By Hannah Wente | Photography by Hillary Schave
This past November, the groundbreaking was held for the Madison Public Market, located at the corner of East Johnson and First Streets. The building will house established and emerging entrepreneurial food businesses, and one of the Market’s goals is to accelerate fledgling small businesses to the next level.
The market’s website also notes its “strong focus on minority-owned businesses … affordable rent, a commercial kitchen/food production space and access to 500,000-plus potential customers every year.”
The adaptively reused facility will have 30 permanent vendor booth spaces, temporary vending spots, outdoor food cart stalls, a commercial kitchen space and food incubator, and more.
Another market milestone happened this past July, when Keisha Harrison was hired to be the first CEO of the Madison Public Market.
“We get the keys at the end of January 2025 with a planned opening in spring or summer 2025. I’m hoping the grand opening is huge!” says Harrison. “We will find our rhythm in terms of what events we want to host as a market and community events hosted by others in our space.”
BRAVA caught up with Harrison to hear about her vision for the market.
Share a bit about your background.
“I’m originally from Chicago. I was most recently the executive director of the Indianapolis City Market. The space for that public market was carved out while the city was being planned, so it is a historic institution that’s woven into people’s lives. Many of the vendors at the market were second or third generation businesses. Today, it is undergoing a huge redevelopment project to add much-needed housing.”
Why did you decide to come to Madison?
“This was an excellent opportunity for me. Considering Madison hasn’t had a public market, this is a great time to be here and see that come to fruition. Madison is a great town — I’m pleased to be here, and I am excited to be part of this project that has been in the works for decades.
I know the public can’t wait — I can’t wait — and I just got here! The [Madison Public Market] board and its various iterations have been steadfast in bringing this project to fruition. I admire their persistence — I hope what we come up with is their dream come true.”
What are you looking forward to the most?
“I’m looking forward to the hustle and bustle. The public market will serve as the ‘third space’ for the community. You can come a few times a week to connect with vendors and friends and attend events.”
What’s on your to-do list until the market opens in 2025?
“There are parallel tracks — one is meeting the community and everyone who has been involved in this project to date. The second is more operational — looking at the finances, getting the building finished and outfitted, as well as finding the tenants and vendors. We’ll take a look at applications on a rolling basis as we have space available and set up a waitlist.”
What is your vision for the market?
“There can be a little bit of everything in one spot — creating an opportunity for fresh produce, prepared foods and things like that. The tenant mix hasn’t been determined yet, but I would imagine a variety of products. As the community uses it more, we will know how to adjust our vendor mix so we can serve the needs of our shoppers. We want positive customer feedback, so I will definitely take suggestions from the shoppers and vendors into consideration while shaping the future of the market.”
Will there be an emphasis on BIPOC vendors?
“Yes — we are trying to figure out how we will unveil it. We believe in equity and that dovetails into providing opportunities for diverse vendors. It’s TBD — we’re working out the spaces for food business incubators and more.
There are a few markets that I’ll be looking towards for inspiration [for this]: Findlay Market in Cincinnati, North Market in Columbus and the Milwaukee Public Market. Toronto has the Foodpreneur Lab to advance racial and gender equity.”
