How The Land took root in Kingston Springs

This article is sponsored by The Land.

When Lesley Mortimer-Wallace first drove through Kingston Springs 25 years ago, it wasn’t part of a grand plan. It was a day off from Nashville, a winding road and a feeling she couldn’t shake.

“I just fell in love because of the curves and the windiness of it all,” she said. “It did remind me of home: England.”

At the time, Mortimer-Wallace was deep in the music industry, working long hours and high-pressure jobs with major artists. She had spent years on the road, building a career that included wardrobe, dressing rooms and behind-the-scenes support for touring musicians.

“Basically I was ‘mom,’” she said. “If they needed a new pair of socks or they lost their toothbrush – it was really an intimate role with the artists and the bands that I was working for.”

She loved the camaraderie of touring – the close-quarters bonds, the shared chaos and the family that forms on the road.

“You’re gonna live, breathe, eat, sleep, ride the same bus for however long,” she said. “That’s your team, that’s your family.”

But by 2015, her life was shifting. She reached what she thought was the peak of her career.

“My current employer was Justin Bieber, and I felt like I had reached the top of my game,” she said. “But I had never been more unhappy and stressed and really, really just questioning my whole career and what I was doing.”

That period pushed her to search for something different. Even as a child, Mortimer-Wallace had dreamed of owning property.

“I’ve always had this beyond passion for land ownership,” she said. “Having something that I could call my own.”

In 2017, she bought 15 acres along Highway 70 in Kingston Springs – at the time, nothing more than a field with hay bales.

“When I drove past this [in 2015], it was just a field,” she said. “And I just found myself daydreaming.”

Her original vision for The Land leaned toward kayakers and river traffic, but that plan met resistance from Cheatham County lawmakers and the community. The zoning process began in 2017 and stretched on for two years until The Land first opened to the public in November 2019 for its first Winter Wonder event.

The zoning process was brutal. “They just denied me,” she said. “Every time I went and did the new thing that they wanted, it would get denied.”

What could have been the end became a turning point. Through the process, she met community members who supported her and helped her understand what was possible.

“The planning commission process naturally allowed me to become part of the community,” she said. “And I’m so grateful.”

With guidance to work within agricultural zoning, Mortimer-Wallace shifted her focus toward agritourism and community-centered growth.

“It wasn’t about being a place for the kayakers to go,” she said. “It was now about what the community needed, wanted.” 

The Land officially opened in 2019 after two years of planning, building and persistence.

From the beginning, Lesley leaned into partnerships. She cold-called businesses, pitched ideas and shared her vision with anyone who would listen.

“I was calling places in Nashville” she said. “Anyone that was remotely in the field.” Her first major partner was Matt Pilcher, who became her first tenant.

Together, they built a Quonset hut – the curved, metal structure that became the foundation for what would grow at The Land and what was first known as Thrive Garden Center.

“It was 6,000 nuts and bolts that we had to build on the ground first and hand tighten,” she said. “So if you ever do come down here, please look up and look at all those 6,000 nuts and bolts and just see the labor of love.” 

The Land was built from a lot of salvaged materials. “At the beginning I had to salvage almost 100% of all the materials here,” she said. “I had to beg, borrow, steal, scour marketplace and drive all around Tennessee. Dragging my now husband Steve Orchard with me” Husband Steve and local Carpenter, built everything at the property. “I am the dreamer and he is the builder of my dreams”

Directly behind the Quonset hut – now the home of Wonder Gift and Garden – a small greenhouse space was built to support growing operations tied to agritourism requirements.

The next major evolution came with what would become The Land’s namesake: The Yorkshire Deli.

“I’d always wanted an eating establishment,” Mortimer-Wallace said. “That was the way it was gonna pull it all together.” Growing up in England, she explained, going to the garden center was a day trip activity for the whole family to enjoy. “It wasn't just pull through Home Depot and grab a couple flats of pansies and go. It was so well thought out,” she said. “It was often a bit like an amusement park – they would have water features and music and frog sounds and it was really magical.” 

She continued, “As kids, we would just be so excited to go to the garden. And halfway there'd be a gift shop. And then at the end there was a tea room.”

With this idea in mind, Mortimer-Wallace began contacting Nashville eateries that she thought would be a good fit for The Land. After continuously hearing “no,” Lesley decided to take the leap herself. During COVID, she taught herself to bake and cook, drawing on foods she missed from England.

A longtime friend from the music industry, Genevieve, joined her to help build out the deli. The deli opened in 2022 and quickly became a success.

The deli operates within agricultural guidelines, using farm-based ingredients where possible. “Our eggs are coming from our chickens,” Mortimer-Wallace said. “We grow as many herbs as we can in the season.”

Mortimer-Wallace sees the deli as deeply connected to The Land’s broader mission. “If you build it, they will come,” she said.

In addition to the deli and garden center, The Land expanded to include a treehouse space originally built for a nature-based homeschool co-op. “We were actually building the treehouse at the same time as the deli,” she said.

Today, the deli has taken over the treehouse space, reimagining it as a flexible, multi-use community venue. Plans for 2026 include expanding workshops, private tea parties, children’s programming and a growing calendar of community events.

One of the biggest opportunities ahead for The Land is the small greenhouse space behind Wonder, which will be available in spring 2026 for $600 per month.

“We are looking for a new partner in our small greenhouse area,” Mortimer-Wallace said. “If you have a green thumb or a green thumb adjacent idea – someone that maybe wanted to have beehives, or have a CSA, or grow wildflowers and have a cut flower farm. If you have a very specific need that you need to grow something in order to make something – jams, kombucha, skincare – this is the property for you.” 

After years on the road, Mortimer-Wallace has found what she was searching for – not just a business, but a home. “I’ve built my little commune,” she said. “It is my happy place.” And for 2026, she’s excited to welcome a new small business to the family at The Land.