This Saturday, Middle Market will premiere for the fourth year at Lincoln Square Mall. Middle market was developed by the Urbana Business Association to fill the gap between the holiday market and Market at the Square. Middle Market runs on a biweekly basis from January 8th to April 23rd, on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month. Middle Market is the newest of all the markets, so they are still developing the overall strategy and recruiting vendors. It also looks some changes are being made for this season, and I’m curious to see what changes might debut this market season. Middle Market is a nice place to hang out on a Saturday morning, just don’t expect as much fresh produce as the Market at the Square.
Generally, just because of the season, Middle Market features more crafty type 
items and less produce. Right now there are less opportunities to grow produce in Central Illinois, but there are lots of jams, baked goods, honey and other cold weather items for sale. I have also found Middle Market to be much smaller overall, and less well attended, so it is definitely less crowded if you just want to check out what the vendors have for sale without a crowd. Middle Market is a nice resource to have in town and the Urbana Business Association has been working on building this market. One nice feature of Middle Market is that, like the Holiday Market, it is indoors at Lincoln Square: a nice, warm, and snow –free environment to walk indoors during the winter months if you just need to get out of the house for a while.
This first market will feature several familar vendors including Triple S Farms and Sleepy Creek Vineyards. Pekara Bakery will also be around in case you need a treat or some bread for the week. There are also several local artists who will have goods for sale including Deb Sosnowski, Pat Forden, and Jeremy Williams woodturning. Cousins Dog Biscuits will also be in attendance, which is great if you need a treat for your pup. This is just a sampling of the vendors listed for this 
week, if you would like a more complete list, it looks like they will be posting the list to the Middle Market Facebook page for each market. No word yet if Middle Market will feature any special events or partnerships, but it will undoubtedly have some live music and feature local artisans. Overall, this market is still growing and finding it’s identity a bit, but it is worth a look!
Information
Cost: This event, like all the Urbana markets, is free and open to the public.
Dates: The Middle Market is held on the second and the fourth Saturdays of the month from January to April.
Payment: Most vendors accept cash. A few may take personal check or credit cards, but that is less likely. There is an ATM in Lincoln Square mall in case you run short of cash.
Parking: Parking is available for free in all the lots surrounding Lincoln Square Mall.
For more information about the Middle Market, check out the Urbana Business Association’s website.
C-U at the Market!
Top photo and Middle Market logo from Facebook; Pekara bread photo by Jessica Hammie.