Helping to create tomorrow’s great food halls, public markets and farmers’ markets

Market Ventures, Inc. is an award-winning specialty urban planning and economic development firm that assists public, non-profit, and for-profit clients with planning, creating, and managing innovative food-based projects and programs. We have particular expertise in public markets and farmers’ markets, where we blend cutting-edge business practices with a thorough understanding of and appreciation for the unique challenges facing local farmers and small businesses.

Founded in 1996, Market Ventures stands apart from other firms because we are both experienced consultants and hands-on developers and operators. As consultants, we produce accurate, independent analyses and recommendations tailored to meet the individual needs and circumstances of our clients. Our extensive national experience provides a wealth of information about what works and what does not. We pride ourselves in creating the highest quality reports and presentations based on solid quantitative and qualitative research to help our clients make the best decisions.

As developers, we know the pressures of getting projects implemented in the real world. We understand day-to-day operations because we have been market managers and retailers. Our experience – on projects with development budgets ranging from thousands of dollars to millions – offers a healthy dose of practicality to our consulting efforts.

Market Ventures provides the following consulting and development services:

Market Ventures shapes consulting arrangements based on needs of the project and the client’s available resources. We focus on the nuts and bolts of success, including the project’s economics, design and operations. We create detailed financial models, including individual operating pro forma of each proposed market vendor in order to determine profitability, rent levels, employment, capital needs and tenant improvement allowances.

Concept Development
Feasibility Analysis
Market Research
Site Analysis & Selection

Design
Pro forma Analysis
Surveys & Focus Groups
Operating Review & Management Planning

Development Oversight
Marketing Strategies and Branding Concepts
Management & Vendor Training
Program Evaluation

MVI works in collaboration with local architects, engineers, planners and others, as necessary, to create teams that combine national expertise with local knowledge.

EXISTING/HISTORIC MARKETS

Market Ventures has assisted many of the country’s iconic public markets, including Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market, Lexington Market in Baltimore, Eastern Market in Detroit, North Market in Columbus, Essex Street Market in NYC, the Dallas Farmers’ Market, and Eastern Market in Washington DC. Here’s a sampling of our projects: