11-Year-Old NewBo City Market is Planning a $3 Million Expansion

A popular spot for local entrepreneurs and shoppers has extensive plans for an expansion that would mean big changes and several additions.

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NewBo City Market has revealed that they're working on a major expansion that would add as many as 10 businesses to the market and increase the number of days it's open each week from four (Thursday through Sunday) to seven.

Julie Parisi, Executive Director of the market that's located at 1100 3rd St SE in Cedar Rapids, says there's more. The market wants to build a mezzanine above NewBo City Market's current seating area. It would be 3,000 square feet and have seating, which would replace seating on the ground floor, where new businesses would be located. The mezzanine would have elevator access and would include an area for performances.

In addition, with no grocery store in the NewBo area, or downtown for that matter,  'NewBo City Market Basket' would be a farm-to-table grocery spot with items produced locally.

Parisi told the Corridor Business Journal that plans also call for NewBo to build a "fully-licensed production kitchen on the second-floor mezzanine, where farmers and shopkeepers can create value-added food products such as pasta, salsa, or pickles."

Even though expansion talks have been underway for over a year, there's still a way to go. Parisi says that officials with the market are in the design phase and are working on proposals with architects.

When you look back over the 11-year history of NewBo City Market, which opened in October of 2012, you have to marvel. Not only at the nonprofit's success but also the way it's helped spur that portion of Cedar Rapids to explosive growth. That quadrant of the city's southeast side has a unique feel that has resulted in a perfect 3-step storm in which developers have built, businesses have opened, and residents have moved in. The expansion of NewBo City Market will be a wonderful addition to a part of Cedar Rapids that continues to see massive growth.

Parisi hopes construction can begin by January 2025, and fundraising is well underway. The Hall-Perrine Foundation, Aegon Transamerica Foundation, Wellmark Foundation, and private contributions have already reached $1.2 million.

You can learn more about the market's fundraising campaign here and donate here.