Local Artist at Local Restaurants

Check out The Mad Platter this Sunday from 1-3pm for for an art opening featuring new whimsical works by Lisa Stevens of Paper Finch Studio. The event is free and open to the public. Food will be provided from the amazing chefs at the Mad Platter and drinks (wine and fruit tea) provided by the artist. This event promises to be a great way to enjoy a Sunday afternoon.

Next, be sure to experience the upcoming "Multi-sensory Show" at Ugly Mugs on September 4th 6-9pm. This event is intended to capture all the senses with a live concert (Dewveall the folk-rock due headlining), live performance painting to the music, the very most recent art from Lisa Stevens of Paper Finch Studio and great ambiance and treats from this fabulous local coffee shop and music venue. With all this going on, it would be a hard event to miss!

The Good Cup

Guest Blogger: Jessica Auville

It’s no secret to anyone who lives here in Nashville that – despite its small town southern feel – Nashville is a constantly expanding city. While most residents love to see the growth of our beloved metropolis, that growth can sometimes lead to the sacrifice of small town treasures.  For instance: a consistent sense of community and the existence of places where the owners remember your name and your face. Luckily places like The Good Cup in the Grassland area of Franklin still manage to provide that refreshing sense of small town community.

A small OPEN sign and a chalkboard featuring an inspiring quote greet you at the lovely wooden framed door just before the scent of coffee and pastries do. If you are lucky – as I was – you have the chance to meet the two owners, Mike and Amanda Taylor, and their sweet daughter Mycah.   And from what I gathered that doesn’t seem to be rarity. Many of the patrons who came in during my visit were greeted by name followed by stories of the daily happenings of life as well as the condition of family members and friends. The sense of home - community - and a meeting place is immediately recognized.

This special place actually had its beginnings in 2003 as a coffee stand in the corner of a candle shop managed by Ann Sale. When the candle shop closed, Sale expanded her stand to take up the entire space. As the counter can attest to - its pattern pounded out by hand with quarters - the shop was a home grown effort fueled by passion for community, coffee and creativity.

Therefore it was only natural that Sale sell her shop to someone equally as impassioned for coffee -Amanda Taylor and her husband Mike. Taylor moved to Nashville for her husband from Colorado and eventually quit her job in order to work at the Good Cup. Her passion for coffee originated in Thailand where she worked to start a coffee shop from the ground up only to leave the day after the grand opening. It had always been her dream to own a coffee shop, which she finally did two years after joining The Good Cup team.  Since then she has intentionally stayed true to the roots of the business - providing great coffee and promoting the community - but her small tweaks have not gone unnoticed or underappreciated. From the “take a book - leave a book” system to the presence every Thursday and Saturday morning of live jazz musicians.

“I just feel like there are so many creative people in the area. I want people to know about them,” said Taylor. A space to actualize those wants is exactly what she has created.  The showcase of local talent starts in the pastry display case; The Good Cup features food from Purecake (cake made from all pure ingredients and sold only in The Good Cup), The Pink Cupcake (bite sized cupcakes), as well as locally made biscotti brought to you by Pam Hayes.  In addition local talent Renee Miller makes scones and Katie Widmaier brings you delicious harvest bars.

But The Good Cup’s focus on local brilliance doesn’t end with delicious treats. Everything from all natural/essential oil soaps made by The Olive Branch to locally made greeting cards from Cardish Charm can be found lining the shelves and walls in the quaint one room coffee shop.  If you’re interested in accessories, check out the hand-bags made from recycled burlap coffee bean bags: environmentally friendly and stylish and created by local artisan Melissa Brown.

And let’s not forget: it wouldn’t be Nashville without music and the arts. If you are looking for new pieces by local artists check out Lydia Hejny ‘s iconic paintings featured on the walls. In addition to the ambiance created by the jazz music featured weekly The Good Cup hosts concerts frequently - sometimes a couple of times a week and routinely each Friday - of local acts with all original music. The Good Cup is truly a triple threat display of local art, food, and music.

So how about those of us not lucky enough to live in the immediate Franklin area; can we expect The Good Cup to grace us with its presence anytime soon? According to Taylor, an expansion probably isn’t in the works yet as she explained the summer time is slow and other extraneous matters saying, “I think I’ll know when the time is right”. Til then I know I’ll be taking the fifteen minute drive that is more than worth it. But don’t take my word for it – try it out yourself!

Here is the website for The Good Cup as well as links and contact information for some of the vendors mentioned above. Enjoy getting your local on!

www.thegoodcup.com

www.CourtureCoffeeBags.com

www.thepinkcupcake.net

Jessica Auville is an undergraduate student at Belmont University and a native to the Nashville area.  Fueled by a combination of strong coffee, good company, and never being too busy to window shop, she has an innate appreciation for all of the incredibly diverse local businesses. Although plans for relocation due to school may be in the works she’s thrilled to be a part of the TNBuyLocal team helping the Nashville community gain easy access to the richness of the culture around them.

Naked Without Us

Guest Blogger: Jessica Auville

Following the recent devastating flood many Nashvillians were given a new appreciation for the incredible local culture and passionate vibe our city possesses. Just a couple weeks previous to the disaster I was able to attend an exciting celebration of that culture and the talented people of Nashville through the NakedWithoutUs festival.

In Nashville's bursting music and fashion scene it's not difficult to find people looking to get dressed up and head out to enjoy great music and food with friends. But recently the NakedWithoutUs team took that to the next level once again, when they held their fourth NakedWithoutUs festival. The event uniquely brought together fashion and music in a way that made for not only a great few nights out on the town but an undoubtedly deserved celebration of Nashville culture and independent businesses as well.

I was able to attend both the "Street Tees" fashion show at Exit/In as well as "The Originals" fashion show at Mercy Lounge (two of the four total shows of the week). Both shows had very separate vibes and the various music acts drew in fabulously diverse crowds from all sides of Nashville. I, the local ADD staffer, was particularly pleased with the variety the shows included - it was near impossible to look away. With acts ranging from the poppy and tinsel laden Armed Forces to the always entertaining Hip Hop sound of Chancellor Warhol there was a little something for everyone. And who can forget the line of beautiful models who skillfully showcased the work of local designers while sharing the stage with the performers; never stumbling despite the array of cords that laced the stage. I have to say the modest interaction between the performers and models was enough to catch and keep anyone’s attention.

After attending both events I was intrigued enough to find out more about where and how this event came into being. I was able to contact Marcia Macula , Fashion and Marketing Director for NakedWithoutUs, who filled me in on the event. As it turns out the festival was actually the project-child of Billings Gemmil and Patrick Webber - its catchy name comes from Webber's tee shirt line "Only-50" which toted the tag-line "Naked Without Us".

Macula went on to share that NakedWithoutUs "strives to be the aesthetic heart of independent Nashville emphasizing the rich currents of Nashville's creative culture..." and in surveying the extensive list of local Nashville sponsors it seems they are doing just that. One of their sponsors, Yazoo Brew, was even included in an exciting way - as several local designers actually designed pieces based off of one of their beers. The pieces varied from dresses to bright yellow converse and all communicated the feel of Yazoo in their own way. Attendants of the event were able to put five dollars on any item and a drawing was done at the end of the week giving away the one-of-a-kind piece to a lucky patron.

When asked specifically to comment on local businesses in Nashville, Macula stated "We [the NakedWithoutUs team] respect and support any independent business who develops a quality product and service at a fair price. It takes courage especially in this financial climate to open your doors every day. We should all embrace that and more importantly give them our business!"

I couldn't agree more; and following this intriguing event I can't wait to see more creative manifestations of this belief from this team of individuals.

For more information on NakedWithoutUs and pictures/coverage of this year’s event visit www.NakedWithoutus.com.

Jessica Auville is an undergraduate student at Belmont University and a native to the Nashville area.  Fueled by a combination of strong coffee, good company, and never being too busy to window shop, she has an innate appreciation for all of the incredibly diverse local businesses. Although plans for relocation due to school may be in the works she's thrilled to be a part of the TNBuyLocal team helping the Nashville community gain easy access to the richness of the culture around them.