North Avenue Market Plans Major Changes

North Avenue Market, 5900 W. North Ave. Photo taken Sept. 11, 2023 by Sophie Bolich.

North Avenue Market is beginning its transition from food hall to restaurant, effective this spring. Amid the changes, however, the business will preserve its function as a neighborhood hub, said founder Chris Harris Morse.

“We will still be here to serve and bring the community together — not just through food and entertainment, but also through connecting with people and trying to be able to support those around us,” he said.

In the coming months, the market will bid farewell to its remaining food vendor, 4 Corners Cafe, with plans to introduce a new, Southern kitchen and bar on the building’s main level. The restaurant, Christopher’s, will offer an array of down-home dishes, including plenty of vegan options.

The concept is a natural fit for Harris Morse, who is originally from North Carolina. He’ll collaborate with General Manager Michael Pyle-Harris, a Virginia native and former owner of a barbecue restaurant, to launch the restaurant.

Harris Morse said he’s eager to share his Southern roots with a Midwest audience, noting that the region’s cuisine is intertwined with a unique sense of fellowship.

“We are looking to be a bridge to build community through food,” he said. “That’s what we did in the South — when a new person came into the neighborhood, you’d take them a meal. This is for us, as a community, to come together, break bread, build relationships and become better people.”

Preparations for the upcoming restaurant have already begun at the market, which will remain open throughout the transition. Christopher’s is expected to make its debut in early June.

In the meantime, the market will see decorative changes and other practical updates. The former vendor stalls, for example, will be converted into private dining rooms. The finished space will feature themes of Carolina jazz and other Southern motifs.

Once Christopher’s is open, guests can expect the restaurant’s ambience to match its decor, with background music drawing from Southern genres like blues, jazz and rockabilly, Harris Morse said.

The market’s central bar, operated by Bittercube, will continue as usual, though it will eventually update its drink offerings to better complement the southern flavors on the menu at Christopher’s. Meanwhile, Bittercube’s garden-level cocktail bar, Mosler’s Vault, will remain unchanged.

In tandem with the main-level changes, the market’s garden-level event and conference center is adding a meeting room, which will replace a former coworking and office space.

Harris Morse said the change will answer a call for a larger event space.

“Whether they want to do birthday parties, celebrations of life, book club meetings or political fundraising events, we are creating our space to be able to utilize and do that.”

As a bolster to its event space, the market plans to unveil a new and improved catering menu with complete food and beverage packages.

North Avenue Market has seen a series of large-scale shifts since opening its doors in September 2022 — all focused on better meeting the needs of the community, Harris Morse said.

“If you look at ‘why am I even here doing this business,’ it’s still the same why,” he said. “It’s about trying to connect the community.”

The market initially opened with a slate of nine vendors — including Bittercube’s two bars — and also featured a stage for entertainment, presentations and demonstrations; conference rooms and co-working office space; walk-up and drive-thru windows; a bike rack and repair station; multi-zone sound system and more.

The first round of changes took place just four months later, following the departure of three vendors. At that time, the market debuted a new “super vendor,” which rolled three existing concepts — Taste of Java, Sam’s Deli and A&B Desserts — into one, 4 Corners Cafe.

“In the early spring of 2023, we recognized the need to adjust to better support our surrounding community and staff,” the market stated in a news release. “As a result, we began converting the Garden Level into an event space, made the building more inviting and comfortable, and converted the drive-through into outdoor dining space during the summer.”

The market’s latest transition will mark a full departure from the food hall concept, which Harris Morse said was simply not the right fit.

“We had some great food vendors,” he said. “We loved working with them and having them here, and they loved being here. It’s just, in order to make sure that we not only sustain but thrive, we had to make some some changes.”

Some of the market’s original vendors have found their place elsewhere in the city. Jonute Svien‘s Fresh Farm Bowls now operates as Nute’s Cafe at Crossroads Collective. Svien has also launched a second concept, Noodle Me, at the East Side food hall.

The market’s former vegan concept, Plant Joy, is planning to open a plant-based delicatessen and marketplace in the Bluemound Heights neighborhood.

Another vendor, S’Blendid Boba Tea, is working to open a standalone location in Bay View. Owner Malee Thao is also preparing to launch a food truck for her popular Korean fried chicken, katsu and other sandwiches at Zocalo Food Park.

North Avenue Market will remain open throughout the transition. The restaurant and bar currently operates on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Fridays from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturdays from noon until 11 p.m. and Sundays from noon until 9 p.m.

Mosler’s Vault is open Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sundays from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The event center is available for pre-scheduled reservations daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.