Rice's Market Closes Dec. 29. Here's How to Make Your Last Trip Count
Bucks Co. & Beyond Daily
Bucks Co. & Beyond Daily
by Nick Rau
If you grew up anywhere near New Hope, you probably remember Rice's Market by smell and sound first: a pork roll, egg and cheese on a Kaiser roll, and, as the owners put it, "the echo of 'Pretzels… Fresh squeezed lemonade!' throughout the market." That's how the owners of Rice's Market remembered the "golden years of before sunrise Tuesdays, Saturdays" in their Oct. 6, 2026, announcement, and it's also how they said goodbye. The indoor and outdoor market on Greenhill Road in Solebury Township will close for good after its last market day on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2026.
The good news is that there's still time for one more trip. Rice's says it will keep its usual schedule until the end, which means every Tuesday and Saturday plus Black Friday, a day PhillyVoice notes has historically been the market's busiest of the year. Counting from Saturday, Oct. 24, the regular schedule leaves about 10 Saturdays and 10 Tuesdays, plus Black Friday, Nov. 27 (check the market's Facebook page around the holidays), so there's room for a slow last lap of the rows and, if you plan it right, a lunch stop at one of the county's hole-in-the-wall favorites.
Rice's traces its story to 1860, when A.L. Rice settled the Solebury farm, grew produce, raised livestock and went on to become a regional auctioneer, according to PhillyVoice. His family added a sales market in the 1950s, the Tuesday and Saturday flea market grew into a weekly tradition, and the family sold the property in 1982 to Robert and Barbara Blanche, who have run it ever since, upgrading the facilities and adding paths along the way. At its peak the market hosted more than 400 vendors on about 30 acres of former farmland. Its website still describes a March-to-December season with more than 400 vendors and 8,000 shoppers a week, selling everything from antiques, vintage clothing and handmade gifts to plants, produce, homemade cheese, fresh-baked bread, jams and jerky.
The owners pointed to a changing economy, and in an email to The U.S. Sun the market said people have moved so much of their shopping online and to big-box retailers. In their announcement, the owners called Rice's "an incubator for side hustles and small businesses," where many vendors "grew from a small table or booth here into thriving businesses of their own," and they closed by asking shoppers to "keep choosing small."
Rice's opens at 7 a.m. on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and the early crowd has always been part of the fun. News reports list a 1 p.m. close, while the market's own website lists both 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., so earlier is better if you want the full selection. Vendors change from week to week, which is half the appeal, and the owners themselves count the long line of cars on Greenhill Road as part of the experience, so a little patience goes a long way.
The owners haven't said what comes next for the property, and so far they haven't announced any farewell events beyond the regular schedule. The market's Facebook page is where the closing was first announced, so it's the best place to watch for updates before Dec. 29.
BUCKSCO.Today's Oct. 10, 2026, list of seven hole-in-the-wall restaurants Bucks County locals love includes Cross Keys Diner on East Swamp Road in Plumstead Township, a breakfast-and-lunch spot open daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. that the list says is known for generous portions and staff who remember your name. And if you're heading back toward the southern end of the county, the list's other picks include Curly's Comfort Food and Malay Thai Kitchen in Levittown, Sunrise Diner in Croydon, Musashi Exotic Japanese Cuisine in Feasterville and Empanada Mama in Doylestown.
By the numbers: roots in 1860 · sales market added in the 1950s · run by the Blanche family since 1982 · about 30 acres · more than 400 vendors at its peak · 8,000 shoppers a week, per the market's website · last day Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2026.
When is Rice's Market closing? Rice's Market's last day is Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2026. The owners announced the closing on Oct. 6, 2026, and said the market will keep its usual Tuesday, Saturday and Black Friday schedule until then.
What days and hours is Rice's Market open? Tuesdays and Saturdays starting at 7 a.m., plus Black Friday, Nov. 27, 2026. News reports list a 1 p.m. close, while the market's own website lists both 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Where is Rice's Market in Bucks County? Rice's Market is at 6326 Greenhill Road in Solebury Township, Bucks County, with a New Hope mailing address, a few miles west of New Hope.
Why is Rice's Market closing? The owners cited a changing economy over the last few years, and the market told The U.S. Sun that shoppers have moved much of their spending online and to big-box retailers.
Rice's sits in Solebury Township, which shares a school district and a lot of everyday life with New Hope, so if you're curious what it's like to live out here, start with my New Hope town guide or browse all of my Bucks County town guides.
I grew up going to Rice's Market with my mom and my Nan, so it's hard to see them close their doors. Technology makes life so much easier, but places like Rice's are what made Saturday mornings feel like home. If you haven't been in a while, get there before Dec. 29 and make one more memory. I'm Nick Rau, President of Sales with the Rarity Real Estate Team, ranked in the Top 1% of agents nationally (RealTrends 2025, individual), with more than 135 Google reviews, and I live right here in Bucks County.
Rarity Real Estate Team, 1100 N Delaware Ave Suite A, Philadelphia, PA 19125 · (215) 593-7498 · [email protected]
Questions about living in New Hope or Solebury? Call (215) 593-7498 or email [email protected].
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File photo of plant vendors outside the main building at Rice's Market in Solebury Township on a sunny spring day. Photo (cropped): Rice's Market.
Sources: Rice's Market on Facebook, Oct. 6, 2026 (closing announcement; last day Tuesday, Dec. 29; Tuesday, Saturday and Black Friday schedule; owners' quotes on pork roll, pretzels and lemonade, the golden years, side hustles and "keep choosing small"); WFMZ, Ryan Kneller, Oct. 6, 2026 (6326 Greenhill Road; 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.; a few miles west of New Hope; owners' announcement); Bucks County Herald, Freda R. Savana, Oct. 8, 2026 (closing); PhillyVoice, Michael Tanenbaum, "Rice's Market, the bazaar in Bucks County, to close after run of more than a century," Oct. 9, 2026 (Greenhill Road; about 30 acres; A.L. Rice, 1860; sales market in the 1950s; sold in 1982; Robert and Barbara Blanche; more than 400 vendors at its peak; Black Friday historically busiest; changing economy); The U.S. Sun, Oct. 11, 2026 (market's email on online and big-box shopping); Rice's Market (address, phone, listed hours, March-to-December season, 400 vendors and 8,000 shoppers a week, foods); BUCKSCO.Today, Samuel Knickerbocker, "7 Hole-in-the-Wall Restaurants Bucks County Locals Love," Oct. 10, 2026 (Cross Keys Diner; other picks); Cross Keys Diner on Facebook (breakfast and lunch 7 days a week, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.; checked Oct. 22, 2026).
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