The Markets!
Madison Makers Market strives to connect the Madison community with local makers and crafters, as well as local bars and breweries, by marrying the two together for a fun, unique makers market/pub-crawl experience!
Our shows will typically involve multiple locations within walking distance of one another so shoppers can get out and walk around the community, while stopping to have a drink or a bite to eat, and also shopping handmade goods from local and area artists and makers.
our plan is to expand the community around us, and involve as many crafters as we can:
While we favor makers from Madison/Central Wisconsin, we welcome makers from all over the midwest to participate in our events.
Our hope is to expand the market to include other neighborhoods in the Madison area, and find ways to benefit local businesses.
How we will do this is always in flux, and we're always open to suggestions from our customers and makers!
humble beginnings:
The first ever Madison Makers Market pop-up took place on November 24, 2017, with three locations hosting 32 vendors in a pub-crawl style market.
Our fourth annual Black Friday Market wrapped up couple months ago, hosting 120 vendors at seven locations in the Williamson-Atwood area!
We are planning events through 2023
Winter Market - February 18th, All Done!
Delta Market - April 8th, Vendors Selected!
Spring Market - May 6th, Applications open!
Delta Market - June 3rd, Applications March 2023!
Summer Market - July 8th, Applications Spring 2023!
Delta Market - August 26th, Applications Spring 2023!
DeltaWeen - October 21st, Applications Summer 2023!
Black Friday Market - November 24th, Applications Summer!
plans for the future:
As a vendor I can tell from experience that one of the biggest bummers is finding a show you like after you've already paid a booth fee on another show.
As an organizer I am competing against other shows and public events for your attendance as a vendor and as a customer.
As a customer I want to see familiar names with a big following and I want to seem them somewhere I would normally want to go, because that tells me a show has prestige and popularity.
When all of this happens we collectively benefit- big names get big crowds, big crowds mean more foot traffic for new vendors that might not normally get much business, and more business for our hosts.
Happy vendors, customers and hosts means the show continues to be popular, which means it continues to grow.
All of this is to say applications for future markets will open much earlier, and only stay open long enough to fill rosters and leave room for a waitlist.
This also means that booth fees will increase a little to meet my new, much larger advertising budget.
Don't worry though!- I still intend to be one of the cheapest markets in the area, and will continue to advocate for newbs and young makers.
Madison Makers Market in the Community!
Madison Makers Market believes it is the responsibility of each individual to help make their community thrive! This means helping those who need a little boost from time to time.
Each Market we host we try our hardest to include at least one nonprofit looking to make money for their cause. We usually work with nonprofits who produce a product or activity of some sort that would vibe well with our markets, connecting the nonprofit sector with the handmade community and the people who shop handmade.
We also are working hard to raise money for local area nonprofits who help the community through education, health, safety and economic development.
In December 2018 we had our first ever Winter Wonderful event! This was a week-long event which included a pop-up shop where 25% of all money made went to a nonprofit, and also included six days of events raising money for six nonprofits, where 100% of the money went to the nonprofits involved.
We are always looking for fun, new locations and people to meet. If you're a venue interested in the possibility of a pop-up at your location in the future, reach out! We'd love to hear from you. If you're a local crafter or maker looking for pop-up opportunities, join our mailing list on the vendor page and we'll reach out when the next pop-up arises!
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The Madison Makers Market was originally founded by Sara Thompto in 2017. She built the market up from nothing and she did it for every maker she ever met.
Due to big changes in her life, she has moved to Michigan with her wife and started up I Heart Indie Markets- basically a national version of MMM- and left the local show in the hands of her friend David Van.
David also helps his partner Meagan run their business, TacoCat Creations, his freelance web design and photography company, Obscura Studios, and local car-spotter IG account, Cars of Madison.
When he's not working every day, all day, forever, Dave loves Beer, Bike Riding, Photography and working on his old Volvo, Aina. He moved to Madison fifteen years ago for college, and never wanted to leave.
Pssst! We're always looking for more help to run our events! If you want to be a volunteer or work together in the future to help coordinate and run pop-ups, please shoot Dave a message at info@madisonmakersmarket.com or use the contact page here!