People are curious abut what’s going on with the Madison Public Market. Several anticipated opening dates have come and gone — the latest missed goal was March 2026 — and little information is available about the vendor selection process. Isthmus has tried since late December to schedule an interview with market CEO Keisha Harrison, who came on board with the market in July 2024. All interview requests have either been ignored or declined.
The Madison subreddit is rife with speculation, with threads like “Is the public market actually opening this month?,” “Ok seriously, when is the Madison Public Market going to open?” and “Does anyone think the Madison Public Market already becoming a whopping failure could be the result of the leadership that has been hired to run the market?”
The Madison Public Market has a long history. There have been changes in concept, many proposed sites, and delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The market, located in the city’s former fleet services building at 202 N. First St., looks to be finished with exterior and basic interior construction. The city of Madison owns the building; the nonprofit Madison Public Market Foundation holds the lease, providing the operating funds and formally taking over the building from the city in November 2025. Practically speaking, the city of Madison is out of the market business now, and the Foundation is in…