Scarborough Fair brings ‘romance and enchantment’ to Milton Square

Katheryn Menaged (right) and Becca Johansson of Scarborough Fair.
Photo by Kristal Leebrick

Enchantment. Romance. Comfort.

These are words Katheryn Menaged uses to describe her shop, Scarborough Fair, which is moving into the former Micawber’s Books space in Milton Square at the end of May.

The store—which features romantically inspired women’s clothing, gifts, collectibles, art and unique bridal wear—will have a soft opening on Saturday, June 4, during the St. Anthony Park Arts Festival and a grand opening in September.

Scarborough Fair opened three years ago on West Seventh Street in St. Paul. Menaged’s move to St. Anthony Park was perhaps just as magical as the wares she sells in her shop.

“It was very unexpected,” she said. Scarborough Fair is a member of the Metro Independent Business Alliance (IBA), as is Milton Square. A few weeks ago, Milton Square proprietor Heather O’Malley sent out an email to MetroIBA members announcing rental space open in the square. Menaged’s lease was ending on West Seventh “and it all fell into place,” she said. “I had been to Muffuletta, but I had forgotten that this little enchanted shopping area existed.”

Menaged had worked for more than three decades creating and manufacturing women’s fashion accessories in New York City. She came to Minnesota seven years ago for what was intended to be a two-week trip. She stayed.

“I have gone through a lot of change in the last seven years,” she said. She had owned three separate businesses in New York and “the way I dressed was in a suit, a stylish suit, but that was not what I wanted my life to be about. I had quit drinking, quit smoking, and I had gained a lot of weight,” she said. She had contracted Lyme’s disease and didn’t exercise. “My body changed. I wanted a shop that celebrated the feminine divine. I started thinking about the things I loved back in high school, my belief in fairies, [the book] Mists of Avalon.”

She decided to open a business where women “feel lovely and lovable,” she said. “[Scarborough Fair is] about spreading the joy—and about customer service.”

The store carries sizes from XS to 3X. Clothing includes nontraditional bridal wear, hats by Minnesota milliner HatTrix (Menaged hosts the event “Hats, Horses and High Tea” each spring to coincide with the Kentucky Derby), and it’s the only shop in St. Paul that will carry the Eileen Fisher line.

Menaged features a fine artist two to three times a year. The store will showcase the work of Minneapolis multi-media artist Elle Hettinger in June. Hettinger will be at the shop Saturday, June 4, noon-4 p.m.; Monday, June 5, 5-8:30 p.m.; and Tuesday, June 7, 5-8:30 p.m.

Scarborough Fair will be open every day for awhile as Menaged monitors the traffic. The store was closed on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays at the previous address. On days when the store is not open, Menaged keeps private appointments with clients, such as brides and mothers of the bride or groom.