Green Bay Public Market to open in 2025, joining Milwaukee and Mequon

A new public market is expected to come to Green Bay next year, joining efforts to create similar markets in communities around the state.

Roughly 400 community members gathered on Broadway Street in the city’s downtown for a groundbreaking ceremony for the Green Bay Public Market on Tuesday. 

The city will join Milwaukee and Mequon, which already have public markets. A similar project is also underway in Madison.

Construction on the project began in March to convert a former office building into a public market that will house roughly 20 tenants, including existing businesses and startups. It will also feature indoor and outdoor seating, a demonstration kitchen, a kids play area and a co-working space.

On Broadway Inc., a local nonprofit economic development group, purchased the property in 2022 and initially hoped to open the market in time for the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay.

Brian Johnson, a Green Bay alder and president of On Broadway, said the market is now expected to open after the draft.

“Right now, we are on a path to make sure that this thing will be open sometime next year — probably summer,” he told reporters after the groundbreaking ceremony. “We just want to make sure that we’re making all the right decisions so that we have a really successful opening.”

When open, Johnson said the market will provide a space for people to buy groceries and purchase food from local restaurants. He also says the project is expected to create 200 jobs, and provide a year-round draw for the estimated 6 million people who visit Green Bay each year.

“A lot of times when those folks come here, they want something more to do,” he said during the ceremony. “We saw an opportunity to really create a visitor destination experience that could combine food with a great local experience.”

Brad Toll, CEO of Discover Green Bay, said the market will support neighboring businesses in the city’s downtown. 

“The On Broadway area is one of the boutique areas of the community where you can go shop and visit different boutiques,” he said. “This could be the draw that brings (visitors) down here, that then has them wander around the street.”

According to the Green Bay Press-Gazette, the Green Bay Public Market has secured roughly $13 million of the $18 million needed to complete construction and operate the market. The newspaper reports On Broadway plans to seek government grants and private donations to support the project, and close gaps by borrowing.

The project has received commitments for roughly $7 million of the $8 million in private donations that it hoped to secure, said Ken Strmiska, the project’s capital campaign cabinet chair.

Public markets gaining momentum across Wisconsin

Milwaukee and Mequon already have successful public markets, while Green Bay and Madison are in the process of developing their public markets. 

A public market in Madison has been discussed for more than a decade, and is under construction with a targeted opening date of July 1, 2025, according to a September project update. 

According to The Cap Times, the Madison market would host 30 permanent vendors, provide space for pop-up stores and house two large “anchor tenants.”

While developing the Green Bay project, Johnson said they received guidance from the Milwaukee Public Market and have been in communication with the Madison Public Market planners.

Paul Schwartz, executive director for the Milwaukee Public Market, said public markets can have a big economic impact. He says the Milwaukee market has roughly 2 million annual visits, resulting in roughly $27 million in total vendor sales.

The Milwaukee market is slated to host the International Public Market conference next year, bringing 600-plus public market officials, urban planners and private developers from around the globe to the city.

Public markets can also be catalysts for additional development, Schwartz said. When the Milwaukee market opened in 2005, he said there were a lot of vacant properties in the city’s Third Ward that have now been developed.

“We can’t take credit for all of it, but the ripple effect and the amount of people who want to invest in real estate around the public market in Milwaukee is substantial,” he said.

Johnson said Green Bay is hoping to see a similar ripple effect for downtown development. He said additional housing and parking is currently planned for the area near the market.

“We’ve estimated that with this project, in conversations that we’ve had with developers, that we could see over $100 million of new development in the immediate vicinity of this project,” he said.

While public markets can serve as economic drivers, Schwartz said they also serve as vibrant events and gathering spaces for communities.

“Public markets are the great mechanism with which to draw people in, from a food element, from a gathering place, meeting people who are locals,” he said. “These are great institutions for that sort of thing.”