John T.
Yelp
Ahh, the holidays. Beyond the hustle and bustle, negative feelings, rushing, cramped schedules, and end-of-year anxiety, there's shopping. As I have said over and over, I am not a shopper. Shopping for me is a military operation I perform with surgical precision. The idea of wandering aimlessly from store to store, unsure of where I am going and what I am doing fills me with dread.
So, why is it that I am giving a shopping complex 4 stars? Because shopping at the Shoppes On Fatherland is an adventure and it makes shopping enjoyable -- even for someone like me. I really dig the concept. Rather than presenting a large, imposing shopping mall with legions of people, screaming kids and dubious bathrooms, the Shoppes is a collective of small, local, independent purveyors connected by pods and sharing their individual goods with the neighborhood. Despite the complex's grwoth over the years, the center has never seemed anything other than organic and, I believe, it served as an anchor to the neighborhood. Indeed, I have noticed that parking has become scarcer and scarecer, so something is going right.
While there aren't any big box stores at the Shoppes, there's every category of business you'd like to peruse, so you get the same effect but you get it by shopping local and patronizing your (literal?) neighbor. From art to books to clothes to music to houseware to artisan food to restaurants, the shops have you covered. There's even an event venue on site. Since I have lived in East Nashville, the line-up has changed but, at the same time, the options have increased. The Shoppes have helped redefine what it means to shop local and to shop organically. The space/concept has been repurposed with a collective vision in mind and a reduced environmental impact. You can feel good about shopping here on many levels. I love noticing how much busier the complex has gotten in the past four years. The Shoppes will never replace Green Hills or Cool Springs or Opry Mills. It's not supposed to. It gives a local option to those (on the east side or otherwise) to shop with purpose and to do so without feelign as though they're missing out on something. I keep wondering how/if the complex will grow. I guess time will tell. Until then, discover businesses that are unique to your city and support your neighbor. I think you'll definitely find something to love.