Public invited to check out progress of Madison Public Market

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) -The community is being offered a sneak-peek progress check of the new Madison Public Market soon to call the city’s east side its new home.

The Ready! Set! Market! Open House promises a mix of vendors with food trucks, craft and pre-packaged food items as well as live music from local musicians. City of Madison staff will be offering tours during the event.

The open house hosted by the City of Madison in partnership with the Madison Public Market Foundation will be held Tuesday, Sept. 12 from 5-8p.m. at 202 First Street, which is the city’s former Fleet Services Building.

Once completed, the Market will be a year-round, indoor marketplace with 40 permanent vendors featuring locally grown foods, handcrafted artwork, and a center for cuisine-centric entrepreneurship to help foster businesses.

Of the 48,000 square foot build, roughly a third will be geared toward newer small businesses and entrepreneurs. A designated space, called the True Stage Market Ready Hall, focused on production featuring mentorship, an incubation center, and shared kitchen.

“The market’s going to pour into the community and this side of it is going to pour into those small business owners and that’s huge,” said Hannah Mohelnitzky, public information officer for the City of Madison Engineering Division. “A place for these small entrepreneurs and small businesses, and startups to really grow their businesses and have a space to really test things out and see what works for their business. That’s huge, no market has that to that level.”

The market will showcase the talents of women, minorities and marginalized business owners in the community.

Carmell Jackson, owner of Melly Mells Soul Food has secured a permanent home inside the market when it opens, one of only five vendors selected so far. She said as a cater-focused business, this next step is and will be a dream for herself and others.

“It’s going to show people that there is hope, there is a place for them to go, so if they have that idea... this might give people the drive to continue to go forward with their dreams,” Jackson said.

Surrounded by patio spaces, the 48,000-square-foot market touts planting areas and transportation infrastructure including bus routes, bike and vehicle parking. MPM is expected to be complete in early 2025.

The Madison Public Market Foundation is looking for entrepreneurs interested in renting a permanent space at the Market to complete a vendor interest form by the end of 2023.

Josey Chu, owner of Madame Chu Delicacies is an interested vendor for MPM. “The opportunity is infinite. The Public Market is not just all about food, as much as we all in Madison love food,” she joked. “It really isn’t, there’s so much more. I hope that everybody realizes this is a community market.”

Some of the vendors expected at the Sept. 12 Open House include the following: Auntie M’s Creations LLC, East Side Cakes, Madame Chu, Forward Craft & Coffee, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, Wonder Cookie, Melly Mell’s Soul Food, Little Tibet, Marieke Gouda-House of Gouda, Blue Violet Jams & Jellies, Kerol’s Kitchen, V Greenery, QB’s Magnetic Creations, and Les Delices de Awa.

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