May 3 grand opening set for Market on Mill in Utica

Mark your calendars: The grand opening of the Market on Mill, Utica’s outdoor retail plaza, will be Saturday, May 3.

Thursday, the Utica Village Board delivered updates on the final stages of the retail plaza. Mayor David Stewart said the project is close to the finish line.

Electrical work could be finished as early as Friday or next week, Stewart said. There are also some “minor items” to be completed such as seeding.

“Other than that, it’s pretty much done,” Stewart said.

And it appears the village will have little difficulty finding tenants for the 12 portable retail stalls. Utica had 12 applicants, one of which backed out, so the village is considering offering the straggler unit on a rotating basis.

The vendors will variously offer preserved meats, holistic products, vegan products, confections, crafts and home goods.

Trustee John Schweickert, who participated remotely, said he was pleased with the diverse businesses that applied.

“It was the type of mix that I had hoped for, and all seem to be very promising,” he said.

The update comes just days after the village received confirmation of a record sales year. The Illinois Department of Revenue released end-of-year totals showing Utica receiving a $634,000 share of retail sales, most in village history. Village officials hope the Market on Mill helps the village blast past that new record.

The open-air shopping venue with portable retail stalls is modeled after Batavia and Muskegon, Michigan. The majority of the work was paid for through a $1.25 million Rebuild Illinois Downtowns and Main Streets capital grant.