Most Festival Foods stores are about 75,000 square feet and in strip malls and shopping districts. But the Madison store is 20,000 square feet smaller and has 198 apartments above it with another 97 living units planned. Across Livingston Street and just steps away, there are 220 occuppied apartments in Gebhardt’s 12-story Constellation building.

The Madison grocery market is filled with major players such as Woodman’s Market, Copps, Hy-Vee, Metcalfe’s Market and Willy Street Co-op.

“In the state of Wisconsin, it’s not too different from one city to another but you come here and it’s the most dramatic change of any city we go into,” said Mark Skogen, Festival’s CEO and president, and grandson of the chain’s founder. “They value natural products, organic products, fresh more than other cities, and there’s more repeat visits than in other cities where it’s all big baskets.”

Festival was founded by Paul and Jane Skogen, who opened Skogen IGA in 1946 in Onalaska. Until 2006, the company had eight stores, but since then has opened 14 more, including stores in Janesville and Fort Atkinson. Three others are scheduled to open later this year in Green Bay, Somers and Menasha, but the Madison store is the company’s most unique and most urban.