MINNEAPOLIS — Ackerberg has executed a long-term lease with HeadFlyer Brewing, a newly founded taproom and brewery, to occupy 9,435 square feet in the Miller Textile Building located at 861 E. Hennepin Ave. in northeast Minneapolis. The speculative project is now 61 percent leased. Renovation of the property began in December 2015 as part of the transformation of the former Miller Bag Building into office and retail space. The newly branded Miller Textile Building now includes 10,000 square feet of retail and 38,000 square feet of office space, with 84 free off-street parking stalls in a four-story building. HeadFlyer Brewing will open this fall.
According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, for decades the Miller Bag Co. produced potato sacks, seed bags and feed bags for the agricultural market, later adding a production line for bags for Toro lawn mowers. In 1999, the Miller Bag Co. merged with another firm and today that entity is known as The Airtex Group, which provides multi-faceted textile design and manufacturing solutions.
Ackerberg is developing the project. Additional project partners include general contractor Bainey Construction and project architect RoehrSchmitt. First Western Bank and the City of Minneapolis provided financing. The Metropolitan Council and the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) provided project grants for environmental cleanup.