HISTORY IN THE WALLS

LEFT: ©MARATHON VILLAGE; TOP: ©VISIT FRANKLIN

The Nashville area’s industrial-chic spaces o er an original take on eclectic shopping experiences.

BY MADISON SULLIVAN

Blue-hued glass taking on the color of the sky, a pair of Batman-esque spikes piercing the dark—Nashville’s skyline is a sight to behold day and night. But some of its most unique buildings are found squatting low to the ground in the form of former factories- turned-shopping destinations.

Don’t get us wrong, you’ll still be drawn to them by features hanging out above the horizon: a long-legged water tower here, a smokestack there. However, these things are just a taste of the history found behind checkered window panes and formidable garage doors.

Travelers interested in spending a day perusing industrial spaces and one-of-akind shops can follow the I-65 conveyor from Nashville to Franklin before being scooped off and sent in the direction of Columbia. That same line carrying them through three counties whisks them from 1881 to 1929 to 1959—the years (or, in the case of our first stop, the suspected year), these factories were built.

What better place to park ourselves than Marathon Village? Previously an automobile manufacturer, its proud brick buildings boast block lettering, globe lanterns and arched detailing. Once you’ve pulled in parallel under the bridge or paid a few bucks to secure your vehicle in a gravel lot, leave the clack of cars on the road overhead for the excited chatter beyond doors propped open to let the breeze in and bag-laden shoppers out.

From the moment you pass the vintage gas pump in its entryway, you’re surrounded by nods, nay, museum-style exhibits dedicated to what first went on within the factory’s walls.

Dark tables stretch into the distance, underlining tools of all shapes and sizes. Pipes overhead work as leading lines, guiding visitors

Nashville and the neighboring Franklin and Columbia are home to a number of charming factories-turned-shopping centers. Unique finds include everything from DIY pottery making, tea, olive oil and spirits tastings, goods from local makers and more.

to areas that are simultaneously old (“Now Entering 1200 Clinton Foundry Dept.”) and new (tours, tastings and cocktails). The signs, one wooden and hanging from chains, the other written in neon chalk on a sandwich board, frame the entry to Corsair Distillery.

After you’ve wandered down the historic hangout’s long hallway, past adults inspecting clippings ensconced in clear cases and kids fidgeting with gears on ground level, it’s time to turn back and turn your focus to modern-day.

Weave in and out of stores selling jewelry and Nashville-themed garb before sampling olive oil at the Nashville Olive Oil Company, peering down the narrow passage into Victory Tattoo and chatting with a friendly museum worker out in the hall.

As you make your way up a slope to the lefthand side of the factory, the smell of booze from Tennessee Legend Distillery replaces the unmistakable aroma of Barista Parlor. Don’t forget to pay a visit to the Nashville Tactical Lounge and Grinder’s Switch Winery, where uproarious laughter pours out, giving the comedy club across the way a run for its money.

Before you return to your automobile, dedicated driver in tow, cross the street to the first floor of Marathon’s second building, a garage of sorts for open-carriage cars permanently parked behind velvet ropes.

You won’t have to manufacture a reason to visit The Factory at Franklin. It was originally built in 1929 to assemble stoves. The sprawling space boasts a variety of charming shops—and is soon to be home to more.

While local favorites are shuffling storefronts under new ownership, visitors will still find themselves beneath patchwork orange and brown window coverings, a vaulted ceiling, and expansive skylights as they meander over giant gears painted on concrete floors.

Revel in the building’s spacious center, and make sure to grab a piquant Korean cauliflower taco from Mojo’s Tacos. Then follow curious groups past couples swiping glaze onto starkwhite pottery outside Third Coast Clay and workers nestled into java-colored leather chairs inside Honest Coffee Roasters.

A series of open-front shops stand on one side of the corridor, selling, among other things, lobster rolls, gourmet sodas, glass-encased butterflies and build-your-own bouquets. Cross memory lane into CR-71, an antique store with color-blocked books stacked high, then the Luna

Record Shop, selling row upon row (and plastic bins full) of vinyl.

Those with a penchant for souvenirs will have a hard time narrowing down their selections in Made in TN and Fork of the South. The former stocks Goo Goo Clusters and The Loveless Cafe’s cookbook; the latter: “What Would Dolly Do?” tea towels and their very own The Factory-scented candles with notes of sweet tea and magnolia.

Once you’ve squirmed up onto a larger-thanlife rocking chair and snapped a photo, legs stretched straight out on the seat in front of you, backtrack and head through a courtyard and into the Mockingbird Theater. Here you can rock along to live music from your seat or the floor in front of the intimate stage.

Now that your factory visits are in full swing, it’s time to drive farther from Music City, down past cow-dotted pastures, to the Factory at Columbia.

Sans towering architecture, this circa- 1959 former shirt factory attracts travelers with its bright billboards; patio lights draped every which way; distinct retail offerings; concerts; and events, such as Springfest Beer Blast and Christmas at the Factory. Tug on one of its massive, garage-like doors and step inside a wide walkway. What greets you varies depending on where you enter.

On one end, whiffs of oil paints and leather waft in the air as you stroll by galleries, a handmade sandal shop and shelves of vintage books with Scandinavian titles printed in gold on their spines. On the other end, soft music drifts from Nashville Tea Co. The sound of bubble tea being wiggled around in tall plastic cups amplifies as you enter the thin shop, where chandeliers hang under industrial piping, and fringed rugs lay on cement floors.

Its neighbor, The Loco Lemon, sells freshly squeezed gourmet lemonade in flavors such as pineapple, prickly pear and even pickle. Snap a photo in front of its citrus display, then set off to inspect the quirky artwork lining the Factory’s walls. One mural depicts a 3D cow’s head jutting out from a pastoral scene. Another: the Parisian skyline.

Then there’s the mural outside, painted onto a blocky, gray wall, signed by E.O., and lit by one of the building’s ubiquitous lights. Its swirling letters say it all: “The Factory is my happy place.”