Yesterday was the annual Bryn Mawr Minneapolis Neighborhood Garage Sale. This kind of event is something I anticipate all year long and is always a highlight of the year.
Bryn Mawr is neatly tucked away off Penn Ave and highway 394 - minutes from downtown. A neighborhood that is one of many of Minneapolis's hidden jewels & you kinda have to be a local to know about it. The beauty of this area is that is has preserved its original architectural charm and relatively the geographical landscape as it was when this was a new and booming community. If you are an independent retailer, you will survive here. The locals love to support another of their assets, unique shops and eateries along the main strip that are not part of a national chain. We started our marathon of garage -saling by starting the day with delicious local java brew at Cuppa Java which is a featured photo in this blog.
If you are not a tag sale - O'phite, then come for a beautiful walk through a hilly, nature filled piece of utopia in the middle of the city. One observation is that this is an eco-centric neighborhood. It is the exception rather than the rule to find a home without a rain garden and their landscape full of plants that contribute to a greener earth. Many of the homes are of the Arts and Crafts Bungalow persuasion, but there are gorgeous rest orated Victorians mixed in as well. Bryn Mawr dwellers have preserved architecture and community to make you feel like you belong to something that matters. Spend a day at the annual garage sale and you will walk away knowing a little bit more about the people that live here and how proud they are to be there. After purchasing several vintage items at a home that I had garage saled the previous year, I told the woman running it I came back as I had been so happy with my purchases the previous year. She was so happy to hear it and she gave me some fun history of the items I was purchasing besides.
At the end of a morning filled with fun, you must stop at the Bryn Mawr community church where freshly grilled brats and dogs await. Stand in line for cute little cub scouts to serve you as your money goes towards a great cause.
Love this neighborhood. I don't get up there much anymore, but it is delightful.
ReplyDeleteit is a holistic experience-- feeds all that needs nourishing in our human experience-- shared community, a good deal, the exchange of history and treasures, beautiful weather and a darn good hot dog. i did my social duty by eating for the various causes-- lemon bars for breast cancer, dogs and chips for cub scouts and one decadent brownie for an unabashed capitalist. all in all, a good day.
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