Photo by Debbie Smartt
The Heirloom Shop has been renamed. Well, it’s been renamed unofficially. Owner Elaine Thompson says that people who walk through her doors have started calling her shop “The Happy Store.”
“People say we’re one of the friendliest stores they’ve ever been in,” Elaine says. “This is a fun place to shop. It makes them feel good.”
With a store that smells like Christmas and is surrounded by glitter all the time, it’s not hard to see why The Heirloom lifts customers’ spirits.
The shop always held Christmas items and a special place in the heart of downtown Franklin, but it was only a few years ago that Elaine and business partner (and son) Craig Burgess shifted the shop to Christmas all year ‘round.
“The change has been great,” Elaine says. “There’s not a day that goes by that we don’t sell an ornament.”
The Heirloom carries lines like Christopher Radko, Department 56 Showcase and Old World Ornaments. Elaine says there’s an ornament for everyone – from a sushi roll to a pitcher of beer to your favorite kind of dog.
And though The Heirloom revolves around the December holiday, they play up year-round events. In March, the store explodes with green for St. Patrick’s Day festivities. And when the leaves start turning later in the year, The Heirloom carries extensive decorations for any Halloween need.
“With our nation’s current state, we also really try to be patriotic with our items and displays,” Elaine says.
Photo by Debbie Smartt
The Heirloom has its customers covered with birthday, weddings and anniversaries, too – offering affordable but chic gift lines, home décor items and antiques.
Besides Walton’s Jewelers, the Heirloom Shop is the oldest store on Main Street. It’s been in the 19th century building for 25 years, and its location has been a holding for a long line of Franklin businesses. Over the years, it’s housed a drug store, a funeral home, a grocery and a newspaper headquarters. The Heirloom’s Shop original owner, Rose Wright, settled in the White Building in 1989, and it became home to “A Christmas Tradition.”
When Elaine moved to Williamson County nearly 10 years ago to be closer to her family, she had no idea she would become a first-time small business owner. But when Rose wanted to retire, she turned to her friend and employee to take the reins.
“When I first starting working, The Heirloom Shop grew on me and became a passion,” Elaine says. “Now I am owner of one of the neatest shops in historic downtown Franklin!”
When asked what her favorite thing about The Heirloom Shop is, Elaine’s friend and co-worker, Selma Ray, jumps in.
Photo by Debbie Smartt
“Well I guess it’s workin’ with me,” Selma says.
“Of course I need my girls,” Elaine says after the laughter quiets down. “But we really love our customers. We hug them, we talk to them about everything.”
“We get their pedigree,” she says with a wink and a fresh round of laughs.
Elaine says that like the other shops on Main Street, The Heirloom goes the extra mile to provide patrons with items they can’t get anywhere else on the strip. They offer exclusive merchandise, and new products every year.
“We’re a unique shop in a unique town,” Elaine says. “And we look for different.”
Elaine says her store, along with the others on Main Street, makes sure to send customers to other shops they think they’ll enjoy. And for her, downtown Franklin is the best – the only – place to have The Heirloom.
“If I were opening a shop in the market today I cannot think of another place that I would rather be,” Elaine says. “We have so much here that brings tourists from across the entire country.”
For more information, visit The Heirloom Shop website.