On Thursday, Oct. 22, the packing warehouse at 4906 W. Summitview Ave. was still shining apples for a special order, the way it had for decades. Nine days later it closed. Eric and Jill Johnson retired on Oct. 31, and with them went a fruit stand that had stood on the west side of Yakima since the 1940s, on land the family had farmed since 1904, as the Yakima Herald-Republic reported.
This is the first week in a very long time that West Valley has had no Johnson Orchards stand on Summitview. For the rest of the fall, the neighborhood's handmade, homegrown and home-baked goods have no fixed address. They show up on certain Saturdays at certain churches, schools and halls, and at one bakery on 68th Avenue that came out of the orchard and is still open.
What closed, and what might come back
Johnson Orchards was a 10-acre operation at the end, mostly cherries with some nectarines and a small block of apricots, sold alongside produce from other Yakima Valley growers. The warehouse that held the stand went up in 1916. Swedish immigrant Alfred Johnson and his brothers founded the orchard in 1904, and Eric and Jill ran it with help from the fifth generation of the family.
The family hasn't ruled out a future for the stand. "We're hoping to sell to a group that is interested in keeping it the way it is," Jill Johnson told the Herald-Republic, adding that they'd had some interest from prospects. The farewell note on the Johnson Orchards website also says new owners could take over. It names no buyer. The Herald-Republic reported that any successor wouldn't reopen before spring.
So the earliest that stretch of Summitview could have a fruit stand again is the next growing season. Between now and then, the neighborhood's fall routine shifts to other places.
The part of the orchard that's still open, on 68th Avenue
Part of Johnson Orchards never closed. Jill and her daughter Adrienne started The Little Bake Shop at the orchard in 2011, selling pies, cookies and other sweets next to the fruit. In 2021 Jill sold the bake shop side to former orchard manager Andy Buck, who partnered with Adrienne. They have since opened a coffee shop and bakery at 411 S. 68th Ave., along Tieton Drive. The orchard's own closing notice says the retirement doesn't affect the bake shop, which is keeping its regular hours.
According to The Little Bake Shop's site, the cafe is open Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and serves coffee and sandwiches on house-made English muffins or focaccia. Pies are no longer a daily item. The shop holds seasonal "Pie Pop Ups" instead, and the current one is Thanksgiving. Orders are open now, with pickup on Tuesday, Nov. 24 and Wednesday, Nov. 25, the two days before Thanksgiving.
That's the clearest example of the shift. The bakery that grew up inside a fruit stand open all season now sells its best-known item on a set calendar. You order ahead and pick up on set days.
Saturday, Nov. 7: six West Valley bazaars, three of them opening at 8
This Saturday is the busiest bazaar day of the fall on West Valley's side of town. Six events at West Valley addresses are on the November list from Yakima radio station KATS, which collects craft fairs and holiday markets around the Valley.
| Event | Location | Hours listed |
|---|---|---|
| Holiday Market | West Valley Foursquare Church, 5802 Summitview Ave. | 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Holiday Bazaar | Harman Center, 101 N. 65th Ave. | 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Christmas Bazaar | Cross Point Church, 7803 Ahtanum Rd. | 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| WideHollow Fall Bazaar | Wide Hollow Elementary School, 1000 S. 72nd Ave. | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Winter Bazaar 2026 | West Valley Missionary Church, 11107 Wide Hollow Rd. | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Winter Wonderland in Wiley | 3006 S. Wiley Rd. | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
Two details shape the day. The Foursquare market on Summitview closes at 2 p.m., an hour before most of the others. And the three 8 a.m. openings sit on three different roads, Summitview, 65th Avenue and Ahtanum Road. The Wide Hollow Road and Wiley Road events open at 9.
Another seasonal sale on the same list runs on Fridays as well as Saturdays. The Christmas Barn Sale at 1212 Cottonwood Canyon Road is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Nov. 6, 7, 13 and 14. On Nov. 7 it's the only event in this part of town still open after 3 p.m.
KATS says on the same page that dates, times and locations can change, and that the station isn't hosting or responsible for any listed event. A quick call or a look at the host's page before you head out is a good idea.
Saturday, Nov. 14: Summitview again, plus Zier Road and the malls
A week later the list moves back toward Summitview, a short way west of the old stand.
- Yakima Covenant Church Bazaar, 6015 Summitview Ave., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Homespun Crafters Bazaar at the West Valley Fire Department, 10000 Zier Rd., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Vintage Market Christmas at Glenwood Square, 5110 Tieton Dr., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Freedom Kits of Yakima, 610 S. 96th Ave., 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- The Market at Meadowbrook Mall, 7200 W. Nob Hill Blvd., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Meadowbrook market is the only one of these whose organizer has published its own details. Fold Belt Farms' event page confirms the Nov. 14 date and the 10-to-4 hours and promises more than 50 local craft, artisan and commercial vendors. Of the five above, it closes latest. The Christmas Barn Sale on Cottonwood Canyon Road is open that day too, until 6 p.m.
Glenwood Square at 5110 Tieton Dr. is on the same road as The Little Bake Shop, so Nov. 14 is an easy day to combine a bazaar with a Thanksgiving pie order, which is due for pickup ten days later.
Nov. 21: the last West Valley weekend before Thanksgiving
The list keeps going after the 14th. Holy Family's Holiday Bazaar is at Queen's Gym, 56th and Chestnut. It opens Friday, Nov. 20, from 6 to 8 p.m., and KATS marks that evening as having an entrance fee or donation. It runs again Saturday, Nov. 21, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Also on Nov. 21, Wesley UMC at 14 N. 48th Ave. holds a Holiday Craft Fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
After that, KATS lists nothing yet for the week of Thanksgiving, from Nov. 27 through Dec. 3. The Little Bake Shop's pie pickup on Nov. 24 and 25 falls in that gap.
Dec. 5 follows Summitview all the way out
The next big West Valley date is Saturday, Dec. 5, and it covers the whole length of Summitview. Eisenhower High School at 611 S. 44th Ave. holds a Christmas Bazaar from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and The Market returns to Meadowbrook Mall from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Farther out, where Summitview becomes Summitview Road, the Highland High School Cheer Holiday Bazaar runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 17000 Summitview Rd. in Cowiche. On the same day, Tieton's Holiday Craft and Antique Bazaar fills Tieton City Park and the Mighty Tieton Warehouse from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to Mighty Tieton's event page.
Meadowbrook has one more date on the list, Saturday, Dec. 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Changes like the Johnson Orchards closing are part of how Cory Bemis follows West Valley, block by block and season by season. If you own a home here and want to know what it's worth right now, Cory Bemis can put together a free home valuation built on what's happening in this part of Yakima. Get a Free Home Valuation, and we'll talk about your street.
