Madison's
Laura Riley (left) and Frank Stier (right), Co-Owners of Madison’s
Frank Stier, co-owner of Madison’s at Findlay Market, used to shop at Findlay Market with his father when he was just a child. His father would buy boxes of grapefruit and oranges, keep half of each, and then would instruct Frank to put the rest of the fruit in his little wagon to give to the neighbors.
Later, Frank and his partner, Laura Riley, shopped at the Farmers Market every Saturday at 8 AM before strolling around the other shops to see what’s new or in season.
“What’s unique about Findlay Market is that each store has its individual attributes and individual owners,” says Frank.
Before taking ownership of Madison’s, Laura and Frank had great relationships with the Madison family. They were loyal shoppers who fell in love with Madisono’s Gelato and Sorbet, as well as other items. Frank tells us that a love of food brought them together because the Madison’s could sense their passion for cooking and great food. Bryan Madison would even volunteer Laura to answer cooking questions to other customers when she was in the shop.
After Frank began working part-time at Madison’s, he became very close with the entire family, their business and their customers. “It was definitely a family atmosphere,” he says.
In 2018, when it was time for Carolyn and Bryan to plan their "second" retirement, they approached Laura and Frank about building on the store's legacy. “It feels really good to be able to carry on that legacy,” says Frank.
Frank tells us that being in this environment is incredibly rewarding. Frank and Laura learn a lot from their customers, and they love helping them find unique products that they can’t find anywhere else.
While Laura and Frank are partners in running Madison’s, neither of them have backgrounds in food or culinary arts. Frank attended Miami University where he studied advertising and marketing, and Laura spent her career as a nurse practitioner.
Despite these career differences, Frank and Laura compliment each other and can rely on each other. After 4 years, the couple is still learning a lot about each other and their customers, but tell us that it's been a very moving experience together.
Laura applies her healthcare skills to take great care and attention to all of the produce. She is the driving force in making sure that all products are fresh and at their prime condition.
“We knew it was going to be a challenge when we started, but we didn’t know how much of a challenge it would be to keep the produce good,” says Laura. She explains that their customers would rather see them give the produce back to a vendor if it is not fresh rather than try and sell it to their customers and have it go bad when they take it home. Even if that means having to find it elsewhere.
Ironically, with Frank’s background being in marketing, he says advertising isn’t the important part, but rather, word of mouth. He tells us that their customers are very loyal and talk to their friends and family which has allowed them to get to know their customers on a very personal level.
Similar to the Madisons, Frank and Laura believe that it’s very important to have local products in their store to support the farmers and our area’s growing food entrepreneurs. They tell us how much their customers love to hear the stories behind the products. That’s why they encourage their local partners to sample their products in front of the store on weekends..
Laura has developed inspiring relationships with Madison’s local and regional farm partners. Wherever the pair go on vacation, they always visit the local farmers markets. You never know what practice or product they can offer in their store.
Frank tells us that customers come in the store all the time and say, “I just love coming in here to see what’s new that I haven't discovered yet.”
“It’s very symbiotic, but at the same time, we don’t want to try and compete with Findlay Market’s farmers or merchants. We try to be original. We’re helping them out and they’re helping us. Our customers respect that.” says Frank. “All of these small food entrepreneurs have big dreams of getting into huge grocery stores, but when it comes down to it, they know where they got their start, and most are very loyal to the little guys.”
Published September 2022