Three Good Men at Rockford City Market
Three Good Men perform at Rockford City Market on Friday, July 29, 2022. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — For more than four months, Kendra Moreno and Kailee Schulz have been growing rare succulents, flowers and other plants in their basement greenhouses in preparation for Friday.

Their new business, Terrakotta, will make its public debut Friday at the first Rockford City Market of the season. They’ve grown close to 3,000 flowers so far and they’re ready to show it off to the thousands of people that attend the downtown market each Friday through early fall.

“I honestly don’t think that’s going to be enough,” said Moreno, a 25-year-old entrepreneur whose full-time job is as a senior contract analysts at Collins Aerospace. “If that’s not enough that’s a great problem to have.”

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Small businesses and budding entrepreneurs have been the lifeblood of the market since it was started by Rock River Development Partnership, a nonprofit economic development group. The nonprofit prides itself on serving as a business incubator that allows entrepreneurs a chance to test the waters before making hefty investments such as a storefront.

Since it’s inception on June 11, 2010, 14 businesses have gone on to open their own brick-and-mortar locations, creating approximately 124 jobs, according to Rockford City Market. Some of the most recent include TNT Funnel Cakes, which now has space at 201 W. State St., and Ambiance, a Creole soul food restaurant at 307 S. Main St. that will continue to have the T & C Cooking Creations food truck at City Market this season.

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Other businesses grow without opening a storefront.

Terrakotta is another new business that’s relying on City Market to make its start.

“We’re really taking this first season as a time for us to find our own niche,” said Kailee Schulz, a biologist and co-owner of Terrakotta. “We’re really just focused on doing what we love and hopefully everyone else will love it, too.”

New vendors, 1M milestone

Taylor Lukowski at Rockford City Market
Taylor Lukowski, owner of Triple T Creation Co., tosses a T-shirt over a chair on Friday, June 4, 2022, at Rockford City Market, where she is a regular vendor. Triple T Creation Co. is a vendor again this year. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

Cathy McDermott, executive director of Rock River Development Partnership, said market visitors are always eager to see new businesses such as Terrakotta.

“One of the things mentioned last year by our survey participants was the wish for new and different vendors,” she said. This year, there are 18 new vendors, including Terrakotta.

Some of the other new sellers that make up the roughly 70 total vendors include LizzyLiz, which sells African clothing and accessories, and Laconic Foods, which prides itself on authentic Greek olive oil and products, McDermott said.

This year, there will be food trucks under the Jefferson Street bridge for the first time. That change comes as East State Street and Madison Street are open for traffic, something downtown business owners pushed for last year. Business owners said the streets being blocked off for City Market vendors hampered their customers ability to navigate to their restaurants and shops.

“That definitely weighed into the decision,” McDermott said. “Each year we try to really assess and make the best plan for the next year.”

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On June 2, McDermott said City Market is expected to reach a visitor milestone by welcoming its 1,000,000 patron.

“I am looking forward to a market-wide celebration that evening,” McDermott said. “More details to come.”

Know before you go | Rockford City Market

Where: State and Madison streets in downtown Rockford

When: 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday, May 19

2023 vendor list: See it here

2023 layout: See it here


This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas.

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