The Market on Mill, Utica’s outdoor retail plaza, will be opened for the 2026 season on Saturday, May 2.

Utica Mayor David Stewart confirmed on Tuesday the reopening. He said the event will be held in tandem with the “Lemonade Day” event hosted by the Illinois Valley Area Chamber of Commerce.

Stewart further confirmed that all 12 portable retail stalls have been leased for the coming season.

“You will see some familiar faces as there are some returning businesses from last season,” Stewart said. “We are also welcoming some new businesses for the 2026 season. We are excited for the grand opening and look forward to a great second season.”

The village long had difficulty attracting brick-and-mortar businesses in the northwest corner of Mill and Church streets after a 2004 tornado destroyed or forced the razing of several structures. Among the problems is that the block sits in a floodplain.

Village officials solved that by purchasing portable retail stalls and erecting them atop an elevated space above the floodplain. The plaza was completed and opened in 2025.

The Market on Mill enjoyed a successful first year. The plaza was opened in May 2025 and helped the village finish the year with record retail sales. The village pocketed a share of sales totaling $665,000, topping the previous year’s record total by 5%.

This year’s reopening will be held in tandem with Lemonade Days, a venture that encourages entrepreneurial skills to area schoolchildren.