Loudon County Tennessee – Special Shops

As I’ve mentioned on several occasions, I’m not a big fan of shopping.  Having worked in retailing for most of my career, plus just being a ‘male’, I generally don’t enjoy browsing through stores. 

There are exceptions however… I do like wandering through well run antique malls or stores and I can appreciate those retailers whose merchandising is different or at least a couple of steps above the norm.

All of which leads me to a recent shopping trip with Laurie and Dawn Marie.  It takes a lot of nerve, money and imagination to open a store that is a cut above average.  The photo above was taken just before Christmas. This is The Lacy…

The Lacy offers an eclectic selection of furnishings, antiques and gifts. 

This store opened just before Christmas and it occupies the first floor of what used to be The Lacy Hotel in Lenoir City Tennessee.

This former hotel was built in 1927.  There is roughly 5,000 sq. ft. of finished space on the main and upper level and there is an additional 2,500 sq. ft. in the basement.

Every room on the first floor of the old hotel is filled with an eclectic mixture of the old and new as well as many classically repurposed items.

FYI, the General William Lenoir Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was organized October 15, 1925, in Lenoir City, Tennessee.  Mrs. W. N. Lacy was elected the first regent of the Chapter.  From my research some Lacy family members still reside in this town.

There are plans for The Lacy to expand to the second floor of this revitalized old hotel.  Expansion is slated for early 2017…

From what I read, quite a lot of renovations were done inside the old hotel.  There’s been some rewiring with a new heating and cooling system put in, the hardwood floors were refinished and of course the interior was repainted. 

Ahhh…the shoppers!  Laurie and Dawn Marie posing by some old sliding barn doors.  Laurie saw a lot of things she would have liked to buy but my saving grace is that we have so much ‘stuff’ now from our years of collecting that we don’t have space for anything that is very large…

The Lacy is located at 105 North A Street in Lenoir City Tennessee.  Phone: 865-773-5187.  Email: thelacy@yahoo.com.  Website: www.thelacy.net. (Note: Although I took the website link from The Lacy’s business card, I could not connect with it via the internet) This store is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thelacyhotel/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE.

From Lenoir City and “The Lacy” we headed south on US Hwy.11 to Loudon, the county seat.  As we drove along, I spotted a Norfolk Southern train headed in the same direction.  I’ve always wanted to capture a photo of a train emerging from the classic railroad bridge over the Tennessee River into the town of Loudon.

If I’d turned where Laurie told me to, we would have captured the desired photo…but I turned a block later and by the time we worked our way back to the nearest crossing to the bridge this was the best we could do.  As it was, Laurie had to grab this shot through the windshield as we pulled up to the track… Maybe the next time!

This is the Mulberry House in Loudon.  It’s the sister store to the Lacy in Lenoir City.  Both are owned and operated by Deborah Taylor.  Taylor got started selling her excess ‘stuff’ in antique malls/shops in both Loudon and Lenoir City. 

In September of 2015 Deborah opened The Mulberry House.  This store features items as disparate as clothing, jewelry, home décor, gifts and furniture.  This store sells antiques as well as new gift items.  It’s a nice mixture…

Once again I lucked out… Dawn Marie made a purchase at the Mulberry House but I escaped with a minor purchase of a gift for my wife's niece Kasey, who is due her 4th child in March!

Cow creamer?  Hand towels?  Display featuring cotton balls?  How about a lamp?  My favorite…if I had a place to display it…would be that antique metal transom hanging above that old French dresser. 

There are plenty of tasteful gifts and décor items to check out in this store.  What I like best is that the merchandise is far above the norm quality wise…

There is a lot to look at but this store isn’t at all cluttered…

One room of the house…up on the second floor features a number of clothing items, purses and accessories.

The Mulberry House is located at 506 Mulberry Street in Loudon Tennessee.  Phone: 865-657-3737.  This store is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/The-Mulberry-House-1808661002694805/.   I couldn’t find a website listing.  

It is very encouraging that the current economy is doing well enough that in the last couple of years this and other antique, home decor and gift shops have opened south of Knoxville along the I-75 corridor.  Lenoir City, Loudon and Sweetwater are all developing as true specialty store destinations.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by to see where the ladies took me shopping before Christmas!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave