Over more than two decades, the nearly $24 million project weathered multimillion-dollar budget gaps, pandemic-related delays and escalating construction costs before announcing its grand opening on July 23.
“We’re as anxious as everyone else to throw open the doors,” said Stacey Diehl, the market’s events manager. “So we decided to pull together a pop-up market series so people could start enjoying the space.”
The market began hosting pop-up previews June 10, which will run Wednesday evenings through July 1.
Market CEO Keisha Harrison estimated in May roughly half of the market’s 28 vendors will be open the first day. Market staples including pizza, coffee, produce, flowers and a brewery have yet to be confirmed.
Here’s a deeper look at how the Madison Public Market reached its finish line: