By Frankie Pobar Lay
MarketReady
The Madison Public Market’s MarketReady Program began three years ago with the goal of supporting entrepreneurs interested in becoming Madison Public Market vendors. Since then, the partnership between the City of Madison, the Madison Public Market Foundation and the Northside Planning Council has helped facilitate the growth of MarketReady member businesses. For now, at least, the program is coming to an end, and it is a good time to reflect on the tremendous progress these entrepreneurs have made.
MarketReady member businesses range from a wide variety of cuisines to clothing, body care products, jewelry and more. Maybe you have stopped by one of their food carts downtown or booths at pop-up events across the city. While preparing to be a part of the Madison Public Market, these entrepreneurs have wasted no time in creating jobs and becoming an integral and exciting part of the local economy. A majority of the participants in the MarketReady program’s diverse cohort come from populations which face historic barriers to entrepreneurship, including women, first generation immigrants and people of color. Recruiting business owners from groups that face structural barriers to business ownership was critical to fulfilling the vision of a Madison Public Market that is representative of the cultural diversity that exists in Madison.
By partnering with local business organizations, the MarketReady Program built a broad network of support for these entrepreneurs. Participants took classes tailored to their business, and direct grants were made available for purchasing equipment and putting infrastructure in place to take the next step towards growing their business. Especially impactful have been the connections and mutual support between the entrepreneurs, and the one-on-one meetings with expert business coaches.
Visiting other regional public markets, including the Milwaukee Public Market and Sherman Phoenix, helped inspire a vision for what the future of the Madison Public Market could look like. In the words of Judy Cooper, owner of QB’s Magnetic Creations, “It’s not just about selling the product, it’s about creating that experience, building those relationships.”
Mai Vang, owner of La Joe Bla which specializes in Hmong-American food, also expressed her excitement that the market could be a space for “sharing our culture and bringing people together, [and] we are absolutely looking forward to that.”
Five of the MarketReady businesses were recently awarded $19,000 to support their operation in the Madison Public Market. This program has been a meaningful step towards ensuring a thriving and diverse local economy. Laurel Burleson of Ugly Apple Cafe put it this way: “More small business means more jobs, more growth, and more innovation in ways that big companies can’t.” By building wealth and creating jobs from the ground up, these businesses are an inspiration for others who dream of starting their own small business.
The Northside Planning Council wants to thank Ian Aley, our former MarketReady Coordinator, for his deep commitment to the success of each of these entrepreneurs and to equity at every level of the program. Ian has left NPC to pursue other work, but MarketReady could not have happened without him. Also, we’d like to direct readers to our statement on page 6 about funding cuts to the Madison Public Market, which threaten the outcomes of the MarketReady program.