Public Market growth continues

The Milwaukee Public Market set another sales record in 2016, continuing a nine-year string of growth.

Vendors at the market, at 400 N. Water St. in the Historic Third Ward, took in $15.8 million last year — up 10% from 2015 sales.

Customer visits rose by 11% to 1.5 million. The often-bustling market has benefited from the residential growth and other development in the Third Ward and has become a tourist attraction. The market currently has 18 vendors, most of them selling food, and no vacancies.

Since 2010, the market’s sales have more than doubled.

Paul Schwartz, the market’s operation and communication manager, said the focus now is on managing growth.

“Making sure that all the things that are going on here, that we’re doing them well — concentrating on the details,” he said. “I think that’s going to be important. When you see this much growth at this much of a rapid rate and this quickly you want to make sure that you’re still targeting your core base of customers, and that they still like coming here.”

The market doesn’t survey customers. But from what vendors gather in talking with them, it appears that most customers on weekdays come from within a one-mile radius, with out-oftown visitors more prevalent on weekends, Schwartz said.

Besides the retail sales, the market hosts public cooking classes and private events on its second level.

Opened in October 2005, the market struggled at first until refashioning itself under new management and placing greater emphasis on prepared foods. Since then, it has thrived along with its neighborhood and ridden the wave of rising interest in urban living and local foods.