In advance of its 175th anniversary, Cincinnati's Findlay Market is raising more than $20 million in its first-ever capital campaign.
Since a quiet launch of its Findlay Forward campaign in late 2024 – and a public one this May – the iconic, historic market has secured $19.3 million of a $21 million goal.
The investment is aimed at keeping the market healthy in the midst of revitalization efforts in its Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.
About two-thirds of the Findlay Forward dollars will go to market buildings and other infrastructure, with the balance to support food entrepreneurs and future spending needs.
Merchants helped inform the effort, according to Kelly Lanser, a 13-year veteran of the market and its CEO since February 2024.
"You start to hear
the things that they wish they had here," she said.
Farm Shed will get walls; bathrooms already updated
Infrastructure projects, some already complete, are getting $13.4 million of the Findlay Forward proceeds. Among them:
- Enclosure of the Farm Shed on the market's north side. "It's wonderful when it's 75 and sunny," but less so in cold and wet weather, Lanser said.
- Upgrades of entrances, improving performance space on the Elm Street side and making the Race Street side more welcoming to neighbors, including a new Crossroads Health Center site and soon-to-open Findlay Community Hub.
- Fresh awnings, improved heating, more lighting and more storage for tenants, with additional customer seating throughout the facility.
- New restrooms, already installed, were a "top of the list" priority, according to Lanser. The old ones were a key reason people didn't shop at Findlay, she said.
The campaign also includes:
- $4.7 million to seed a fund for future needs.
- $2.9 million to support people aiming to break into the food business, including upgrades to Findlay Kitchen. More than 300 small businesses have used the 14-stall food incubator since its 2016 launch, with some then becoming merchants in the market or nearby.
Foundations, city, corporations among donors
Lanser and her staff conducted frequent tours to support Findlay Forward.
Some targets said they did not know a nonprofit named the Corporation for Findlay Market was created in 2000 and took over management of the market from the city of Cincinnati in 2004.
Some had become infrequent visitors, admitting, "I haven't been there in a really long time."
Big dollars came from:
- The Bob & Jeanne Coughlin Foundation, whose name was just added to the outside of the market's new offices. Robert Coughlin founded Cincinnati-based human resource company Paycor.
- The city of Cincinnati, which has spent $2.8 million for the market's capital needs since 2022, and allocates about $367,000 a year toward its operations.
Other supporters include Procter & Gamble, and local foundations that include the names of Farmer, Scripps, Haile, Hager and Landen.
Early support for Findlay Forward helped push the nonprofit's revenue to nearly $8 million for the year ended June 30, 2025, up from close to $4.9 million a year earlier, its filings with Internal Revenue Service show.
Donors will be recognized at the 2027 Findlay Market Opening Day parade, when the market marks its 175th anniversary.
About Findlay Market
Findlay Market is open year-round, every day but Monday, located just south of Findlay Street between Race and Elm streets. The Farm Shed operates on weekends.
Created on land donated to the city by one-time Cincinnati Mayor James Findlay, the market was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
Thirty-five permanent tenants sell meat, produce, deli and bakery goods, and specialty products year-round, with another 80 operating as seasonal tenants. Another 46 operate in what is considered the surrounding Market District, with some support from Findlay.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Findlay Market, at 175 years old, raising millions for now and future
