Rice's Market In Solebury Closing After More Than A Century In Business

SOLEBURY TOWNSHIP, PA — Rice's Market, a Bucks County shopping tradition for generations, will be closing its doors at the end of the year.

The owners announced the closing of the indoor/outdoor flea market on Greenhill Road in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

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"After over a hundred years of being part of this community, we have made the difficult decision to close our doors at the end of the year," they wrote.

The market, which has built a reputation as a "bargain-hunter's paradise," will continue on its usual Tuesday, Saturday, and Black Friday schedule until its last day on Tuesday, Dec. 29.

The owners did not say why they made the decision to close, but mentioned how the market and the economy have changed over the last few years.

"The market and economy changed over the last few years but the golden years of before sunrise Tuesdays, Saturdays and the great chaos that was a Black Friday will never be forgotten," they wrote. "Pork roll, egg and cheese sandwiches on a perfect Kaiser roll, the echo of 'pretzels … fresh squeezed lemonade!' throughout the market, and so many high school kids' first job selling sodas out of coolers will be a core memory of the 90s and early 2000s."

Over the years, Rice's became more than just a place to buy and sell on Tuesday and Saturday.

"This has been an incubator for side hustles and small businesses, a staple in shopping adventures and, for better or worse, long traffic lines that were part of the experience for so many years," the owners said. "Some vendors stayed for a season, some for decades, and many grew from a small table or booth here into thriving businesses of their own."

The market owners extended their thanks to "every vendor who used Rice's as a place to build your business, to every employee who spent a chapter of their life here, and to this community, especially those who returned year after year and generation after generation to see what unique treasure they could come across. Thank you for showing up, rain or shine, heat wave or bitter cold, for all these years."

Over the years, the market built a reputation as the "go-to" flea market in Pennsylvania, where customers could find one-of-a-kind pieces at reasonable prices.

"As our doors close, we hope you will remember to keep choosing small," the owners said. "Find the local business and buy from them, stop at the farmstand, visit the independent shop, hire the person who turned their hobby into a business.

"Thank you for the memories, the friendships, the businesses built, and the decades of support," they said.