oktemberfest" on Sept. 26. Before opening day, KARK reported that organizers expected 25 to 35 rotating farmers each week, plus cooking demonstrations, gardening workshops and activities for kids.

Opening-day coverage named a couple of the producers. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette photographed Old River Farms selling heritage pork, and KARK talked with farmer Holly Payne of Porch Swings Farms about what a new market on this side of town means for growers. The market hasn't posted a full roster of its 2026 vendors. To find out who will be there on the last few Saturdays, check its Facebook and Instagram pages.

Why the market landed at Breckenridge Village

For years, Breckenridge Village was mostly somewhere you ran errands. Arkansas Business reports that the open-air center changed after it was bought in 2022 and now focuses on dining and entertainment. The paper has also covered the center's rebound after the 2023 tornado.

The businesses that make it a Saturday stop arrived over the past two years. The Root Cafe opened its second location here on Jan. 21, 2025, and that opening is what led to the market, by Sundell's account. Film Alley opened on Nov. 13, 2025, with dine-in theaters, an arcade, duckpin bowling and a restaurant and bar. Arkansas Times' coverage of that opening also listed Mt. Fuji, Waldo's Chicken & Beer and DeLuca's Pizza as neighbors in the center.

That mix explains how the market works. It sits in the lot between a breakfast and lunch spot that already had a following and a theater that stays busy after the stalls close at noon. Shoppers can grab coffee before buying tomatoes and stay for lunch or a matinee afterward, all without moving the car. Its organizers are part of the center too. The advisory board includes the Arkansas Local Food Network, The Root Cafe, central Arkansas farmers and the St. Joseph Center of Arkansas. Ben E. Keith and The Good Earth Garden Center are listed as sponsors.

The farm store that would keep it going through winter

A seasonal market only supplies the neighborhood from April to October. The St. Joseph Center of Arkansas's planned SJCA Farm Store is what would carry that supply past Oct. 31.

The fullest public account of the plan came in May. In a May 21, 2026 report, Arkansas Business said St. Joseph Center, one of the market's organizers, would open a permanent storefront focused on local goods in the same building as The Root Cafe. Executive Director Scott Shellabarger told the paper the organization hoped to move into the roughly 2,000-square-foot space within 30 to 60 days and was aiming to open by the end of summer.

Summer has ended. Little Rock Soirée's Oct. 1 neighborhood roundup still said St. Joseph Center "has plans to open" the store. It described the store as offering Arkansas-grown produce and goods from local vendors, the same approach as St. Joseph Center's popular farm stand in North Little Rock. No public source has posted an opening date or store hours. A date that slipped from summer to "planned" is common for small storefront projects, and it says nothing about whether the store will happen. It does mean you shouldn't count on the store being open on Nov. 7, the first Saturday without a market.

Here's what the next few weeks look like based on the public record:

1. The market runs on its usual Saturday schedule through Oct. 24.
2. The Harvest Market on Oct. 31 ends the inaugural season.
3. After that, local produce at Breckenridge Village depends on the SJCA Farm Store, which has no announced opening date.
4. Neither the market nor St. Joseph Center has announced 2027 dates or a winter pop-up.

The farm store is the better bet for the cold months. A permanent store in the same building as The Root wouldn't depend on Saturday weather or a parking lot. It would also be open on days other than Saturday, though no hours have been set. To hear about an opening, sign up for the market's email list through its website. The organizers have connected the two projects from the start.

What else is new on Rodney Parham

A few other openings along Rodney Parham could make a Saturday trip to Breckenridge Village worth it after the market closes. None of them is a farmers market.

• Atomic Wings is listed as "coming soon" at 10300 N. Rodney Parham Road, across from Breckenridge Village. Arkansas Business reported plumbing permits for the space in its August roundup, but there's no opening date.
• Café de Crêpe serves sweet, savory and French-inspired crêpes from inside Infusions Resto-Bar-Lounge while it looks for a space of its own, according to Soirée's Oct. 1 roundup. The café's own website lists the address as 10700 N. Rodney Parham Road.
• Wright's Barbecue, the award-winning restaurant from Northwest Arkansas, is building a second Little Rock location farther west at 800 Rahling Road and plans to open by the end of 2026. Founder Jordan Wright told Arkansas Business he grew up in west Little Rock and that his parents still live nearby.

Atomic Wings and Café de Crêpe would add to the Breckenridge stretch of Rodney Parham, where The Root and Film Alley already draw people in. The West Little Rock Farmers Market's first season shows the regular weekend crowd around these businesses is already there, and the SJCA Farm Store is the announced project most likely to serve it once the market is closed.

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