The Green Wagon

Guest Blogger: Allison Hill

With all the hype over “going green” around Nashville, I figured it was only a matter of time before I’d jump on the bandwagon. The Green Wagon, that is.

The Green Wagon (which is not a wagon at all, but is named after founder Jennifer Castle’s 1982 station wagon that runs on waste vegetable oil—how cool is that?) first opened in January of 2009, and has since moved to a new location in East Nashville that is currently owned by Johnny and Tara Shields. This eco-friendly store has just about everything—from cleaning supplies to clothing to mattresses, and it even has a bakery that features gluten-free baked goods. The Green Wagon is basically a one-stop shop for all of your household needs. And the best part? 70% of the products are made locally!

This store has so many unique items, but some of my favorites are the cleaning supplies. One of The Green Wagon’s coolest features is its “refilling station” where customers can purchase products like shampoo or household cleaners and bring the empty bottles back to refill at a discounted price, eliminating the need to always buy new containers each time. The soaps and detergents are made with essential oils and don’t have any added scents or chemicals that some people, especially children, can be allergic or sensitive to. These products are handmade and plant-derived (all-natural!).

The Green Wagon also carries a line of natural cosmetics skin care products called Purely Clear. This brand, which has been featured in several women’s magazines, boasts its “organic” title because of the pure state in which it can be used. The products are in their most natural and unprocessed forms in an attempt to cultivate healthier, more nourished skin.

If you’re looking for a way to start going green, this should be your first stop. The Green Wagon carries a truly unique inventory of products that will sell themselves to you as soon as you walk in the door. Many of the items in the store have the brand name and contact information of the local company that makes the product, so you’re free to go directly to the source for more information. If there are two people who know their stuff about being eco-friendly, it’s the owners Johnny and Tara Shields. They have been more than helpful to me every time I’ve visited, because they genuinely care about the impact that we as consumers have on our environment. They strive to educate and inform about the green movement, and hey, they’re just pretty cool people. Pretty cool people at a pretty cool place—sounds like what Nashville is good at.

The Green Wagon is located at 1100 Forrest Ave, Nashville, TN 37206 

LUCCHESE Boots Available at Monkee's

Guest Blogger: Rhandee Gortney

Monkee’s, a shoe, clothing, and accessories boutique for women located in the Hill Center Green Hills, is owned by Elizabeth Broyhill. Her mission, and that of her talented team, is to provide a fun and personal shopping experience for every woman. The quality and variety of the carefully selected merchandise reflect the unique relationship the Monkee’s staff has with their customers and friends.

The Monkee’s team is thrilled to announce their newest line, Lucchese Boot Co. Lucchese was established in San Antonio, Texas in 1883, just three years after founder Sam Lucchese Sr. and his brothers immigrated to America. However, it was Sam Lucchese Jr. who revitalized the brand in the early 1960s to make it the luxury boot retailer it is today.

Sam Lucchese Jr.’s extensive understanding of the human foot ensures a comfortable fit for the boot wearer. Each pair is made with the finest materials (including leather, crocodile, and ostrich) and is then inspected twice by hand prior to shipment.

This addition of Lucchese boots offers new diversity to Nashville’s popular cowboy boot market. See the next page for images of our current stock; the 12" Cowboy with Adrian Stitch Pattern in Tan Burnished Ranch Hand and the 12" Cowboy with Mayela Stitch Pattern in Black Burnished Ranch Hand. Both boots retail for $373. For more information on the brand, please visit www.lucchese.com.

Please let me know if I can provide you with any additional information about this exciting brand or what Monkee’s has available here in the store! We are so excited to share this line with you.

Night Market on Friday

TBL rebrands with help of PRIMARILY RYE

Hmmm, something's different...

Yes, with a BIG thank you to PRIMARILY RYE, Tennessee Buy Local! has a new logo and a new website. We hope you'll take a minute to surf the site and let us know what you think. New features include a Calendar section (mark your calendar for May 29) and a more user-friendly Member Directory. 

Here's what Matthew Rogers at PRIMARILY RYE had to say about his inspiration for our new logo:

The rebranding of Tennessee Buy Local was one of those projects that just all came together and made sense.

TBL is building a living local economy that ensures economic power resides locally to the greatest extent possible. They do this with what's called a triple bottom line; balancing environmental, financial & social performance.

Giving the typeface a farmers market treatment and keeping in mind the triple bottom line, the first thing we noticed was that all three words correspond:

Designed by PRIMARILY RYETENNESSEE = environment
BUY = financial
LOCAL = social

By adding an exclamation point, the "buy local" movement that's rising in population, becomes embedded into the companies name as a "positive, enthusastic call to action."

The mark has instant recognition from the universal geo-location pinpoint icon that Google has made so popular. The position, angle and patriotic colors of the 3 icons also represent the Tennessee state flag.

Read More >>

So the next question we have is, what kind of TBL swag would you like to see? 

Bongo Java Supports Local Dairy

TRUCKLOADS of respect for Bongo Java (the following came from a newsletter I receive from Bongo Java):

Coffee Prices. As someone who has for a long time been pushing for higher prices to coffee farmers, I have mixed feelings about the recent big rise in coffee prices. Rising prices means that coffee farmers will be getting paid more -- something I've supported for a long time through our efforts of paying more than the Fair Trade price for coffee. However, with our coffee costs going up as much as 60% for some coffees, this means that for the first time in a long time Bongo Java will be raising its coffee drink and pound prices.

Read more about coffee prices.

Local Dairy. We are darn proud and excited to announce that all the milk we use inside Bongo World will be coming from a local dairy. We are teaming up with Gammon Family Dairy. The premium we're paying for local milk is darn worth it for two big reasons: 1) Quality. Our baristas who have tested the new milk rave about how much better our lattes taste. 2) Local. As a company who has preached "buying local" we feel this change makes us feel better. and 3) Buying from a small-scale dairy matches our goal of buying coffee from small-scale farmers.