When Pick ‘n Save announced they’d be closing their store on S. Park Street, neighbors were worried. The nearest full-service grocery was miles away. The block seemed headed for another hospital expansion. 

Few grocers seemed interested in running a store in south Madison. The Pick n’ Save store was too old and not large enough for many grocery chains to take over. The area is considered low-income. The city struggled to find someone with a business plan to make it work.

But now, a locally-owned independent grocer has stepped up. 

Kristie Mauer grew up in the grocery business. Her dad started the Fresh Market on campus, as well as grocery stores in Wisconsin Dells and Milwaukee. She’s excited to run a neighborhood store to serve Madison’s southside. Here’s a sneak peek inside Mauer’s Urban Market.

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