Mayor's Office

It’s hard to believe, but the holiday shopping season is well underway. I hope you will consider buying local this season and supporting Madison’s small businesses.

This holiday season, small business supporters will once again have the opportunity to delight in the Culture Collectives, the City supported Pop-Up Shops on State Street. Culture Collectives, the city’s first pop-up shop program, started in 2021 in collaboration with JD McCormick Properties, the Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce, the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Dane County, the Madison Black Chamber of Commerce and the Madison’s Central Business Improvement District. The initiative supports small businesses and helps fill vacant storefronts as the community continues to recover from the pandemic.

Culture Collectives Shopping Opportunities

Current vendors located on 440 and 444 State Street:

• Ardorposh is a contemporary and modest clothing boutique for women who desire trendy styles. https://www.ardorposh.com/pages/store-location-1
• Circle of Life Wellness Pharmacy Center is an African American owned organization that sells natural vitamins, supplements and pharmacy products.
• Madame Chu Delicacies is a company that offers handcrafted products specializing in Southeast Asian delicacies. https://www.madame-chu.com/shop
• Marche-Isa Co is a company that sells authentic and unique handmade merchandise from West Africa such as beads, crafts, printing, jewelry, sweetgrass basket and more. https://www.facebook.com/MarcheIsa/

Former vendors:

• Better Footprints is your go-to shop for high quality, eco-friendly products that are sources primarily from BIPOC and women-owned businesses.  https://betterfootprints.com/
• CEOs of Tomorrow’s imPACTful Creations offers business-in-a box kits with everything a child needs to start a fun and creative business from home. https://ceosoftomorrow.org/impactfulcreations/
• El Legado is a company that offers clothes, accessories, jewelry, and genuine handmade items shipped from their home countries. https://www.facebook.com/ElLegadoMadison/
• Intuition Productions is a multi-media edutainment production and merchandise company. https://www.facebook.com/IntuitionProductions/
• Nobbits USA is a company that sells high-performance shoelaces. https://nobbits.com/
• 

Investing in independent retailers of color, the City is committed to creating a diverse and vibrant downtown. While you’re visiting the Culture Collectives, don’t forget about the 300+ businesses located in Downtown Madison that offer a wide range of goods and services. You can also check out other local retailers listed here at Dane Buy Local.

Our small businesses are still recovering and need our support to thrive. The City has invested more than $2 million in Small Business Equity and Recovery Grants (SBER) in 2021 and early 2022, which helped 348 small businesses in Madison help recover funding lost during the COVID shut down.

Building renovation programs and grants to improve energy efficiency and enhance curb appeal, have also been a focus of the SBER program. More than 45 Building Improvement Grants have been approved, totally more than $1.4 million. These grants support the renovation of retail and restaurant spaces occupied by small businesses. Additionally, Madison’s Façade Grant Program provides matching grants to small business owners and tenants to help them restore and/or beautify their facades or storefronts.

For more information on our SBER program, please contact Ruth Rohlich, Business Development Specialist 608-267-4933 or rrohlich@cityofmadison.com.