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Salem Public Market hit by burglars over weekend

A Salem Public Market post on Facebook showed items missing from vendor booths following a burglary discovered on June 13, 2020.

Burglars stole hundreds of dollars of art, jewelry and candles from Salem Public Market over the weekend, cleaning out the stock of several vendors. 

Salem police officers responded to the market around 8:20 a.m. Saturday, June 13, after vendors preparing to open for the day discovered someone broke into the building at 1240 Rural Ave SE, police spokeswoman Lt. Debby Aguilar said. 

The market, established in 1942, bills itself as Oregon’s oldest farmers market. It’s located indoors, with vendors selling fresh produce, meat and handmade items year-round on Saturdays. 

Aguilar said about 10 vendors reported cash or merchandise stolen. Police believe the burglary took place between the evening of June 12 and early morning on June 13. 

On Facebook, the market organizers pleaded for community help to catch the culprits, with several vendors 

“They stole from every booth with the jewelry and art booths being hardest hit. Please message us if you have any information or if you see someone trying to sell a ton (of) jewelry and art online,” the market said on its Facebook page. 

In the post comments, several vendors detailed missing items, including candles, soap and coffee beans. 

The market will set up a GoFundMe this week to compensate vendors for stolen merchandise, the Facebook post said. 

Aguilar said police do not have video surveillance of the burglary. Anyone with information should call the police department’s criminal investigation section at (503) 588-6050. 

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Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.

Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.