Main Street businesses band together for local holiday market

Main Street in Kingston Springs was a hive of holiday activity on Saturday, Dec. 16, as more than a dozen merchants, artists and crafts makers participated in a block-long holiday market.

The event was another in a string of recent community happenings to celebrate the holidays that included the Kingston Spring Christmas at Burns Park with its sparkling holiday light installation and special appearance by Santa Claus, and the well-attended Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony at the South Cheatham County Public Library.

Unlike these other events that were presented by the Town of Kingston Springs, the holiday market was a grassroots initiative organized by local merchants and spearheaded by entrepreneur and owner of the recently opened Fred & Mary’s home goods store, Carolyn Fredericks.

“We are just up and running, so I just was thinking, maybe I can connect with Amy [Davis-Bruce] and figure out an event to keep the town buzzing a little bit with the holidays and invite some of our local artists and makers to come and hopefully get in some last-minute holiday sales for everyone,” Fredericks said.

Tapping into the town’s closely-knit community of local artisans, merchants, and craft makers, the holiday market shaped up quickly, with the Saturday event attracting dozens of visitors to enjoy an afternoon of shopping and socializing.

Becky Breedlove of Breedlove Quilts shows her crafts to Kingston Springs resident, Addison Morgan. Becky has been quilting for 20 years and often hosts a booth or table at various markets in and around Kingston Springs | Michael Coldwell

Christmas carols rang out from the Kingston Springs Methodist Church as children laughed and darted in between the rows of tables and booths adorned with handmade quilts, jewelry, artworks, sweet treats, and wood crafts, while shoppers browsed and bought holiday gifts or unique items for themselves.  

As new businesses such as Alma Yoga and Movement and Fred & Mary’s take root alongside longstanding Main Street establishments such as Turnbull Provisions, Skyking Pizza, and The Fillin’ Station, some local merchants are optimistic that more population and increased visitor traffic through Kingston Springs will propel additional growth.

“I’m looking forward to seeing more businesses join us in adding more energy downtown; the more the merrier,” Fredericks said. “So Kingston Springs can have even more to offer its residents who love living out here and are hungry for more activity and to become more of a destination for surrounding areas that it has the potential to be.” 

Longtime business owner Amy Davis-Bruce, who has been part of the commercial landscape of Kingston Springs for more than a decade, highlighted the importance of supporting small businesses.

“I don’t even know if there are words to say how important it is," she said. "You’re supporting so much more than the local business, you’re supporting all the people that live here, work here and their families.” 

Katie Conley of Kingston Springs admires the art of Abigail Conner of Monzelle Studios. Abigail is a graphic designer, artist and illustrator with artwork that feature Kingston Springs and the Harpeth River | Michael Coldwell

Artist Abigail Conner of Monzelle Studios was participating in her first market in Kingston Springs and she noted that with events such as Art in the Park, the summer Farmers’ Market and other similar venues, Kingston Springs is a small town that has a big art community. 

“Kingston [Springs] has a very artsy heart to it and I feel like you really see that at these markets and it definitely helps in creating a sense of community,” Conner said.

Abigail’s vibrant graphic prints are done with traditional block printing, illustration, and digital design, and are inspired by Kingston Springs and the Harpeth River. “I feel we get a lot of ‘tricklers’ out of Nashville that have moved out of the city, and Nashville attracts that artistic kind of person," she said. "I feel like a lot of artists like the ambience out here and the community that we already have and that draws more people to add to it.”

Carolyn Fredericks, owner of Fred & Mary’s, adjusts a display in her newly-opened home goods store that specializes in sustainably and ethically made items and products | Michael Coldwell

Back at the newly opened Fred and Mary’s, the shop was enjoying brisk traffic as shoppers explored the offerings of the store. Fred and Mary’s specializes in sustainably and ethically-made goods for the home. The layout of the store is unique, mirroring a “room by room” layout, as if it were an actual home. Additionally, the shop offers a home cleaning products refill station, all part of its mission to help minimize environmental impact and make sustainably made home goods more accessible.

Overall, many retailers reported good sales from the market and from this holiday season in general. This despite sagging consumer confidence and persistent inflation across the country. 

“I think that when the economy gets rough, people are a lot more intentional with their money,” Davis-Bruce said. “They prioritize things with more meaning instead of spending of disposable stuff.”