December 2, 2008
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Minnesota Fabric Outlet
Being a lifelong fabric and textile fanatic, whenever I travel I want to see “what you got” wherever I go. Too much is never enough, I say! Bring it on! Show me your fiber excesses! Which brings me to show you a little bit of my trip to SR Harris Fabric in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. That’s 30,000 square feet of fabric goodness!To get there from Minneapolis, we had to pass by the exit for Betty Crocker Drive, which amused me to no end, being a former home economics teacher.
My friend Jerry said that the Betty Crocker test kitchens used to be open to the public. I found out that Pillsbury was founded in Minneapolis in 1869, General Mills traces its history to the Minneapolis Milling Company, and that many other highly recognizable food brands had their start in the Twin Cities area. (There is even a tour you can take of an old mill at the Mill City Museum. I didn’t get to take that tour this trip, but my friends Nicole and Jerry said it was pretty cool and very interesting. I did get to see the outside of the building.)I was so overwhelmed by the Fabric Outlet, that I played tourist, browsing and taking photos (after asking permission, of course), and leaving without buying anything. Oh, I would have loved to bring home more “stash”, but my little suitcase was already full. It reminded me of the wholesale fabric stores in the garment districts of Los Angeles and New York. It also reminded me of the huge back room in the costume shop I worked at in the mid-’70s, which also had many rolls of fabrics stacked. I came, I saw, and I fondled (the fabric). If you are visiting the area and have an empty suitcase, I recommend it!
