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Rockford City Market: Open All Year Long

By Janine Pumilia

If you find yourself missing the sense of community experienced at outdoor Rockford City Market, there’s an easy solution: Indoor Rockford City Market.

Less visible, but with a cozy vibe of its own inside 116 N. Madison St., it offers tasty fare five or more days each week in its food hall, plus events like themed pop-up markets, live music, trivia contests and yoga classes, all winter long.

“We’re super excited to keep building on the success of the indoor market,” says Becca Bartels, Director of Market Engagement at Rockford City Market. “It’s a friendly atmosphere where people enjoy gathering while supporting small businesses that are getting up and running.”

Rockford City Market grew out of Rock River Development Partnership in 2010. Its goal was to provide startups with a low-overhead way to test out their products and gain a following. Its popularity exceeded expectations immediately and, by 2019, attendance at the Friday night outdoor market hit 111,000. Even with a pandemic raging, 90,000 people turned out in 2021. Many small business success stories have emerged.

“Woodfire Pizza and Canine Crunchery are just two examples of businesses that got their start at Rockford City Market and grew into their own storefront locations,” says Bartels.

Bolstered by public enthusiasm, Rockford City Market opened its indoor location in 2019, purchasing and restoring a historic building adjacent to the outdoor market location. The location offers a commercial kitchen that entrepreneurs can rent out. In 2021, 55 small businesses, including food truck owners, made good use of it.

There are plenty of common areas inside the market to gather with friends. Four long-term tenants include Crust & Crumbles artisan bakery; Quixotic Bakery; Velvet Robot Coffee Lab and Guzel Restaurant, serving authentic Mediterranean-style foods.

Rockford City Market also rents out spaces for weddings & meetings. Learn more at rockfordcitymarket.com. ❚