Old Town's Saturday Moved Across Royal Street, and the Square's Other Edges Are Quieter for It

"Business is dead right now," Lisa Shumate, assistant manager at Today's Cargo, told ALXnow in early September. The gift and jewelry shop is at 117 N. Fairfax St., about a block from the busiest Saturday morning in Old Town. It sits on the far side of a construction fence that will stay up until fall 2028.

Both things are true at once. The Old Town Farmers' Market came through the City Hall and Market Square renovation with its vendors, its hours and its Saturday crowd. The market just moved to a new block. The steady side traffic that once flowed around the square stopped: City Hall staff, garage parkers, people cutting along Fairfax and Cameron. The businesses on the square's eastern and southern edges feel that loss.

The Market Crossed the Street With Everything Intact

On Jan. 10, the market started operating on the 100 block of N. Royal St. and in the Tavern Square courtyard. It had run at Market Square without a break since 1753. The city describes the new site as "just across the street" and says it's big enough for all current vendors. More than 70 vendors are on site during peak season, and hours remain 7 a.m. to noon every Saturday, year-round, rain or shine. The market will stay there for the full renovation and then go back to its historic site.

The new block has a historic neighbor of its own. Gadsby's Tavern Museum is at 134 N. Royal St., in the stretch the market now fills. On Oct. 10, Alexandria Archaeology will bring a free program called "Researching Market Square" to the relocated market. It runs during regular market hours, 7 a.m. to noon, on the block next to the site it studies.

Parking changed more than anything else. The Market Square Garage closed to the public on Feb. 9 and stays closed for the whole project. On Saturdays, market shoppers park free at two garages:

• Tavern Square Garage, 418 Cameron St., directly under the plaza where part of the market now sets up
• Courthouse Square Garage, 111 S. Pitt St.

The city's farmers' market page lists two start times for the free window. Its relocation FAQ gives 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and the visitor section gives 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. If you arrive in the first half hour, plan on the later time. The market is also on the Old Town Trolley route and DASH routes 30, 31 and 34. Pets aren't allowed inside the market during operating hours.

Before the move, the city's General Services director said vendors were worried about the change and asked residents to keep supporting them. We found no published follow-up with vendors on how the new site has worked since January. The city's description of a roomier layout comes from its own page.

What the Fence Took With It

The market moved. The traffic that came with City Hall did not. The project's notice closed sidewalks and street parking on N. Royal, N. Fairfax and Cameron streets, leaving part of the King Street sidewalk open. City Hall itself, built in 1871, is the workplace of more than 200 employees. The King Street trolley and bus stop at N. Fairfax and King will move several times. The first planned move was to 302 King St. this spring. Tour buses that used to park at City Hall now park a block away at Tavern Square.

The businesses on the edges describe the same trend. The Warehouse at 214 King St. has been a steaks, seafood and Creole-Cajun mainstay for more than three decades. Its co-owner, Certified Executive Chef Sert Ruamthong, has cooked there for over 30 years. When The Zebra visited on Sept. 4, Hossein of The Warehouse said "the restaurant has never experienced a year like this one," pointing to lost parking and the missing City Hall activity. Carlyle House Historic Park at 121 N. Fairfax St. is next door to Today's Cargo, and its operator says it is seeing the same thing.

"We have definitely seen impacts due to the moving of the farmer's market, the loss of street parking, the loss of the parking garage and just general challenges with foot traffic," NOVA Parks Executive Director Justin Wilson told ALXnow.

Wilson put the market's move first on that list. The Saturday crowd now gathers on the Royal Street side of the fence. Carlyle House and Today's Cargo are on the Fairfax side, and walking between the two now takes a detour.

Construction will be more visible this fall. Crews from Grunley Construction arrived in late February and spent months on asbestos abatement, interior prep and a temporary pile system around the underground garage. Asbestos turned up in the 1960s south facade and the interior courtyards, which added 10 weeks to the schedule. In September, crews began taking down the 1960s infill section with a high-reach excavator on the plaza. Expect more debris trucks, noise during permitted hours, and the same fencing and pedestrian detours around 301 King St. The 1871 building will be kept and restored. A live construction webcam refreshes every 10 minutes.

The Edges Are Open, and the 200 Block Just Got Finished

Visit Alexandria published a list in mid-September of businesses that are open around the renovation. Its list of names around the square works as a Saturday route once the market packs up at noon:

1. Shops: Today's Cargo, Arielle Shoshana Perfume, Friends to Lovers, The Spice & Tea Exchange of Alexandria, Donna Lewis and Made in ALX, which carries only goods made in Alexandria and the surrounding region.
2. Food: Dolci Gelati, Kisso Asian Bistro, Life Alive Organic Cafe and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream. Life Alive and Van Leeuwen are both recent arrivals on King Street.
3. History: Carlyle House, built in 1753 by Scottish merchant John Carlyle; Gadsby's Tavern Museum; and Gadsby's Tavern Restaurant, which has served diners in the same complex since 1770.

The Alexandria Visitor Center at 221 King St. is open seven days a week, with maps, tour tickets and event information. It's on the 200 block of King, which is now a permanent pedestrian street, the one stretch near the fence that improved this year. City Council made the closure permanent after a pilot that ran from November 2024 through September 2025. In the city's survey, 87% of 1,842 respondents and 12 of the block's 16 businesses supported the closure. This summer the city put $350,000 into upgrades: new paving, reset granite curbs, replacement sidewalk bricks, platforms, bollards, and an all-walk crosswalk at King and Lee like the one at King and Union. The Warehouse is on this block, so the street's new pedestrian layout and the construction slowdown are hitting the same storefronts.

The Fall Calendar Keeps Pulling People Back Toward the Square

Several fall events are within a block or two of the fence:

• Oct. 1–10, Old Town Cocktail Week. Participating bars and restaurants serve featured drinks, with ticketed events at King & Rye, Captain Gregory's and The Alexandrian.
• Oct. 3, Carlyle House. Gentle-flow yoga on the Magnolia Terrace at 9 and 10:15 a.m. costs $10 per class. A free Spooky Season Kick-off Family Fun Day follows on the front lawn from noon to 3 p.m.
• Oct. 10, "Researching Market Square." The free archaeology program runs at the relocated market, 7 a.m. to noon.
• Oct. 24, Old Town Trick-or-Treat. Pick up a map at Pippin Toy Co.
• Nov. 7, "It's Fall Y'all." A free Family Fun Day at Carlyle House.
• Through March 2027, Gadsby's Tavern Museum. The "Women in Business: We Were Always Here" exhibit is on view.

One major date doesn't have a location yet. The city's calendar lists Alexandria's 2026 Holiday Tree Lighting for Saturday, Nov. 21, from 6 to 8 p.m., with the location still to be announced. The event is usually held at Market Square, which will be a demolition site in November.

What the City Has Offered, and What It Is Still Weighing

The city has launched some fixes and is still weighing others. In place now: free Saturday market parking at the two garages, and a $12 valet option Thursday through Sunday that Visit Alexandria promotes, with participating merchants listed on its page. A separate city program lets approved Old Town business employees park at Courthouse Garage for $1 after 4 p.m. on weekdays and anytime on weekends and holidays. That program is for workers and doesn't validate customer parking.

Still under consideration: a city task force that meets monthly has recommended partnering with nearby garages and looking at parking subsidies, discounts, waivers and validation. It also proposed a review of tour bus parking, a short video series featuring businesses next to City Hall, and waiving a wayfinding fee for those businesses. Today's Cargo owner Carla Clarke has asked the city for financial and tax relief, dedicated parking and city-funded advertising. Mayor Alyia Gaskins said at the Sept. 8 council meeting that "every idea may not work." City communications director Ebony Fleming said the plan will be reviewed again in January. None of those parking benefits are available to customers yet.

Until the project is finished in fall 2028, the market is on Royal Street, the free garages are on Cameron and Pitt, and Today's Cargo, Carlyle House and The Warehouse are a short walk around the fence.

Construction like this changes how a historic block works day to day, and it can affect how a home nearby shows and what it's worth. At Pryor Residential & Co., Charonda Snell follows changes like these block by block in Old Town. If you're planning a sale or purchase near Market Square during the renovation, let's connect and talk through your timing.