TOURISM
Destination Clarksville: Downtown Welcome Center By Tony Centonze Jody Isaacs and Steve Tyrrell of Journey's Eye Studio came to Clarksville about five years ago from just outside Boston, Massachusetts. Now, with the addition of a Welcome Center, and Destination Clarksville, a line of Clarksville-Montgomery County merchandise that includes t-shirts, hats, postcards and more, their eclectic studio in the heart of downtown has become a beacon for others who are new to the area, or just traveling through. “After the kids went to college, we thought, we don't need the big house in Massachusetts anymore, Isaacs said. “So, we were thinking, what's next. We're both big on contributing our life energy into community, so we thought, let's see what's out there. We set out to find a city with a promising, up-andcoming downtown area. “After an unsuccessful road trip, we were back home, Steve's brother called and said, did you ever check out Clarksville? Steve went online and made some connections. We flew down, had dinner at the Blackhorse, looked out the window and saw this building for sale. The rest is history.” Journey's Eye Studio has evolved since its inception, but hasn't lost its roots. Isaacs has a background in retail, previously owning a store in Waltham, Massachusetts. She has also consulted with large corporate clients as an interior designer, specializing in mid-century modern furniture and collectibles. She worked with clients in New York, the Cape, and the islands. Tyrell does industrial art and sculpture. He is responsible for many of the 32 • CLARKSVILLE BUSINESS JOURNAL
creative design elements at Strawberry Alley Ale Works. Isaacs soon recognized a missing piece of the puzzle, a hands-on approach to making visitors to our city feel welcome. “I love Visit Clarksville,” Isaacs said. “They are fabulous over there. Their writing and photography are amazing, but they're not in a position to do the hands-on greeting of visitors to our city. They would be good at it, they're just not in the right position.” Isaacs says, she and Steve just fell into this “ambassador” role. “When the big riverboats were docking here, I found myself looking after the people who were disembarking in Clarksville for the day. I was bringing them newspapers, welcoming them. I felt like they were walking around not knowing what was going on.” “Even though they had a bus that brought them places, there was basically no hand-holding. When you see a need, fill it. I've lived my whole life with that philosophy, so doing this was never a huge jump for me. If you see something that needs to be done, just do it. It's like, if you see a piece of trash, pick it up.” Isaacs went to Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts and Montgomery County Mayor Jim Durrett and asked for permission to designate an area of her store the Downtown Welcome Center. “They each gave me an enthusiastic 'yes'. We now have Destination Clarksville - Your Downtown Welcome Center online at Facebook and Instagram.”
Isaacs had already taken it upon herself to provide assistance to Clarksville's growing visitor traffic. Then, she took the next logical step. “This past year, we sort of dove into the product line aspect of it,” Isaacs said. “We thought, that's another area that is lacking. People coming to visit were asking for postcards, and other souvenir items. There are some places in town that offer things along those lines, but nothing downtown was really looking after that market. So, I developed Destination Clarksville, and created that as its own entity. People have been so grateful, and it's not just visitors, it's locals as well. People are so happy to represent. We also bring in other local designers, and actually wholesale with a variety of partners.” “We want to support all types of small business,” Isaacs said. “We have jackets, t-shirts, hats, key chains, stickers, postcards and more.” She picked up a box set of postcards that were created by Lucas Chambers. “I bought the Polaroid film, and sent him out to do quirky and unusual iconic photos of Clarksville. It's just another way of looking at our city.” Now, Clarksville visitors have a source for souvenirs, but they can also find a friendly face and a warm welcome. “If somebody is coming through, and they don't know much about downtown, and they have a limited amount of time, we'll try to find out what their interests are,” Isaacs said. “We'll go in the back room and pull out some brochures and maps, and see if they have time to go to
