This market was built in the 1920s to cater to farmers nearby who needed a place to sell their produce. Known locally as the Or Kio market, it was usually bustling in the mornings when housewives did their marketing. Or Kio is one of the local names of Balestier as there was a black bridge along Whampoa River that connected Ah Hood road (off Balestier Road) to Lorong 8 Toa Payoh thus giving rise to the name. You can still find several shops in the area named after Or Kio! The market consists of a row of small metal huts with pitched zinc roof. It was renovated in 1999 but due to the small number of vendors, many customers preferred to go over to the bigger Whampoa Market which is also affectionately known as the Tua Pah Sat (meaning big market in Hokkien). In the face of dwindling business, many of the stallholders who had been at this Or Kio market for generations chose to retire when the market closed in 2004. Today it is the only remaining 'rural' market on mainland Singapore but is now closed and conserved, pending future plans to restore the market for other uses.