If you’ve ever participated in the Franklin Art Scene, the monthly art crawl through Historic Franklin’s downtown core, then chances are you’ve seen J. Edward and Brenda Campbell. The real estate pair seems to be everywhere: helping guests get from site to site on that red and green trolley, offering a glass of wine to their visitors and greeting passers-by on the corner of Church Street and Second Avenue South.
To many locals, their faces are familiar. They’ve been a team of real estate brokers here since 2004, helping clients buy and sell residential properties all over Middle Tennessee. The Campbells can usually be found somewhere around town—at the Downtown Franklin Association (DFA) monthly meetings, talking with other merchants in the Second Avenue district or just walking Main Street.
“We’re really a team, and we help one another out in the workplace,” J. Edward said with a laugh. “I consider myself to be the social one—I’ll talk to anybody—but Brenda is the one who keeps us focused and going.”
The husband and wife met after J. Edward made a career change, switching from the financial world to real estate in 2003. Since they married eight years ago the Campbells have been a dynamic duo in the Franklin community, serving on boards and spending their weekends on volunteer efforts.
Brenda said it’s that team mentality that drives them to lend their support to different projects.
“Community involvement was always on my bucket list, an area I wanted to be more active in,” she said. “We’ve been able to engage in that through what we do professionally. The two of us combined can accomplish a lot!”
Together, the pair has served as house chairs for the Heritage Foundation of Franklin & Williamson County’s annual Town & Country Tour of Homes, volunteered at various street festivals and as Franklin Theatre ushers, and they’ve been vocal proponents of the Art Scene since its launch last year. They are also active members of the First Presbyterian Church in Franklin.
Separately, the contributions are likewise manifold: J. Edward is on the boards of the Williamson County Association of Realtors (Brenda is a past president) and the Housing Commission City of Franklin, and Brenda is a member of the current class of the City of Franklin’s Citizens Government Academy.
“We’ve both met really wonderful people,” Brenda said. “Recently, while participating in the Citizens Government Academy, I’ve discovered the most remarkable thing—how proud the city and its employees are about what they do and who they work for. I think that shows something special about our city and our city leaders.”
Though both have lived in Middle Tennessee since the ‘70s, Brenda relocated to Franklin 10 years ago —where J. Edward had been all along. They mention a recent opportunity when they got to show friends why they’ve put their roots down here.
“Four of my sorority sisters and their spouses came to town for the weekend,” Brenda said. “They were just in love with the place! It was great fun to show off why we live and work and play here.”
Both say that now, they couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.
“I think that Franklin is a blend of people who not only look to the future to grow, but also look to the future to preserve its past,” Brenda said. “And neither of us has a problem with shouting out about how great it is!”
“I’ve always said that I embraced this community since the beginning and the people here have continued to embrace me right back,” J. Edward said.
To contact the Campbells, call 615-405-0989 or email them: jedward@campbellx2.com.
This is part of a series on merchants in Downtown Franklin.