• CLICK TO CALL (877) 326-3268
  • CLICK TO EMAIL

Dane County Real Estate

  • Home
  • Search Homes
  • Real Estate
    • Why Hire an Agent?
    • First Time Home Buying
  • Your Home Team
  • Pre-Approval
  • Home Loans
  • News
CONTACT US

Madison Night Market opener draws crowd and serves as retail incubator

by Richard Surek / Friday, 10 May 2019 / Published in Dane County Real Estate News

They came to nosh on pretzels, pizza and poke, shop and listen to the indie folk music of The North Code.

Strings of lights and battery powered lanterns provided illumination and the crowd, dressed in jackets, sweatshirts and stocking caps, shrugged off the 44 degree temperatures and made the first of this year’s four Madison Night Markets seem like a summer evening. 

Vendors returned Thursday to West Gilman and State streets for what is being billed as “A Madison Tradition,” even though the market is only entering its third season. But the title appears to be apropos. The three markets in 2017 and four events in 2018 each drew more than 5,000 people and this years Markets are expected to draw similar crowds, although the weather may have kept some away on opening night.

Madison Night Market

Lisa Link Peace Park at State and West Gilman streets hosted music from The North Code during Thursday’s Madison Night Market. The North Code, an indie bluegrass band based in Madison, will on May 16 release its first, full-length album.

BARRY ADAMS, STATE JOURNAL

“It really has become something that people are looking forward to,” said Tiffany Kenney, executive director of the Central Business Improvement District, which organizes the markets. “It’s exciting. There’s just this cool vibe.”

Madison Night Market was born out of a Downtown retail study to stimulate retail and bring more people into the shopping district. This year’s three remaining markets are set for June 13, Aug. 8 and Sept. 12. A July event is not scheduled because of Maxwell Street Days July 19-21.

Madison Night Market

Scott Lynch, mobile catering manager for Pizza Bruta, uses a titanium peel to arrange 11-inch pizza in an 800-degree oven. It was part of a food booth Thursday at the Madison Night Market for the pizza company that has locations on Monroe Street and in Middleton.

BARRY ADAMS, STATE JOURNAL

The Night Market includes 84 vendors who showcase handmade products, local art, artisan gifts, prepackaged foods and fresh produce. The event also features live music, food carts and pop-up restaurant experiences but has a waiting list of more than 40 vendors trying to get in, Kenney said.

Karen Tardrew parked her mobile Grasshopper Goods retail shop on West Gilman Street south of State Street. The 28-foot-long, 1977 Chevy step van named “Vinny” was filled with not only jewelry, clothing, handbags and art work but also shoppers who entered the van via steps at the back of the truck and exited at the front to the right of the driver’s seat.

Madison Night Market

Shoppers cram inside the mobile retail shop, Grasshopper Goods, that was parked on West Gilman Street just south of State Street for Thursday’s Madison Night Market. The truck holds clothing, art work, jewelry and handbags and last year logged 6,000 miles getting to about 100 events in Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

BARRY ADAMS, STATE JOURNAL

Tardrew, who opened her business in 2017, has been at every Night Market and does about 100 other public and private events a year in Wisconsin and Illinois. She’s working with the city to try and get a permit to set up like a food cart and is also hoping to get a spot in the Madison Public Market scheduled to open in 2020 in what is now the city’s Fleet Services building at 200 N. First St.

Madison Night Market

Karen Tardrew, owner of Grasshopper Goods, has had her mobile retail shop at each of the Madison Night Markets since its inception in 2017.

BARRY ADAMS, STATE JOURNAL

“We can always count on the Night Market for good sales. It’s one of our top events,” said Tardrew, who lives in Madison but is a professor who teaches on-line education classes for National Louis University in Chicago. “Each time (the market) gets more organized and I really like the hours this year.”

The first two years, the market was held from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. but the last hour lagged, Tardrew said. The market now runs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Madison Night Market

Warm and freshly made pretzels were a popular item at Thursday’s Madison Night Market as temperatures at 9 p.m. were 44 degrees. 

BARRY ADAMS, STATE JOURNAL

For Megan Porter and David Van, the Night Market is a perfect place to showcase their line of bow ties, beds and toys for cats. Porter founded Tacocat Creations in 2013 and has her products in a number of retailers in the Madison area and around the country.

Madison Night Market

Tacocat Creations of Madison is in its second year at the Madison Night Market and specializes in items for cats, including these bow ties. 

BARRY ADAMS, STATE JOURNAL

Porter and Van did all four Night Markets in 2018 and are scheduled to do all four this year. The market allows them to interact directly with their customers without having their own brick and mortar location.

“You could argue that this is better because this avoids the commitment of such high overhead of having a business down here,” Van said. “But you’re still allowed to have the presence and this still gives you that exposure and helps grow your business.”

#wc-email-form-1683877 { clear: both; background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #222222; background-position: bottom; background-repeat: no-repeat; padding: 15px 15px 0 15px; margin-bottom: 40px; border-top: 1px solid rgba(0,0,0,.1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0,0,0,.1); } #wc-email-form-1683877 h1 { font-size: 24px; } #wc-email-form-1683877 h1, #wc-email-form-1683877 .lead { font-family: ‘PT Serif’,serif; } #wc-email-form-1683877 .email-desc { font-family: Yrsa,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 5px; opacity: 0.7; } #wc-email-form-1683877 form { padding: 10px 30px 5px 30px; } #wc-email-form-1683877 form .btn { /*padding: 8px 24px;*/ } #wc-email-form-1683877 .disclaimer { opacity: 0.5; margin-bottom: 15px; line-height: 100%; } #wc-email-form-1683877 .email-hammer { border-bottom: 3px solid #222222; opacity: .5; display: inline-block; padding: 0 10px 5px 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 18px; font-family: Yrsa,serif; }

Tagged under: dane county real estate, madison, real estate agents

About Richard Surek

What you can read next

GOP holds N Carolina House seat but shows frailty in suburbs
Rodriguez’s single leads Campeche to 17-9 win over Tabasco
Your Right to Know: Lawmakers use costs to rebuff records requests

Recent Posts

  • Attorney says UW-La Crosse professor was victim of ‘cancel culture’ in sexual misconduct case

    {{featured_button_text}} Elgin Bean An attorney...
  • Judiciary panel takes first steps toward impeachment vote

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Judiciary Committee...
  • Two Republicans introduce bill that would legalize medical marijuana

    {{featured_button_text}} Two Republican lawmake...
  • Jarry’s shutout streak ends as Montreal beats Penguins 4-1

    PITTSBURGH (AP) — Tomas Tatar’s 10th goal of th...
  • Badgers’ Dana Rettke named Northeast Region player of year

    Rettke University of Wisconsin junior Dana Rett...

Categories

  • Dane County Real Estate News
  • FHA Mortgages
  • Mortgage Loans
  • Purchase Mortgages
  • Refinance Mortgages
  • US Lending News
  • USDA Mortgages

US LENDING & REAL ESTATE

877-326-3268

6720 Frank Lloyd Wright Ave. Suite 104 Middleton, WI 53562

  • Home
  • Search Homes
  • Real Estate
    • Why Hire an Agent?
    • First Time Home Buying
  • Your Home Team
  • Pre-Approval
  • Home Loans
  • News
  • Home
  • Search Homes
  • Real Estate
    • Why Hire an Agent?
    • First Time Home Buying
  • Your Home Team
  • Pre-Approval
  • Home Loans
  • News

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Sitemap

NMLS #1152122 (View NMLS Consumer Access Page)
©2003-2019 US Lending Corporation, Dane County Real Estate and US Lending & Real Estate, all rights reserved. | 6720 Frank Lloyd Wright Ave. Suite 104 Middleton, WI 53562.

Lending services provided by US Lending Corporation, "US Lending & Real Estate" is a registered service mark (d/b/a) of US Lending Corporation, used under license.

Dane County Real Estate LLC License Numbers: WI 700869-91. US Lending & Real Estate Logo is a service mark (d/b/a) licensed to Dane County Real Estate LLC. Dane County Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. The Dane County Real Estate LLC main office is located in Middleton, WI. Contact: 877-326-3268. (View License)

TOP