The Place
Astral Market is located in Salem, on the city’s busy south side of town. Cruise down Commercial Street and you may see this shop nestled among several other strip-mall stores. But this hidden gem has more waiting than what first meets the eye. Step inside to enter a galaxy of ganja and a surprisingly spacious showroom.
An astronaut waits for you inside the front door as you glide across the cosmic flooring, through the large waiting room and into the open product gallery. Flowers are showcased alongside info cards in individually magnified containers, adding to the sci-fi feel as much as the ease of viewing. Concentrates and extracts are illuminated in a long center case. In the corner, two leather chairs and a custom, glowing table provide a place to take it all in while you wait.
The Products
This shop first opened its doors in October of 2022 and since then, has continued to build on the brands that bring folks in. Owner and manager Christian Yance explains that right now, a top seller is the Sauce Bar disposable vape. But he also keeps staples from folks like Decibel Farms, Gud Gardens, NW Kind, Capital Cannabis, Higher Cultures, Meraki and more stocked on the shelves.
When perusing the selections, we stopped to talk about Astra Cannabis – the in-house brand run by Christian’s brother and business partner. “We really want to promote our in-house options, and try to do so with some really good discounts,” says Yance.
Customers can find these discounts every day of the week, with offerings ranging from edibles and concentrates to brand-specific sales like “Astra Weekend,” which offers up to 30% off.
The People
Like many of our dispensary tours, however, it wasn’t the place or products that left the strongest impression – it was the people. Yance is a new face in the Oregon dispensary scene and his fresh perspective and passion were palatable during our discussion. Right now, he’s running his shop with three other employees – a small crew by most means. But we left Astral Market with the impression that this number will soon be growing.
