Tennessee Music Highway - Tennessee USA

Memphis in December

"From Elvis and Tina Turner to Carl Perkins and The Kings of Leon, the Tennessee Music Highway is the most important geographical location of musical influence on the planet."  http://tnmusichighway.com/  This was the stretch of road for me today.

First thing I noticed when I walked off the plane was how polite everyone is. The moment you step off the plane there are senior greeters, there to say welcome to Memphios and give you direction to your next gate, the baggage claim or a quick stop for food or shopping.  I also noticed that most everyone  was reffering to me as  "Mam" and in a completely positive, well manored way.  And never mind that it made me feel a bit "old"

I rented my car (Budget, and yes it was a "budget" especially for a one way rental) and hit the road for my first three appointments.

With an afternoon free we shopped at Worlds Away www.worlds-away.com.   We went there to see interior furnishings and accessories that are sold in the larger and finer department stores.

My recommendation is to give yourself plenty of time to go through the store.  There is so much to see and it's a little un-organized.  (See picture below)

What we discovered is that they carry seconds and returns, all priced to sell, off their retail floor. Many items are damaged with deeper discounts that reflect it.

World's Away also has showrooms in Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles.  This one in Memphis is their public outlet. Worlds Apart is located right next to the Liberty Bowl.

Designers can shop wholesale at Worlds Away, and anyone can browse the stock.  Their items are manufactured abroad and sold to high end store and through catalogs.  They carry small furniture, light fixtures, home decor and fabric from the company's collections catalog.  (TI went online and ordered their catalog when I returned home.)  If your in Memphis I say "Check it out!"

http://www.worlds-away.com/
Contact:
HOME OFFICE:
WORLDS AWAY
322 SOUTH HOLLYWOOD
MEMPHIS TENNESSEE 38104
(901)529-0844
(901)527-3406
PLEASE CALL FOR APPOINTMENT TO OUR
SALES MANAGER, NEAL EDWARDS

I found it!

The "ah ha" moment of the day was discovering the most delightful shoes.  Yes delightful and shoes in the same sentance.  These comfortable smart looking shoes were for sale in the back of the showroom.  These shoes are hand made by the Charleston Shoe Company and the owner of this showroom is the mother of the developer of these fantastic fabric shoes.

Www.CharlestonShoeCo.com

We loved the colors, simplicity and contemporary style. I decided to try on a few and they were indeed comfortable.  They are made of elasticated fabric, and they can be machine washed in cold water on the gental cycle.  (I saw directions on YouTube.com) I fell in love with the wedge bootie ( in black) and the flat brown suede pair.  I went online to see what else they offered and will be ordering the boots soon.  I'll keep you posted when I get a list of locations that sell these shoes and a review when mine arrive as to how they fit.

We had a long drive ahead the next morning, and bad weather to boot so I turned on my GPS and drove East on the Tennessee Interstate freeway. Highway 40 traverses the entirety of the state from west to east, running from the Mississippi River at the Arkansas border. We drove the stretch of land between Memphis and Nashville also known as the “Music Highway”  Driving across the state we noticed the landscape was beautiful and getting ready for winter. The trees barren of leaves now were thick and lined all the rivers and creeks.  More on my trip tomorrow

Jonelle'

 

 

Knoxville TN, A Host of Shopping Surprises

Knoxville TN

 With a very limited amount of time in Knoxville we missed the opportunity to visit Dollyland, the  Artisan Colony in Gainsbourg and the Smokey Mountains, all I will keep on my list of must sees when I return to Tennessee in the futurehttp://www.knoxville.org/

http://downtownknoxville.org/visitors/shopping

I want to point out that the drive from Nashville to Knoxville added an hour because it is in a different time zone.  We didn't realize it but we lost an hour.  It was late when we arrived in Knoxville but we found a wonderful ad in the visitor guide about Benton District.  Stores I found in the District:
http://districtinbearden.com/

The Practice Yoga loves the Vols!! They have plenty of orange and white gear to help you out this football season! Stop on by and check it out!








At Plum Gallery, these beautiful hand-woven scarves from Swalsmith of London are the perfect accessory for the fall season!












SOLE IN THE CITY:Sole in the City is so excited about hosting an Old Gringo trunk show with over 30 styles of Old Gringo western boots in the store for our holiday open house on November 30th. Come kick up your heels. http://www.soleinthecity.net/
TWISTED SCISSORS:Come see us during our Open House on November 30th! We will have 25 gift bags filled with samples and coupons from the salon and surrounding businesses! We’ll also have a drawing for a cut and color that evening

http://www.twistedscissors07.com/

It had some interesting sounding shops.  (Antiques, Home Decor, Christmas shop, second hand store, coffee house). I must say I was disappointed to find half the shops closed.  I commented on how tacky the antique and vintage store "Nostalgia" was for closing an hour early on a Wednesday night when their "store closing" announcement came over the speaker.  Lol. I was so dignified in my statement and I was embarrassed when I realized while at the hotel front desk checking in that it was indeed MY mistake.  Note to self, check time when traveling near time zones.  Yep I had the front desk give me a "wake up call" to be sure my iPhone didn't let me down.

We did however have a few hours after my appointments the next day and before heading to the airport and flying back to Sacramento to do some shopping (funny how I always fit that in)

 

Resale Shopping

 












Repeat Boutique on Kingston Pike was the find of the week.  A resale shop that is Huge, and filled with incredible buys.  The sales staff is so courteous (again let me say Tennessee is the most polite state in the nation). They have jewelry, designer clothing, petites, plus size, casual sportswear, dressy evening wear, leather jackets, a ton of coats and shoe-shoes-shoes. All three have quality well priced items and a great find for our trip.  I bought a wonderful black knit jacket by ----  and a cashmere long sweater with one button at the waist in purple. 

What you'll find here is You’ll find one-of-a-kind items, as well as many sought-after labels such as BCBG Maxazria, Prada, Milly, Trina Turk, Dana Buchman, Nanette Lepore, and Michael Kors. Expect to find designer denim labels by Citizens for humanity, True Religion, Paper Denim and Cloth, Red Engine and Paige, all for a fraction of what they cost originally.

www.repeatboutiqueknox.com

They carry the largest selection of scarves, belts, purses and jewelry I have ever seen in a resale shop.  Their staff is friendly and helpful, even looking up my favorite Peruvian Connection to see if anything from their line was in the store.  (Yes they had several pieces, all larges darn!)









They carry accessories from designers such as Brighton, Coach, Michael Kors, Kooba, Cole Haan and Brahmin.

Repeat Boutique8079 Kingston Pike, Suite Q
Knoxville, TN 37919
(865) 531-8200




Next door there is a store for antiques and home decor called Repeat Etc. and a children's store called ----  
 Repeat EtcStreet: 8079 Kingston Pike
Knoxville, tn 37919-3901
Phone: (865) 531-2801

For fashionable secondhand children's clothing try Weepeat Boutique.  They carry fashionable clothing from retailers such as: Gap, Gymboree, Anavini, Ralph Lauren, Baby Lulu, Abercrombie, Justice, Lilly Pultzer, and many more.
http://weepeatboutique.com/

On the other side there is a deep discount store called the Bargain Hunt.  I can tell you they had a large selection of items that are returns from manufacturers as well as close outs, overstocks, refurbished, dents and miss matched items.  Reminded me of BigLots, but these were deeper discounts.  Most of the boxes were damaged and one better check the contender as some were missing parts and pieces.  A fisher price toy I had just bought the grandson was there  I paid 29.00 at Target and it was 14.00 here (but the box was tattered.)
https://www.facebook.com/BargainHuntStores


www.bargainhunt.com

A rush to the airport to return my rental car and a wonderful flight on Delta Airlines.  All in a weeks work I say.  Enjoy your week.

Jonelle'

The Night Lights of Nashville

 

Nashville Country Music Capital  

 

The drive from Memphis to Nashville was a wet and scary adventure. We probably picked the wrong time of year to explore the countryside. We slowed our travel down considerably with sheets of rain rolling across our windshield. 

 

 

 

 

Nights & Lights Tour
Nashville is a lovely city that reminds me very much of my home city of Sacramento.  After my appointments we decided to tour the city that evening by Grayline Tour bus.  We signed up for the lights of Nashville tour and were very pleased with our guide Brian who was a retired history teacher and budding storyteller. The Nashville Nights & Lights Tour is the perfect way to see Nashville.

http://graylinetn.com/services/sightseeing/nashville-nights-lights

 

We started the tour with dinner at Rippy's BBQ a local staple for awesome ribs.  The place was crowded, but they brought us next door where a prefix dinner was offered.  Other groups were also dining there and the atmosphere was lively.

 

 

They served flat pancake like cornbread, ribs with your choice of a sweet sauce and spicy sauce (that they make in house). We also had sausage slices that were yummy, shredded pork, coleslaw (I liked it as it was all minced into small bits and blended nicely with light dressing) and really creamy baked beans - ah yum!

 

http://rippysbarandgrill.com/

 

Next a quick check of Tootsies  because of it's reputation.  Tootsies is a country western bar that is always filled to overflowing. It can be a little shocking to find out that that it is so small and rundown, but if you sure can appreciate it's history- many country entertainers got their start here.  There on the wall behind the band are photos of many of those who payed there before they became famous.  I can't believe it but they have live music from Live music from 11 am through 2:30 am.

 



http://www.tootsies.net/




Down from Rippy's a short walk to Ernest Tubb, nicknamed the “Texas Troubador”, Record Store.  Ernest was a pioneer of country music in Nashville and his store carries CD's and music









Next we (nine in our group) boarded a small bus and tour guide Brian recounted the old buildings in the downtown and stories of the businesses that occupy those structures. We saw the waterfront that was stunning at dark with the beautiful bridge all lit up.  We saw historical sites, the states capital, college campuses, Historic Riverfront Park, the Ryman Auditorium, Schermerhorn Symphony Hall, The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the State Capitol,  Bicentennial Mall, LP Field (home to the Tennessee Titans), The Parthenon in Centennial Park, country music business district and several downtown parks.

One interesting thing about centennial park: the east side of the park features the Walkway of Counties that contains a time capsule from each of Tennessee's 95 counties. These time capsules will not be opened until the Tercentennial in 2096. More information:http://images.enhancements.org/1-Ped-Bike-Facilities/Bicentennial-Mall-Nashville-TN/8742687_LJpCVr/578368327_zVZfHBp#!i=578368327&k=zVZfHBp


I also liked the "Pathway of history" a 1,400-foot Wall of History engraved with historic events that have occurred over the past two centuries. A granite pylon marks each ten-year period along the wall. The wall 'breaks' at the time of the Civil War to represent the divisive nature of the war on the state.Read the engraved items from the Wall of History (pdf)

http://www.tn.gov/environment/parks/Bicentennial/historical/index.shtml

 

Not only is Reba McIntyre  beautiful, and great country singer, comic, television star and actor on Broadway she looks like she might be a savvy business woman too.  This Queen of Country, having sold more than 70 million records worldwide has an office building on country music row

What a great way to see the city, learn the history and hear the stories to really bring a familiar feeling to a much talked about town.  Last stop is filled with fun as you get your boots to scootin’ to the live music of Honky Tonk Row enjoying free time in downtown Nashville.

This was a 5 hour tour, but with all the difficult driving, meetings and travel I did that day we asked Brian if we could call it a night as he dropped the group off at Tootsies to experience the night life.  He, in his Tennessee way, smiled and said he'd be glad to obliged us and would drop us right to the hotel. What a wonderful night

 

Next visit I am planning to visit:

 

Grand Ole Opry2802 Opryland Drive

Nashville, TN 37214
(615) 871-OPRY
opry.com
Every week, the Grand Ole Opry takes the excitement of a live audience, the heritage of the world’s longest-running radio show and an incredible mix of talent to the world, broadcasting it live over 650 WSM-AM, Sirius Satellite Radio, Opry.com and Great American Country (cable TV). What was originally known as the WSM Barn Dance and broadcast live from a modest studio in downtown Nashville has evolved into a multi-media music production with some of today’s most talented artists. In its early days, while the program was growing in popularity and audience size, the Grand Ole Opry moved from venue to venue before settling in at the famous Ryman Auditorium. After more than 30 years at the Ryman, the program made its home at the Grand Ole Opry House, just a few miles from downtown Nashville.