It’s been a busy season for fashion and music around East Nashville, with lots of sweet/savory food openings on the horizon.
NEW & NOTEWORTHY
In September, The Wabash building on Woodland (where coworking big guns WeWork live) welcomed Consider the Wldflwrs, a jewelry brand that comes our way from North Nashville. Wldflwrs offerings range from classically inspired pieces designed by owner Emily Eggebrecht to creations from other designers she loves, many of whom she’s connected with through local craft fairs and trade shows. Specifically: rings, earrings, necklaces, and more, for women and men, including wedding and engagement rings. “It’s really fun to have a collaborative space where we can showcase many different styles,” Eggebrecht told us, “since so many of our customers are looking for something unique.” The shop’s open now at 901 Woodland St., Ste. 102, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and online at considerthewldflwrs.com.
Another new way to accessorize locally: “casually elegant handbag” brand Lilyan James, whose first brick-and-mortar shop is now open at 711 Porter Rd. (the former home of jewelry shop Doxahlogy). Nashvillian Lindsey Stewart Sherrod is the woman behind the bags, and she pulled the name and a slew of inspiration from her grandmother, who has East Side roots. “In the 1960s, Lilyan lived on Eastland Avenue,” Sherrod told us. “She left East Nashville for Japan with my grandfather who was a journalist there. It seemed fitting for the story to come full circle as I start this journey and I am excited to be in a neighborhood that formed so much of who Lilyan is now.” Sherrod stocks a mix of her personally designed, U.S.-made bags, plus picks from other makers she loves. Shop’s open from noon to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. For more, or to order online, visit lilyanjames.com.
Also new on the East Nashville style scene: Surreal Blow Out Bar, open at 414 Woodland St., Ste. D, in the mixed-use Eastside Heights development.
Those folks do blowouts, styling, color, and more, and they came our way from Green Hills, where the first full-service salon under the Surreal name was launched. Salon hours are 7 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday to Saturday, and you can learn more/book an appointment online at surrealhairstudio.com.
As of mid-August, Hawaii-inspired restaurant Kawai Poké Co. is also open in the Wabash building, at 901 Woodland St., Ste. 105.
Along with their titular poké bowls (built on marinated seafood with rice/greens/veggies/ sauces), Kawai offers a range of tropically tilted breakfast bowls and smoothies, plus craft beer and more. They’re currently open 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday through Saturday, 11 to 4 on Sunday. For more, visit kawaipoke.com.
Also newly opened: Boombozz Craft Pizza & Taphouse, at 1003 Russell St., the former Crystal Fountain Church of God in Christ.
Boombozz is a Kentucky-bred chain, offering both familiar and more crafty pizza options, plus pub-food-style options like wings and nachos. They’re digging into Tennessee pretty determinedly, too — the East Nashville store is one of several Volunteer State additions, and one that Nashville market COO Bryan Beach told us the team was really stoked about. “There is so much culture and pride wrapped up in this area,” he said. “It gave us what felt like a new opportunity with our concept by looking a bit outside of the box from our normal brand with items like custom murals and a full-size playground. The demographics in the area also screamed pizza, sports, and beer to us.” Hours are 11 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Friday, 10 p.m.-1 a.m. on Saturday, 10 a.m. to midnight on Sunday. Find out more on their Facebook page.
At the Shops at Porter East, the brioche-focused Brightside Bakeshop is now open at 713 Porter Road, with shelves stocked with all kinds of sweet and savory pastries, including croissants and cinnamon rolls with a mix of different flavors. This is Brightside’s first physical location, but owners Andrea and Brad Borchers have been busily spreading the good Brightside word for about two years, at markets, cafes, and popups across Nashville (including stocking stuff at the newer Retrograde Coffee right here in East Nashville). The Porter location is on the small side, and thus a retail-only location, but it has a large pastry counter and indoor and outdoor seating. “It is entirely designed by us, so we’re pouring a lot of love into it,” Borchers said. To get to know their wares and keep up with the latest news, visit brightsidebakeshop.com.
Wasn’t so long ago that the East Nashville music shop landscape was relatively sparse. But with Fanny’s House of Music, The Groove, Fond Object, Vinyl Tap, Eastside Music Supply, Drum Supply House/Nelson Drum Shop, and more, we’ve been getting pretty flush. As of late 2018 though, we might officially be the city’s hottest music-shopping hotbed. As of late September, Grimey’s New and Preloved Music is an official East Nashville business: They’re now open seven days a week at 1060 E. Trinity Lane, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m., Sunday. The new location (the former Point of Mercy church) is much bigger than their longtime Eighth Avenue spot, with more parking and a proper stage, which the Grimey’s folks have already been taking steady advantage of, hosting events with the likes of John Hiatt and Snow Patrol. For more: grimeys.com.
Add in another big Nashville music name, too: Also in September, instrument sales/ repairs shop Corner Music moved over to 3048 Dickerson Pike (right by Prince’s), after their longtime home in 12 South sold. Their East Side location is also a lot bigger, at 10,000 square feet, offering plenty of extra space for more guitars and amps and keys and repairs and on and on. Visit those folks in the new shop from 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, or online at cornermusic.com.
Fun: At least temporarily, East Nashville is home to the first BarkPark — a members- only dog park stocked with amenities for both pups and pup parents, including a coffee bar, fancy seating, restrooms, weekly events programming, and lots of toys/treats for purchase, with membership fees ranging from $19 day passes to $78 season passes. Less fun: The park, brought to us by the folks behind pet toy/treat subscription service BarkBox, opened at 800 Meridian St. on Sept. 8, but was set to close for the winter just a little bit after this new issue hits stands, on Sunday, Nov. 18. Their East Nashville debut was always intended to be a three-month pop-up — the BarkPark folks tell us they haven’t made a decision yet about whether that Meridian Street location will reopen come the warmer months, but if you’re crossing fingers it will, best place to keep an eye out: park.bark.co.
CLOSINGS & MOVES
After six years of sharing vintage, handmade and otherwise cool and quirky clothes and home goods, East Side shop Pony Show closed its doors at 723 Porter Road in September. “Thank you to all the wonderful folks who have helped my little Pony Show become the magical dream shop that it is,” owner Pippin Chapman wrote in a social-media goodbye note to supporters and shoppers. “… It’s been such an amazing [six] years and the lessons learned and friendships made are far too numerous to list.” Although the physical shop is gone, the Pony Show brand isn’t — Chapman is keeping it alive online at ponyshownashville.com, where you can still find cheeky cards, tank tops, and baby bibs, among other items.
Another loss to East Side vintage-hunters: the Goodwill store at 613 Gallatin Ave. Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee PR & communications director Chris Fletcher told us that the decision to shutter had to do with broad improvements the organization was making. “Goodwill is making upgrades to the donation processing areas of all its stores, to allow us to put more merchandise and better quality merchandise on our store shelves,” he said. “… After an extensive review, it has been determined that the Gallatin Road facility is configured in a way that prevents us from making these necessary upgrades.” And while there weren’t any plans in the works at the moment, he said it wasn’t totally out of the question that another East Nashville shop would open down the line. “We are always on the lookout for properties in the 48 counties we serve that would add value to our organization and our mission,” Fletcher said.
Former Pony Show neighbors Lucaya Clothing Co. had some big recent news too: a move. But a small one: They shifted two doors down at the Shops at Porter East, to a larger space, at 723 Porter Road. They’re already up and going there, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Porter East has been that brand’s home since early 2016. More/to shop online: shoplucaya.com.
Trailblazers on the East Nashville CBD landscape, Music City Hemp Store, made a move, too: They picked up from the East Side, relocating to 708 N. Fourth Ave. near the Capitol. The shop, which stocks all kinds of cannabidiol products (oils, creams, edibles, and more), opened in April on N. 16th Street, and in the months since, our area’s added (or soon will welcome) other shops sharing these products, which tout a blend of health benefits. Among them: CBD American Shaman, now open at 925 Gallatin Ave., Ste. 103, and LabCanna, which was prepping to open at 1006 Gallatin Ave. at press time. Music City Hemp Store owner Dave Duncan said it wasn’t a busier crop of competition that prompted the move, though — just the sale of the building he was parked in. He’s open now at the new location noon to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. More: musiccityhempstore.com.
COMING SOON
One of the most-anticipated projects for East Nashville food fans, the Hunters Station food hall, is really starting to come together, and thus, more confirmed restaurant names have been getting dropped. A few months back, we got confirmation that California-style taco-slingers Tacos Aurora were planning to set up inside that food hub, around Main Street and N. 10th Streets. Another one to get excited about: Locally launched, fast-casual Vietnamese restaurant Vui’s Kitchen is working on a Hunters Station location too, which’ll join larger Vui’s restaurants in Berry Hill and Germantown. “It’ll be neat for us to be with sister restaurants and expand and grow and do something different,” Vui’s area supervisor Stephanie Gilmore told us. Also in the Hunters mix, Fresh Hospitality operating partner Mollie Murphree told us: another Grilled Cheeserie (joining their much-praised food truck and Belcourt Avenue restaurant), and another Hugh-Baby’s burger joint (which has restaurants operating on Charlotte and West End Avenues). We’re still waiting on a confirmed opening date for Hunters and all its included eateries (in total, it should include as many as nine restaurant tenants with individual kitchens, shared seating, and other amenities, like a dog walk), but it could be as soon as November 2018.
Joining them all in 37206: The Cake Project, baker JP Smith’s cheesecake-focused bakery, which was also shooting for a late-October opening, at 1006 Fatherland St., Ste. 207, in the Shoppes on Fatherland. Smith’s original brick-and-mortar Cake Project location was in Lenox Village, but he told us he’s been itching to get over our way for a while. “I almost rented the space next to The Pied Piper Creamery,” he said. “I still kick myself for not taking advantage of that opportunity.” He made good on the aim, though, snatching up that Fatherland spot and readying a mix of almost 40 different cheesecake flavors, from fruit-based basics to maple bacon. His cheesecakes come in a range of sizes, too, from single-serving jars to 10-inch cakes. For the latest Cake Project news, swing bytheir FB page.
Also getting ready for an opening around this issue’s street date: Solstice Intimates, a lingerie and underwear shop joining the Wabash building in East Nashville. Solstice comes our way from Tempe, Arizona, where it launched its collection of bodysuits, underwear, bralettes, and more, aimed at “the smart, sexy, free-spirited, always curious, adventure seeker,” spanning genders and body types. A lot of their pieces have a distinct, high-style, ’70s-influenced vibe (bright patterns and high waists and velvet and so on), and they’ve already made fans of stylish music names Margo Price and Nikki Lane, which is a pretty good East Nashville start. Their new shop is located at 9 S. Ninth St., Unit 7, and you can learn more/order online at solsticeintimates.com.
One more coming-soon pick that might be here by the time this issue hits your hands: a new studio/retail space from fashion brand Artaya Loka — their grand opening, at press time, was set for Nov. 1 at 1006 Fatherland St., Ste. 205, in the Shoppes on Fatherland. Led by local designer Dana Greaves, the brand’s about a year old, and built a foundation by sharing clothing, accessories, and more through pop-ups and makers markets. Greaves’ general aesthetic approach: “producing ‘Borderless Designs’ that cross cultural and gender borders with a mix of prints with genderless shapes.” This’ll be the first Artaya Loka brick-andmortar space, and planned hours were 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Thursday to Saturday, noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, and noon to 6 p.m. Monday. For more, visit artayaloka.com.
Our juicery stash is getting built back up: A season or so after the closure of Lynne Lorraine’s juicery, that hole’s due to get filled by the certified-organic Clean Juice bar, working on opening at 962 Woodland St. in the fall. Clean Juice is a growing chain, with stores spread from the West to East Coasts, delivering cold-pressed juices, along with smoothies, acai bowls, coffee, and more. Those folks hadn’t announced a solid grand-opening date for the East Nashville location at press time, but they were busy prepping the space (which was formerly home to pet food shop Pet Wants). The East Side Clean Juice Instagram (@cleanjuicefivepoints) is a good place to keep up with the latest.
Congrats are due to East Nashville-launched sweets-slingers KOKOS Plant Based Ice Cream — less than a year after opening the doors at their flagship to-go shop on the East Side, they’re already working on a second location. That new place will be larger and more involved: It’s set to be a “Skoop Shop” that’ll offer fresh-scooped KOKOS in cones and cups, plus soft-serve and more. (At the current location, 729 Porter Road, the menu’s built on to-go cups and packaged pops.) Down side, at least for us: The debut KOKOS Skoop Shop won’t be here in the neighborhood. We haven’t seen a confirmed location from those folks yet, or a grand-opening date, but we know it’ll be in West Nashville, and plans are to open this fall. Meantime, we still have our KOKOS to-go at the ready: They’re open 1-8 p.m., Thursday to Sunday. For more: kokosicecream.com.
Another local brand branching out, but this time from outside East Nashville in: The Nashville Business Journal reported in late September that downtown coffee name Crema was planning on relocating its roasting and fulfillment operations to East Nashville. Their new property is at 226 Duke St., off Trinity Lane, and the Journal said that the intent was to create a takeaway-only cafe with no seating. We haven’t seen a set opening date yet.