North Market Downtown, established in 1876, was the second of four public markets built throughout the City of Columbus (North, East, West, and Central). The vitality of the Market began to wane post World War II as population shifted from the city to the suburbs and the development of supermarkets. The Market was operating on a month-to-month lease with the city. The future was far from secure. During the 1980’s a national, growing recognition of public markets emerged. This enabled Columbus residents to rediscover their market. That idea, along with the fear that the city would tear down the Market to develop a parking lot for the planned Greater Columbus Convention Center, drove the creation of the North Market Development Authority (NMDA). This not-for-profit group of shoppers and merchants was established to “preserve and promote the traditional and cultural aspects of the historic North Market.” In 2016, the City of Columbus and North Market created a plan to solidify North Market in perpetuity by developing the property’s surface parking lot. The City launched a RFP process to find the right developer for the project. The North Market Mixed-Use Development Project moved forward after the RFP process yielded development partners The Wood Companies and Schiff Capital Group. Rockbridge Capital and Edwards Companies were later added to the development team. Groundbreaking on the innovative project is slated for 2022. In 2019, in partnership with developer Crawford Hoying, the North Market announced the building of a new North Market at the Bridge Park community in Dublin, Ohio. A brand new not-for-profit group, the Ohio Public Market Authority (OPMA), was created to encapsulate the market’s growth to once again bring a system of public markets to central ohio. North Market Bridge Park officially opened for business in November 2020.
