Doing what we do for a living, we meet a lot of brand-new Nashvillians. And since a lot of those newcomers are also new or (soon-to-be new) homeowners, there are a few questions we get asked a lot.
Among the most frequent:
- What are the most affordable parts of Nashville?
- What are the most walkable parts of Nashville?
- What Nashville suburbs should I check out?
- And maybe No. 1: Where should I buy stuff for my new house?
For our vintage/antique-obsessed clients, we usually point toward the Nashville Flea Market, which offers a monthly opportunity to pick through hundreds of vendors’ stuff.
Anyone who’s drawn to furniture and home goods that are more of the handmade/local variety, though, gets a few different nods.
Depending on the time of year, we might send you to juried maker market Porter Flea, which goes down once in the summer, once around the holidays in East Nashville.
Right now, though, we’d recommend marking your calendar for September 23 through 25, when the Tennessee Craft Fall Craft Fair returns to Centennial Park.
For shoppers and appreciators of art and handmade goods — from furniture to pottery to textiles — the fair is a perfect playground, with more than 200 vendors on-site sharing their creations. Many of those artists and artisans travel into Nashville just for the event, but local options are plentiful too. (And everything is crafted here in the United States.)
Since the craft fair is juried by an organization that’s been at this a while — their first fair was Tennessee’s first craft fair, back in 1972 — the quality bar is high. If you’re outfitting a new home, chances are good that you’ll stumble on pieces that capture your heart, and get a chance to chat with the person who created the table or painting or vase that pulls your new place together, too.
It’s not necessarily the place for bargain shoppers — nothing here is stamped or cut or painted on a factory floor, so prices usually reflect the time and attention it took to make something by hand, with love and with pride. But heirloom-quality items that you’ll be able to admire for years are all over the place, as is a lot of inspiration.
Tennessee Craft’s Fall Craft Fair isn’t just a shopping excursion, either. It’s a lot more well-rounded of a craft event, with live demonstrations from master makers (working with wood and clay and more), plus family activities, food trucks and fall afternoon fun in one of Nashville’s most beautiful parks.
Even if you’re not shopping to decorate a new Nashville home, it’s a worthwhile visit — and it’s free.
Hours for this year’s fall fair are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. that Friday and Saturday, September 23 and 24, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. that Sunday. Centennial Park is located in Midtown Nashville, at 2500 West End Avenue.
Grab more info about the 38th Annual Fall Tennessee Craft Fair at TennesseeCraft.org.
Are you still looking for a place in Nashville, and not quite ready to start thinking about stuff to put in it? We’d be glad to help! Reach out and tell us about your Nashville dream home, and we’ll start hunting!
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Thank you for this wonderful blog post! We hope to see new Nashville residents and those looking to join our community at this event. It is a true gem and a Nashville tradition. There will be over 200 artists with lots of home goods to choose from. Forty percent of the artists joining us will be from Tennessee! See you there.