Milwaukee Public Market

Who knew our sister-city to the north would have so much to offer. I was pleasantly surprised with 2 such offerings. What impressed me most was how convenient they were to get to. Hey there! It’s Shomari – or Mr. Houseful as my wife, Natasha refers to me here. I’m here to tell you a little bit more about our day trip to Milwaukee, Wisconsin last month, where we squeezed in quite a bit. We figured we’d pace you so that you’d really want more of this city! 

Right after visiting Anodyne Coffee Roasting Company, and before going kayaking, we took a trip to see the Milwaukee Public Market. Lots of friends of my wife had let her know that they had visited and loved the Public Market, and I could see the parallels. It reminded Natasha of a streamlined Mariano’s Market, and we all know how much she loves that grocery shopping experience. 

We were able to stand and chat a bit with Anne Nehring of Nehring’s Family Market, and learned about the family’s love of creating great recipes and keeping a market alive for generations to come. You should stop by one afternoon and learn about her love for delectable family dishes. 

Milwaukee Public Market is a fantastic destination for anyone looking for an afternoon snack, an inexpensive meal, or even the ingredients to the perfect dinner. It is a one stop shop! Think of having your favorite neighborhood/boutique stores all in the same place at the same time. Your favorite cheese shop, followed by your favorite spice depot, not to forget your produce, best butcher, or preferred poultry. We haven’t even gotten to the variations of spirits artisan beers and coffees. They provide cooking demonstrations, space events, including but not limited to, wedding receptions. On the upper levels, you can eat your lunch at one of the tables while reading a book that you picked out from the book exchange (a program affiliated with the Milwaukee Public Library).

What Mrs. Houseful enjoyed about it was the fact that you could get a lobster dinner for under 15 bucks at St. Paul Fish Company. Seriously. I can’t eat them, so I’ll let her enjoy those the next time we visit Milwaukee. She’s more of a farmer’s market type of woman, so I could tell when we walked through the door and her eyes lit up at all of the various shops under one roof, we’d be back. We also found out that Anodyne Coffee Roasting Company will also be in a space there, so now you can get their coffee in three spots within the city. 

They are still in the middle of construction and improvements as well.  The city is improving the overpass, An improved parking lot for the Market is underway.  This market can be seen as a microcosm of the greater revitalization of the 3rd and 5th wards. Paul, who is the market director, gave us the grand tour of the space, and we could see in his talk and his demeanor that he is very proud of the space that has been created here. Here he is with our hostess for the day, Wendy, who is one of the PR specialists for Visit Milwaukee. She showed us a great time as well. 

Milwaukee is a city that is hard at work moving in the right direction.  It has a great gem in the middle of a fantastic city just a 2 hour drive to the north. We had a great time!