NASHVILLE — Stepping out of the hollows of Moore County, Jack Daniel's plans to open its first retail store outside of its home in Lynchburg, Tenn.
Dubbed the Nashville General Store, it will open later this month in the historic Marathon Village complex outside of downtown.
"We couldn't think of a better place than Nashville," said Tobey Roush, who oversees the licensing of all retail products that bear the Jack Daniel's name and logo. Coinciding with the distillery's 150th anniversary celebration, he called it a great combination of place, timing and luck.
Roush said officials at the distillery about 75 miles southeast of Nashville had watched the tourism boom in the cluster of shops and business that once house the Marathon automobile factory. Stores include Antique Archaeology, the second location of a LeClaire, Iowa, store that is home base for the History Channel's American Pickers show; and dedicated bus stops bring a lot of visitors to the row of shops and businesses on 14th Avenue North about a half dozen blocks off Charlotte.
The store will carry merchandise from clothing to barware and custom-made musical instrument displays, but you won't find a drop of Mr. Daniel's original product, Tennessee whiskey. The store would need a liquor license to do that.
It will be more than just a merchandise outlet though. Look for displays about the whiskey-making process and the charm of Lynchburg, perhaps motivating visitors to hop in their cars and make the drive to see the distillery firsthand, Roush said.
Marathon Village itself is home to two active distilleries, Corsair and Nelson's Green Brier, which can sell their liquor.
When told about the new store, Corsair owner Darek Bell sounded the welcome wagon.
"They have a great brand," he said. "We're excited to have them as neighbors. Along with Green Brier, we want to have that kind of synergy here."
Down in the next building, Charlie Nelson, who owns Nelson's Green Brier Distillery with his brother, Andy Nelson, echoed many of the same sentiments.
"The fact that Jack Daniel's is moving in is proof that this area is really growing," Charlie Nelson said. "This will bring more traffic to all of the businesses and, hopefully, more whiskey enthusiasts to our distillery and Corsair's."
The announcement is in keeping with the rollout of other promotions for Jack Daniel's 150th anniversary celebration, including a worldwide barrel scavenger hunt and a gala celebration to be held in October.
The 1,500-square-foot Jack Daniel’s Nashville General Store will be at 1305 Clinton St. and will be open seven days a week.
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