Flint market plans year-round dairy store, restaurant

The Flint Farmers’ Market is enclosing and expanding about one-third of its outdoor pavilion to create year-round spaces for the Michigan State University Spartan Dairy Store and a restaurant with an outdoor patio. The Dairy Store will serve MSU-made ice cream, while details about the restaurant and its Genesee County operator are expected in spring 2027. The new spaces are expected to open in June 2027, and the market says the additions will give visitors more options and strengthen its role as a downtown gathering place. The project also expands and reconfigures the loading dock and storage areas, which are at capacity, to improve operations for vendors. Construction is beginning this month, with support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.