The Foundry Home Goods – Unique, Delightful Home Products

Article and photos by Merle Minda

The Foundry Home Goods – Unique, Delightful Home Products
Shop to Expand to be Five Times Larger by Labor Day

Minnesota girl Anna Hillegass skipped college, going right from high school to New York City where she landed a plum styling job in the fabled Holly Hunt Design Showroom. She loved New York and her job but had a hankering to come home to Minneapolis. And that she did, making her mark by creating The Foundry Home Goods five years ago in the North Loop.

Anna Hillegass

Located almost kitty-corner from the Bachelor Farmer on North 1st Street, The Foundry Home Goods has made its mark with a steady base of admirers and customers.

Anna’s carefully selected choices of home products, finishes and fabrics are unique in the Twin Cities. From natural wood products to Swedish brushes, from Spanish glassware to Japanese towels, the array makes it almost impossible to leave without a purchase.

Many products are sourced from Scandinavia; others stem from travels to Japan, France and elsewhere. Some are one-of-a-kind; when they’re gone, they’re gone.

“I look for products that are useful for every day, around your sink for example, but are also products that last and are nice to look at,” says Anna. Anna stays away from trade shows but continually adds products that are well-made and of natural materials. Prices are reasonable as well.

Discussing how she landed in the North Loop is interesting, because her father actually owned the Foundry Building at one time. (The building was a working foundry much earlier.) So it seemed like a natural spot for her to begin her vision of putting together useful products made by other artists and designers.

The shop includes products and ideas for Bed/Bath, Kitchens; Tableware/Dining; Beds and Utilities. I also saw a number of colorfully designed toys and puzzles during my visits. Many are exclusive to The Foundry Home Goods. In truth, as you keep walking about, many and more things catch your eye that you would love to own.

“I am a very visual person;” Anna continues, “visuals are important to me in putting together these offerings. In our new space we will have more room to expand and add.”

Yes, you read that right. The store is soon making a short-term move and will be open down their block for a few weeks while their current space on the corner is remodeled and enlarged to literally five times their current square footage. They will be adding product indeed, such as furniture to start; still working with Anna’s vision of items that are “simple, useful and beautiful.”

Meanwhile Anna and her key helpers are there daily; often with Anna’s beloved chocolate lab dogs, Tulip and Ruby, on site. Anna herself lives in the building above the shop. 

The new and enlarged The Foundry Home Goods will be open from Labor Day forward.

The Foundry Home Goods is located at 125 North 1st Street Minneapolis, MN 55401, 612-333-8484.

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - 

About Merle Minda

Journalist and free-lance writer Merle Minda writes about travel, business, people profiles and other subjects for a number of national and regional publications, including Delta SKY, Mpls/St. Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Business, Star Tribune, Twin Cities Statement, Minnesota Monthly, and now Mill City Times. She can be reached at mminda@earthlink.net or TravelOverEasy.com on the web.