Lowe Mill is a Highlight of Huntsville

1

The Lowe Mill is a former textile mill with 139 artists and craftspeople who display and sell their wares on four floors, in Huntsville, Alabama.
The Lowe Mill is a former textile mill with 139 artists and craftspeople who display and sell their wares on four floors, in Huntsville, Alabama

Lowe Mill is a surprise. A gigantic surprise.  I knew that the south is just as famous as the north for textile production, so it’s not surprising to see a giant brick mill repurposed into artists studios.   It must be the scale, there are 139 different artists creating art in their large individual studios, dividing up floor after floor of vast space.

A painter working on oils at Lowe Mills.
A painter working on oils at Lowe Mills.

The fun thing is their ‘open door policy’ that gives visitors a chance to wander and discover, and it helps that every artist we met last night was perfectly wonderful and eager to share their stories.

The ground floor has surprises too. Like a tea company that is called Piper and Leaf. 

They mix concentrates of their chais, green teas and black teas and mix them with sugar syrup and water and ice and hand them over in a ball jar with a straw sticking out. Refreshing!

The vast hallways of Lowe Mills, divided into smaller spaces for artists and craftspeople.
The vast hallways of Lowe Mills, divided into smaller spaces for artists and craftspeople.

Another highlight was the bakery, Pizzelle’s Confections, where beautiful cakes were sliced and served.  The chocolate, as they say, was ‘to die for.’  What a combination, and what a wonderful collection of arts, food, invigorating beverages and yes…there is music too.

The Tangled String Studios is a musician’s maker space, where instruments are made, fixed and played. There is a stage with seating and a more informal area where we heard a few guitarists play.

It’s all quite inspiring.