A New Location, A Better Market

Big Update: We’re Moving

If you’ve been to the market before, you know we’ve been set up in the parking lot at Country Village on Sundays. This year—we’re making a shift.

New Location: Ishpeming Concert Series

New Day: Thursday Nights

And honestly… this is going to be a big upgrade.

Why the Change?

We didn’t just move things around for the sake of it. This move is about building a stronger market—for vendors and for the community. It is also being designed in an effort to bring more people to our downtown area on a consistent basis. In doing so, we also believe that it will begin to pull more businesses to the downtown area as well.

Here’s why we are so excited about this move:

More Visibility (and More Foot Traffic)

The concert series already brings people downtown. By pairing the market with live music, vendors aren’t relying on people to remember to come—they’re already there.

More people walking through = more exposure for:

• Local growers

• Bakers

• Makers

That’s a win across the board. Sunday mornings also brought with it the issue of conflicting with local churches as many people stated they were unable to attend because they were in church. Summer time in the UP is also short and weekends are a hot commodity. So many people go to camp on the weekends, which also limits the market attendance.

A Safer, More Controlled Setup

The old parking lot setup had its challenges. It was tough to fully block off and secure the space, which isn’t ideal when you’ve got vendors, kids, and foot traffic all mixed together. There were weeks were vehicles ignored the traffic cones and caution tape and literally drove through the market space, dragging a cone under their car.

The new location will help to control this and allows for:

• Better flow of people

• Clearer boundaries

• A safer environment for everyone

And that matters!!! Keeping the vendors, customers and community safe is vital.

A Better Atmosphere

Let’s be real—shopping while live music is playing just hits different. We had tried to have music at the previous location but with limited electricity available, using a generator to provide power wasn't the most ideal. It was loud, clunky and just wasn't a great option.

With joining the Concert Series, instead of a quick in-and-out stop, the market becomes something you hang out at:

• Grab some food

• Walk the booths

• Listen to music

• Run into people you know

It turns the market into an experience, not just an errand.

Why Thursdays?

Switching from Sundays to Thursday nights helps:

• Avoid weekend conflicts (cabins, travel, family plans)

• Give vendors a strong midweek sales opportunity

• Bring more consistent traffic with the concert schedule

It fits better into real life—especially in the summer.

What This Means Going Forward

This move is about growing the market the right way.

More visibility. Better safety. Stronger support for local vendors. And a better overall experience for the community. We would love to see permanent location in the downtown area in the future. Dreaming big, it would include some permanent structures, picnic tables and a covered area for inclement weather. But for now, this seems like the logical next move to get it closer to downtown.

Come Check It Out

If you’ve been to the market before—we think you’re going to love this setup!!

If you haven’t been in the past—this is the year to start.