By Kathy Gaillard
Opening the North Avenue Market has enabled Chris Harris Morse to cross a desire off his bucket list. While he’s enjoyed careers in academia, manufacturing and within the nonprofit industry, opening the doors of the North Avenue Market fulfills his vision of bringing people together to “build bridges and not walls.”
The North Avenue Market (the Market), located at 5900 W. North Avenue, is housed in a 1940s, 10,000-square foot space that includes food vendors (with drive-thru access), meeting rooms and private spaces that can be rented on an hourly, day, weekly or monthly basis. Among the vendors are 4 Corners Café (combining what was formerly A Taste of Java, SAM’s Deli, and A&B Desserts into one station), Dawg City, Plant Joy, Bittercube, Mosler’s Vault, and Pupuseria Los Angeles.
Originally from North Carolina, Harris Morse has lived in several other states including Missouri and California, but he is eager to become part of the Milwaukee community and help with any challenges the city may be facing. Harris Morris brings years of experience and business acumen to the table, including his experience as a military officer (disabled veteran), several years of corporate management experience in Fortune 500 companies, serving as an administrator and educator on college campuses, and as the CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kalamazoo Michigan.
“Milwaukee is a great city and has been very welcoming to me. It has historical components that still impact us today, but I want to be here and become part of the solution. I wanted to create a neighborhood hub, where people from all walks of life come together, enjoy life, learn, and break bread. That’s what the North Avenue Market is—a meeting place where we can build bridges of hope, understanding, diversity, and acceptance,” said Harris Morse.
North Avenue Market opened last September and has two levels of space. It is open Tuesdays through Saturday from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. and closes at 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. It is also open on Sundays from 9a.m. to 6 p.m., and food tenants close each day, one hour before the building closes.
Recently Harris Morse hired a marketing and events manager, Kayla Green, to review systems and processes, and coordinate events.
“The North Avenue Market is a contemporary community center. We are hosting a variety of programs and services to attract people to the Market including a free, eight-part financial literacy series, candle making classes, music bingo on Tuesday nights, and live jazz on the second and fourth Fridays of the month. We also lease the building for corporate events, baby showers and all kinds of different events. In addition, we give artists opportunities to display their art on our walls, and patrons are able to purchase the art,” said Harris Morse.
According to Harris Morris, the Market is not just about the building, but the intentional tools that he has integrated to facilitate bringing the community together.
“Milwaukee has been identified as one of the most segregated cities in the United States, but it’s the first place that I’ve lived that’s felt like home since I left North Carolina. I enjoy its beauty and vibrancy,” said Harris Morse.
Last year the North Avenue Market received an award for being one of the most diverse businesses in Wisconsin.
“We try to incorporate diversity in every aspect of what we do. For example, the north end of the bar is countertop height so that people with accessibility challenges can come up to the bar. We installed an elevator so that people with disabilities or individuals with babies in strollers can easily access both levels. When people come here, the hope is that they feel welcomed. We’ve incorporated little things throughout the building to celebrate diversity and inclusivity so that we can help build bridges, not walls,” said Harris Morse.
The North Avenue Market is a diamond and a bridge builder in our community.
For more information about the Market or to learn about vendor opportunities, visit www.northavemkt.com/.
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