Black Friday goes artsy at Minneapolis Institute of Arts anti-shopping event

When the doors opened at 6 a.m. Friday at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the atmosphere was radically different from, say, your neighborhood Target store. Strangers wished "good morning" to one another. A man entering the front door paused to hold it for the person behind him. People chatted in hushed tones, careful to keep their voices low enough not to disturb others.

And no one appreciated that more than Michelle Salmonson.

"You get a different crowd here than at the mall," the Shakopee resident said as she sat sipping a cup of coffee while paging through a book on Italian fashion design. "There's no shoving, no pushing, people say 'Excuse me' and 'I'm sorry.' I said it myself a couple of times when I accidentally stepped in front of people."

This was the third year the museum has offered its anti-Black Friday event, juxtaposing the retail feeding frenzy going on in the malls by opening one of its main exhibits for free entry accompanied by coffee and sweets — both also free. This year's event attracted about 1,000 people to the exhibit, "Italian Style: Fashion Since 1945' the museum estimated.

"I'm very surprised by the turnout," Salmonson admitted. "I expected to be one of very few people."

Truth be told, the Institute of Arts wasn't all that sure what to expect, either, the first time it tried the Black Friday predawn opening, said marketing manager Kim Huskinson. Were there enough people not obsessed with shopping to even make it worthwhile to open that early? Not to worry.

"There's been a ton of interest," she said. "All the feedback we've gotten has been positive. People are looking for an alternative to the traditional retail chaos. They want something that is calming but still fun. They want to experience Black Friday in a unique way."

It wasn't quite the storming-the-doors scene typically associated with Black Friday, but there were about 20 people who entered the museum within minutes of its opening. By 6:45 a.m., the number had swelled to about 200, with a line forming in the lobby where the coffee and treats were being dispensed.

Only the Italian style exhibit was open early. At 10 a.m., the rest of the exhibits opened, and life in the museum returned to normal. The Black Friday guests didn't have to leave, however. They were encourage to check out the rest of the museum.

For those insisting on a retail connection, the early morning visitors were saving the $20 admission fee to the style exhibit. Plus, the museum store was offering discounts, including some one-of-a-kind vintage clothes connected to the exhibit.

Noel Ponder, who lives across the street from the museum, dropped in to check on the deals and ended up staying for more.

"I didn't realize that there were free tickets" to the exhibit, he said. "Not to mention free coffee and sweets. I'm going to go home and rouse my wife."

"I really like fashion," she said excitedly. "I had my alarm set."

Sisters Mallory Smith and Meghan Heesch also had set their alarm clocks early in order to drive from Rosemount in time to arrive shortly after opening. It was worth losing a little sleep, they agreed.

"It's fun to be among fellow art-lovers on a cold winter day," Smith said.