Historic Main Street, Franklin, TN — Through the Eyes of Grandchildren

How excited my Silver Fox and I were when our son, his beautiful wife, and their three children moved just an hour and a half up I-65 from their previous town which took a minimum of 9 very hard hours to reach!  Franklin, Tennessee, is in a magnificent part of the Volunteer State and is one of the fastest growing areas in the country.  A million and a half more people are expected to move in during the next 10 years.  Imagine what that means for the economy, the schools, the highways, the stores, and, of course, the churches.  Our son is the new pastor of The Church at West Franklin.  If you or any of your friends are nearby on a Sunday, I really hope you’ll attend a Sunday worship service.  I believe you’ll get a warm welcome.

But, I digress.

A few days ago I had the privilege of having those three grands all to myself for about 4 hours, and I decided to let THEM show ME downtown Franklin.  I knew that I could find lots of treasures and interesting products on my own, but what fun would that have been??  I wanted to see this new town through their eyes.  Naturally, that meant going to a kid-friendly place for lunch and for a treat, but between the two restaurants, we also explored 6 exceptional stores.  The assignment I gave them in each store was to spend several minutes looking around and then show me either their favorite item(s) or the ones they found most unique or interesting.

First stop– since I had just picked them up from Vacation Bible School — was LUNCH.  MELLOW MUSHROOM, located right at the beginning of the blocks we wanted to explore, was their immediate choice.  Oh, and before I forget, allow me to introduce the day’s main characters — Luke, age 10; Seth, age 8; and their sister Birti, age 7.

Don’t worry.  Once they posed for this photo, we DID use our best manners.  🙂  After devouring every bite — and using the restroom (very important), we began our quest for special “things.”

SAVORY SPICE SHOP

Of the six stores we visited, this actually turned out to be their favorite, even edging out the toy store.  Surprise!  Surprise!  Here, you are invited to smell and taste, so they went straight to work.  The employees have devised a very hygienic way to do that, which they carefully explained.  I was proud of the way the kiddoes followed directions.

INSPIRATIONS ON MAIN

Luke really enjoys art/painting.  Birti, as you’ll see, is partial to jewelry and sparkly, swirly, girly items.  Seth has recently gotten interested in learning to play the guitar.  Could it be the influence of nearby Nashville, Music City, by any chance?

HEY DAY

Luke found a book he loved when he was younger.  Birti, again, found accessories.  Seth made a bee-line for the Auburn items.

PATCHWORK PANTRY

This is a pretty store.  Again, it was artwork for Luke, jewelry for Birti, and a fun saying for Seth.

THE HEIRLOOM SHOP

Lots of breakables here, so we mostly looked without touching and even “used our inside voices” to promote calmness and decorum.  Not that they needed any reminders, you understand.  🙂

MAIN STREET TOY COMPANY

Luke LOVES dolphins, Seth gravitated to the Civil War figurines, and Birti found the Barbies.  They also showed me a sign they liked.

FRANKLIN THEATER

Luke proudly told me that he would be going to a drama camp in the upcoming week, and their final production will be at the Franklin Theater.  Now Granddaddy and I will know right where to come.  🙂

SWEET CECE’S

Finally, it was time to cool off, sit down, and enjoy a treat.  What could be better than yogurt and toppings in this attractive place with a vintage vibe? We all satisfied our chocolate cravings on a very hot afternoon.

After this break, I believe they could have happily kept going, but it was time to rejoin their parents.  Before long, I’ll likely return for an all-about-me shopping trip, but yesterday I was shown things I probably never would have found on my own.  No breakage occurred.   A big win in my book.