Plov, Flowers, Antifreeze: What to Find at Samara's Solnechny Market Before Closure
The editorial team of 63.RU continues to explore Samara«s markets. The first »season« of our mini-series was dedicated to covered market halls with history: Trinity Market, Bezymyansky Market and Gubernsky Market. And we decided to continue with their relatively »young« counterparts. Especially since the new »episode« turned out to be topical. So, welcome to the Solnechny market, which was recently demanded to be demolished again!
«Valley», Wonderful «Valley»…
Our «main character» is located practically on the border of Samara and Volzhsky district, on Yuzhnoye Highway, not far from the Ambar shopping center. The trade pavilions in the Kuibyshevsky district of the regional capital appeared almost 20 years ago.
It is unknown how and why the name «Solnechny» appeared. According to documents, these rows are connected to Limited Liability Company Dolina (LLC Dolina). According to the Kontur.Focus service, since May 2025, this company has had a sole owner — Sergey Alexandrov. Previously, among the owners were Elena Alexandrova and Elena Koroleva. Their shares did not exceed 25%.
Besides Dolina, the businessman is among the participants of Limited Liability Company Alternativa (LLC Alternativa). Together with Alexey Spirin, they specialize in vehicle washing. This company is located on Pugachevsky Trakt.
Everything for Gardeners… and Drivers!
The first and main difference of Solnechny from the previous markets we reviewed is the assortment. You cannot buy vegetables, fruits, meat, bread, or fish here (although we are ready to argue with the last two points). But construction materials, goods for the dacha or country house, animal feed, spare parts, or seedlings — easily. In short, everything that is needed for the last journey can be purchased at the last minute if you are leaving the city — for the dacha, for example. And considering the car wash and tire service located here — you can also get your car in order.
So let«s take a closer look at what kind of pavilions are on Yuzhnoye Highway.
It all starts with flowers. A small kiosk is stylized as a wooden log house. It looks, as it seems to us, cute.
Along the road, there are several cafes. They specialize in Eastern cuisine — shashlik, plov (a rice dish), chebureki. And in fast food: hot dogs, samsa. Next to each cafe, there are stands with antifreeze.
And here it is — the Solnechny market. For some reason, the entrance group reminded us a bit of a cemetery. In principle, this is not surprising — a graveyard is located nearby.
And one of the last trade pavilions just offers to buy everything necessary for the cemetery.
But let«s continue studying the Solnechny market in order. Here, for example, is a banner for Samara residents who love to engage in »dacha fitness.«
And another cafe. The establishment is located on a mini-alley.
The Solnechny even has its own large parking lot. At the entrance to it, there is a water dispenser. We did not check if it is working now. But in summer, as it seems to us, it is popular.
Since we arrived in winter and in the middle of a working day, there were not so many visitors. In the entire market, we noticed no more than 10 people. Perhaps their cars were in the parking lot. But maybe they were the cars of the sellers themselves or suppliers.
Despite the small number of buyers, it is noticeable that the driveway is popular. It does not have time to hide under the snow.
There were also few sellers on the territory of Solnechny. Some sat in warm pavilions and came out to us when they noticed our interest in the goods. And others simply were not at the workplace — several kiosks were not working.
We were pleased that in the alley with cafes, there is a sink and tap. Only there is no water in them.
The Drawn-Out Demolition of the Market
The location of the market can be considered advantageous in its own way. A large flow of drivers who leave Samara, a new microdistrict nearby.
But for several years, local authorities have been trying to close Solnechny. The litigation between officials and businessmen began back in 2020. From materials published on the website of the Arbitration Court, the following picture emerges. Dolina and the Samara mayor«s office concluded a sale and purchase agreement. The businessmen were to receive the land plot and 7 buildings that were in municipal ownership. But the representatives of the LLC accumulated debts, not making payments for the acquired objects. Therefore, the officials sued Dolina.
As a result, the sale and purchase agreement was canceled. The mayor«s office recognized the market»s operating permit as invalid. The owner of the trade rows tried to challenge all this, but lost. But to this day, the land and plot have not been returned to municipal ownership. In September 2023, officials stated that the court decision would be enforced by bailiffs. This would mean forced demolition of the market. However, to this day, Solnechny is operating.
Several years later, in January 2026, the market was remembered again. This time, a local resident with a dubious reputation — Dmitry Gurenkov — joined the fight. Under one of the governor«s publications of the Samara region, he demanded the closure of the pavilions.
«The trading area is located in a forest area!» — the Samara resident argued his position.
Representatives of the administration of the Kuibyshevsky district joined the discussion.
«On this issue, a raid will be organized by the administrative commission. But according to the information available at the moment, illegal trade is not carried out here. As for the land plot on which the Solnechny market is located, a court proceeding is underway with the participation of the Samara property management department. Making any decision at the moment is not possible,» — the officials responded.
