After Lippitt Park's Last Market Saturday, Where Does Hope Street's Weekend Go?

_{^{Photo Credit: Hope Street Farmer’s Market}}

Saturday, October 31, is the last day of the 2026 season for the Hope Street Farmers Market at Lippitt Park. The market runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1015 Hope St., according to Farm Fresh Rhode Island's 2026 market guide. The next Saturday, November 7, the market season picks up again across the city at 10 Sims Ave. Hope Street won't have its own outdoor market again until spring.

That leaves Hope Street's weekends to its storefronts for about half the year. This fall those storefronts look a little different. Two long-running businesses are wrapping up, one newcomer just opened, and a shop that has been here since 2001 kept serving through a fire. In each case, the people shaping what happens next already had ties to the street.

October 31 Hands Off to November 7

The handoff between markets leaves no gap. Count the Saturdays and the split is close to even.

The dates and hours come from Farm Fresh Rhode Island and the market's own site. The market's own schedule ends October 31 and doesn't list a winter or holiday edition at Lippitt Park.

Your Saturday routine changes in one way that matters. The winter market at Sims Avenue brings together more than sixty-five food and farm vendors, Rhode Island Monthly reports. It's also home to permanent tenants, including New Harvest Coffee and Spirits, Anchor Toffee, Rhed's Hot Sauce, Providence Brewing Co. and Wright's Creamery. You get your coffee and your groceries in one building. In summer, the market itself sits on Hope Street. In winter, Hope Street becomes the place you go before or after the market.

So the storefronts matter more from November through April, and this fall the biggest changes are in the 700 block.

The 700 Block's Newest Storefront Came Through a Neighbor

La Fe Taqueria is now open at 748 Hope St., in the space that was Blue Cottage. The owners are Jason and Melisa Vargas. GoLocalProv's August profile explains how they landed the spot: Jason's business partner, Thang of Lotus Pepper, knew the space next door was opening up and talked him into it.

"My good friend and business partner Thang from Lotus Pepper convinced me to partner up with him and told me the location next to him was going to be available; we both love the community over here," Jason Vargas told GoLocalProv.

Vargas described the concept as a Mexican taqueria with "a retro joyful vibe." He said the menu draws on his favorite Mexican dishes and includes vegan and vegetarian options. In the same piece, the couple named a few favorites: the peppers and onions tacos, al pastor and the signature macha wings. Melisa also called out the "fugo wings," a nod to Jason's earlier Asian-Mexican fusion venture, Fugo, which ended with the pandemic. The taqueria posts updates on Instagram.

Lotus Pepper was already on the block, and its owner had a stake in who moved in next door, so the empty space went to someone the neighbor brought in.

A Few Doors Away, a Brunch Spot's Final Weeks

Just up the street, at 737A Hope St. at the corner of Rochambeau, Little Sister is in its last season. Owner Milena Pagán announced the Puerto Rican café will close at the end of the year after eight years on Hope Street. Brunch continues until then, now first come, first served, Rhode Island Monthly reports. According to the café's website, Friday brunch runs 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. as counter service with coffee and pastries, and Saturday and Sunday brunch runs 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with full service.

When WPRI reported the closing in July, the last day of service was still to be announced. If you have a weekend brunch you've been meaning to get to, the window runs through the end of December. From November 7 on, those Saturdays line up with the farmers market's weeks at Sims Avenue.

That puts a closing and an opening within a few doors of each other on the same stretch near Rochambeau, in the same season. Fearless Fish Market is also in that stretch, at 721 Hope St. On October 17 it held Oystermania, an afternoon with oysters from East Beach Blondes, Fox Island and North Star. Little Friend served food, Big Feeling brought ice cream, Moniker Brewery poured beer, Playing Dead played, and there was a kid zone, as Rhode Island Monthly listed. A fish counter that can put on a block party is part of the 700 block's character too.

Up the Street, One Long Run Ended and Another Kept Going

The changes stretch farther north. Ran Zan Japanese Restaurant at 1084 Hope St. closed after 28 years, Motif reported in late August. Motif placed it on a strip it described as lined with bakeries, thrift shops and small eateries.

Not Just Snacks at 833 Hope St. had a scarier October. Providence firefighters responded shortly before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 13, GoLocalProv reported. The restaurant says it has been "bringing the tradition, simplicity, and warmth of India to customers in Providence, since 2001." WJAR reported that the fire involved roofing material and no one was injured. Rhode Island Monthly followed up that the fire stayed on the roof and the business was open as usual.

Ran Zan ran for 28 years and closed. Not Just Snacks is in its 25th year and kept going. Little Sister has had eight years, and La Fe has had a few weeks. Hope Street is carrying businesses of very different ages into the winter, and a vacancy hasn't meant the street goes quiet. This year, one storefront went to someone the neighbor recruited.

A November Saturday Along Hope Street

Here's how a winter Saturday could go with the market on Sims Avenue. It sticks to businesses with hours or details posted in the sources above:

1. 9 a.m., Sims Avenue. Shop the Providence Winter Farmers Market at 10 Sims Ave., which opens November 7. Grab coffee at New Harvest while you're there.
2. Late morning, 737A Hope St. Head to Little Sister for weekend brunch, served 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., first come, first served, through the end of the year.
3. Early afternoon, 721 Hope St. Stop at Fearless Fish Market for whatever you're cooking that night.
4. Evening, 748 or 833 Hope St. Try the al pastor at La Fe Taqueria, or go to Not Just Snacks, which has been on the street since 2001. Check La Fe's Instagram for hours before you go.

The Hope Street Merchants Association posts events at hopestreetpvd.com, the place to look for the 2026 holiday stroll and any other December dates once they're announced.

Over the next six months, Hope Street's weekends will rely on its storefronts, and the 700 block shows how quickly a corner can change while neighbors decide what comes next. If you own a home near Hope Street and want to know how this stretch shows up in today's values, the Steven Miller Group can walk you through it house by house. Request Your Home Value, and we'll start with your block.