What’s going on at the Garver Feed Mill?

May 29, 2023

Editorial Intern

With unique architecture and surplus of space, the Garver Feed Mill hosts both public (like the Dane County Farmers' Market Late Winter Market) and private events in addition to a variety of local vendors.

You’re biking along the Capital City Trail when something catches your eye: a huge building, somehow regal, with gothic arched windows and a turret. As you continue past, your imagination hangs back, wondering what the grand structure once was.

Sure, Garver Feed Mill has plenty of history. From 1906 to 1924, the Mill was the largest sugar plant in the state. But you’d be better off asking the question, "What's going on in that building now?"

"I would describe it as a Madison experience," Bethany Jurewicz, the director of public programming and business operations at Garver Events, says of the eclectic small businesses, galleries, artisans and organizations — such as new tenants REAP Food Group — that coexist inside the Mill. "It could be whatever you want it to be — come and get a slice of pizza or have a $400 spa day."

Within the 60,000-square-foot building, more than a dozen tenants (including Ian's Pizza and KOSA Spa) lease space for their businesses. A "foodie" might start with a stop at Ledger Coffee Roasters, followed by a tour of the on-site NessAlla Kombucha brewery and a scoop of lemon-thyme or Thai iced tea from Calliope Ice Cream. An art enthusiast, on the other hand, might take a craft-making class at the Glitter Workshop, then visit Canvas, the on-site contemporary art gallery, before heading out to the patio to enjoy live music. You'd also want to check out the 4,800-square-foot public event space, where you might find things like the Dane County Farmers’ Market Late Winter Market, Craftacular events or Femmestival.

The building's architecture is the "wow" factor of every event — private or public.

"The event space is definitely a big part of Garver, both literally and figuratively," says Jurewicz, who hopes to find new and creative ways to use Canvas, the art gallery, as a public event space as well. Canvas has hosted local artists like Bernie and Zuzu, who launched their brand at Garver Canvas, and muralist Audifax, who completed a public art installation during her residency. In the future (maybe as soon as next fall or winter), Jurewicz plans to curate pop-up dinners where artists and chefs collaborate to create culinary experiences that correspond with the art on the walls. "I like finding ways for art to be more accessible to people, and almost not making it a choice that they have to make to walk into a gallery or a museum," Jurewicz says.

Naomi Richardson owns the Glitter Workshop, which moved to the Mill from Hilldale Mall a year and a half ago. Richardson takes advantage of the shared event space to host pop-ups and craft markets, and likes how tenants co-promote events or create multi-stop experiences; for example, a package at the spa might include drink tokens for the Garver lounge. "It is just such a great community of tenants and we’re all supportive of each other," Richardson says.

Then there's the building itself, which was restored by Chicago-based Baum Revision to the tune of nearly $20 million, and has received four architectural awards, including the 2020 Wisconsin American Institute of Architect's Merit Design Award.

Shilpa Sankaran of KOSA Spa was charmed by the space that would become her spa even before construction was completed. "You had to wear a hard hat just to walk around," she remembers. "My space had no roof and no floor, and even in that condition it was such a magical, beautiful space with so much character and history."

The Mill is no preserved relic of times past. Rather, it's a modern hub for small businesses and community events. Here are a few to watch for.

This month at Garver Feed Mill:

Every Thursday from 6-8 p.m., the Garver Patio hosts an Acoustic Happy Hour. These free outdoor concerts feature up-and-coming local and regional artists.

On Sunday, June 11 and Sunday, June 25, the Glitter Workshop will host Garver Patio Pop-Ups from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., a family-friendly event with art, crafts, activities and food.

Jay Katelansky's "S is for Survival," an installation inspired by Gloria Gaynor's iconic "I Will Survive" — and the lyrics’ double action as a breakup anthem and a battle cry — will debut on June 23.

For $25, join Free Hot Lunch (reunited for one week only) and The Acoustic Charlies in the Atrium for an evening of music from veterans of Madison's acoustic scene.

Anna Kottakis is an editorial intern at Madison Magazine.

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Editorial Intern

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