These flowering trees along Highway 20 remind me of the garden center whose owners planted them years ago.
Every spring drivers going north over the Willamette River in Albany get to admire, if only briefly, a row of trees with beautiful blossoms.
The trees light up what is an otherwise depressing sight: the empty building that housed a thriving market back in the day, and then a couple of garden centers.
Now the place is for sale or lease. The owners, a real estate investment firm with an office in Corvallis, are asking $1.6 million for the property, according to an online ad I saw. That seems like a good deal, because the Benton County assessor says the property is worth more than $4 million.
Now the owners are asking the Albany Planning Division to approve splitting the 3.1-acre site into two parcels. They’re also asking for a floodplain review. April 1 is the deadline for comment on the application.
One proposed parcel, the one you see from the highway, holds the empty retail building and parking lot. A coffee stand occupies the other parcel, which faces Hickory Street. The address is 350 Hickory.
The retail building was constructed in 1958. In the 1970s and ’80s, it housed Carter’s Market. It was a great place to get groceries, big enough to have everything you needed and compact enough so you didn’t have to hike half a mile to find milk.
The market failed under subsequent owners.
In 2005, Tom and Annette Krupicka bought the property and moved their garden center there from Pacific Boulevard. It is they whom we must thank for planting those trees on the sloping bank leading up to Highway 20.
After 30 years of running an Albany garden center, the Krupickas retired in 2019, sold the store, and moved to the coast.
Another couple opened a new garden business there, and they, too, provided a useful service. But for a couple of years now, the building has been vacant.
Perhaps, dividing the property will make it easier to sell and redevelop. That building deserves to be put to a good use. (hh)
The former market and then garden center at 350 Hickory St. NW, photographed on March 19, 2026.
Another Albany business I really miss- Tom’s Garden Center. I hope Tom and Annette are doing well on the coast.
Yes! They were excellent.
Who knows how many businesses will close in Albany. This is just the start of it. And, it may never end. In 2028, we could get Vance nationally or Marco Rubio. And, who knows how long the wars in the Middle East will go on, so gas prices are and will be a big deal. And grocery prices depend a lot on the transportation of getting the groceries to the shelves in your town.
Where were you when gas was close to $4 a gallon for 4 years and inflation was admittedly 23% for his 4 years.
23%?
Google the 23% and get in the real world!
Can’t you write anything and be polite at the same time!!! You always have to throw in an insult or two. You are probably a very unhappy person. When we had the pandemic and the Russians invaded Ukraine, we had 23% inflation for less than a month. It was due to the pandemic and supply chain disruptions. When you look at the monthly inflation percentages that go back about 100 years, there is no 23% inflation for a whole month. The number 23 does not even appear.
I was on the freeway yesterday going to WA. Back to OR today.
A lot of traffic. Apparently many not worried about gas price.
That would be a great location for the mega church some folks want to build out on Powers in a very rural area. They would be able to serve more people, and it would be easily accessible to many. The members would have access to North Albany Center for groceries or dining, etc. Win-win for the community.
A mega church is defined as a church with more than 2000 in attendance each week. This property is too small for a mega church. You would need 1000 parking spots. Look at google maps-satellite view and you will see the problem.
The pad in your picture once was the home of an insurance office I believe. It sat at the same exact elevation as the land today, all prior to the opening of the second bridge. I believe ODOT required the removal of the building, such a waste over the last 55 years that the property has not been utilized to create a few jobs and or provide any needed services. The Carters did quite well at their Queen and Elm location but had a challenge convincing many North Albany residents that spending an extra quarter for a gallon of milk was better than driving across town for groceries. The place has really never been the huge success that the high visibility would seem to warrant.
Peaceful Garden Farm Supply was there and doing reasonably well. They were a boon for small farmers. Rumors mill held that the rent was doubled or tripled to get them out, in hopes of a big multi-use development or maybe just residential. That obviously has not happened, and residential is likely a zoning change.
Isn’t this area one of several that city council designated as a CFA?
“Climate Friendly Area”
I believe you reported on it last year. High rise housing for this spot?
Yes, the city has classified this property as a climate friendly area and would be willing to have a developer construct 2500 dwelling units along Hickory.
Lovely
As a youngster visiting relatives in the Albany area in 1961, I saw the market when it was still almost brand new. My aunt liked it so much that she drove all the way from the Murder Creek neighborhood east of Albany to shop there. Many years later I lived in North Albany and was a regular customer. Was sorry to see it close. July 4, 2019, my wife and I parked in the lot to watch the fireworks from across the river and met the people who were about to open the new garden center. They were very excited about their new business. Sorry to hear it failed. Whatever happens to the property, I hope the trees survive. They are beautiful. Life circumstances forced me to leave the Albany area years ago. I still miss it.
The garden center did not “fail.” They were pushed out by a developer who raised their rent unreasonably to force them out.
West Albany has needed a market for 30 years….Now North Albany same boat…But now
the farmers market has a 22 million dollar street of dreams.. I know I go on & on about
the 22 million….maybe i’ll go down on sat. & buy a 22 million box of apples…oh my