Milwaukee Public Market announces 'responsible reopening' plan



MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee Public Market announced Tuesday, June 9 that it will reopen its doors to customers starting Wednesday, June 10. The market closed to the public nearly three months ago due to COVID-19 concerns.

In a news release, the Milwaukee Public Market said customers can expect a number of health and safety policy changes to promote customer confidence -- part of a focus on a "responsible reopening."

In early May, the Market To-Go curbside pickup and delivery service was launched and, for many vendors, will continue that service. The market, classified as a shopping mall by health officials, was permitted to allow customers inside the building weeks ago, according to Paul Schwartz, executive director of the Milwaukee Public Market, but given the operation and the measures the market felt it needed to have in place, it elected to wait.



"You only get one shot to do this, and we're focused on the long-term success of the market, not necessarily jumping back in and trying to reignite and re-engage with our audience when we're not ready to do so," Schwartz said.

Capacity will be limited at 25%. The market is taking a piece of its north side parking lot and converting it into outdoor searing which is cleaned after every customer -- allowing for social distancing.

"We wanted to make sure that every protocol was in place and that we even exceeded some of the measures that we needed to take to make people feel comfortable," said Schwartz.

General indoor hours at the market will be as follows:


    For a full list of vendor offerings and individual hours of operations, please visit milwaukeepublicmarket.org or call 414-336-1111.

    Procedures and policies enforced during the phased reopening will use both WEDC, CDC and Milwaukee Health Department guidelines. Many of the new measures the market is instituting during this first phase of reopening include: