Valley Junction Farmers Market

The Historic Valley Junction Foundation organizes Valley Junction Farmers Market as a Thursday market running through the historic district in West Des Moines, with more than 80 weekly vendors and a schedule that stretches beyond shopping into themed nights and family activities. Set along 5th Street in Historic Valley Junction, it pairs produce and flowers with prepared foods, baked goods, arts, and crafts, so the visit can feel as much like an evening out in the district as a grocery run. The market’s footprint shifts late in the season, using the 100–300 blocks of 5th Street and narrowing to the 100 and 200 blocks in September.

Why it matters locally

Historic Valley Junction is the setting that gives this market its local identity, placing weekly farm and food shopping inside West Des Moines’s established district of galleries, businesses, and recurring public events. The Historic Valley Junction Foundation does more than host a single market; it organizes Valley Junction events and market operations across the district, tying the Thursday market to a broader neighborhood calendar.

That local role shows up in how the market shares space with other Valley Junction programming. First and third Thursdays from May through August add the Rev It Up Car Show on Elm Street and a Handmade Market at the Valley Junction Activity Center, while Railroad Park carries Music in the Junction as a live concert series with a beverage garden. The result is a market that is woven into the district’s regular Thursday rhythm rather than operating as a stand-alone stop.

What you'll find there

The market mix is broad enough to cover produce shopping, ready-to-eat stops, and district-style extras in one walk down 5th Street. Valley Junction also layers in performers, kids’ activities, and nonprofit spotlights, so the vendor roster is only part of what fills the evening.

• -Find Little Deer Farm for saffron, saffron products, vegetables, fruits, and flowers.
• -Catch Nan’s Nummies during the Rev It Up Car Show presentation.
• -Watch Mission Improvisational Dance Company as a performing artist at the market.
• -See Lottie Glazebrook on the market’s performing artist lineup.
• -Hear Chet Reagan as part of the live performance mix.
• -Spot Elvis Incognito among the scheduled performing artists.
• -Look for Twizted Things Balloons for balloon offerings during the market.
• -Meet West Homestead’s Healing Heard in the nonprofit and educational spotlight.
• -Stop by Heartland Swing in the nonprofit and educational spotlight area.
• -Visit ISU Spark as another nonprofit and educational spotlight participant.

Weekly offerings also include fresh produce, baked goods, plants and flowers, arts and crafts, and prepared foods from more than 80 vendors overall. On first and third Thursdays from May through August, the Handmade Market adds another shopping layer at the Valley Junction Activity Center, while the Rev It Up Car Show runs on Elm Street.

The Lil’ Sprouts Play Patch Kid’s Zone brings games, toys, and activities for children during market hours. Music in the Junction adds a live concert series in the beverage garden at Railroad Park, and Decoy Trio appears in that program.

Know before you go

September changes the footprint: the market uses the 100–300 blocks of 5th Street during most of the season, then shifts to the 100 and 200 blocks in September. Parking is free in lots behind the 5th Street businesses, accessible from 4th and 6th streets, and there is also free on-street parking around the market plus pedestrian walkways connecting public lots to activity along Fifth Street.

Restrooms are available at the Valley Junction Activity Center. Dogs are welcome, while service animals are allowed and other animals may be denied inside vendor booths if a vendor does not want pets in the booth. For cyclists, Jordan Creek Trail runs just south of the district, and the nearby DART Crosstown Route 4 stop is at Fifth and Vine.

Payments & SNAP

SNAP/EBT is accepted at Valley Junction Farmers Market. If you need cash, ATMs are listed at Bix & Co., G. Mig’s, Mitzi’s, and Champion’s Hideaway within the district.