The Wisconsin Makers Market, or WiMM, held their soft opening at their new location this past Saturday, opening on the corner of Main and Barstow in downtown Eau Claire.
Kristie Adisek, the owner of WiMM, said the market is a collaboration of artists throughout the midwest. All of their products are on consignment with about 72 vendors selling through WiMM, and the market is looking for more.
WiMM moved from the end of East Grand Avenue to a 17,000 square foot venue, including new vendor suites and a classroom for rent. Adisek said the new location is double the size of the previous space and with the additional room, she hopes to increase her vendors by 25%.
Adisek took over the store in June 2024 and was impressed by how welcoming the community was, finding a demand for small businesses and curated pieces. Adisek said she started looking for a new location once she saw the demand.
“I started right away looking for a new location that was bigger so we could really turn this into a maker’s haven,” Adisek said. “I wanted creators to be able to afford retail space and/or creator space.”
WiMM was closed March 24-28, giving time for Adisek, her family and a few of the vendors to pack up the entire store and move to the new location. They spent the week organizing, cleaning and setting up the new displays.
In the new location, there were five existing offices that have been transformed into suites for $200 a month where vendors can sell and create their products. These vendors can sell products within the suite and outside its doors, taking 100% of profit if sold by the vendor and earning 80% if sold by WiMM when the vendor is not present.
WiMM also has a classroom space where vendors or members of the community can rent to give classes, host social events or work on projects. The space is free with a refundable deposit and can fit 10-15 people.
At the end of the new space, there is a staircase that leads to an unopened second floor. According to Adisek, WiMM hopes to open WiMM Studios this upcoming August as a new space for more vendors to sell from.
Vendors will be able to rent by the square footage they need, using the space for retail, creator space, a boutique, storage or any combination. Any items sold will also be on consignment through WiMM. Adisek is looking for more vendors who are interested in this space before fully renting the space.
Nikki Chetwood, owner of Audrey’s Boudoir, is partnering with WiMM to hold their boutique in WiMM’s main office space. This 500 square foot space was an upgrade for Chetwood from their previous 370 square foot location.
“I feel like the vibe I got when I came here was like a little mini mall, so when you come into that hallway it kind of gives you that 80s mall vibes,” Chetwood said.
According to Chetwood, a pipe burst on Jan. 22 and flooded Audrey’s Boudoir’s previous location. With the help of the community and customers, the store was able to move out within about two days, but struggled to find a new location and began preparing to go online only.
Chetwood began conversations with Adisek eventually to rent WiMM’s old space before agreeing to join Adisek in their new location.
Audrey’s Boudoir operates individually from WiMM, coexisting in the space, but selling from their own set of over 100 vendors. The Boudoir sells accessories, designer items, books and more, building their collection up from lost products in the flood.
“I think it will evolve into something really cool,” Chetwood said. “It’s [MiMM] an actual ecosystem of businesses working together and co-promoting each other.”
Alongside their new retail space, Adisek said WiMM has a lineup for future markets and events that vendors can apply to be a part of. The next planned event is the Spring Soiree on April 12 at the Eau Claire Event District.
There is also a Hello Spring market on May 10 and a Celebrate the 715 market on June 21. There are six more markets planned for the summer and fall that vendors can apply for in the WiMM’s linktree or by contacting Adisek.
For their current space, WiMM will host a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce at 2 p.m. on April 10 and will host their grand opening starting at 11 a.m. on April 26. Their tentative hours are 11-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11-4 p.m. on Sundays.
Fisher can be reached at fisherc1407@uwec.edu.
