What Do the Arcade’s Tenants Think About Its New Chapter?

Nashville’s Arcade has a storied history. It first opened in 1902, with architecture based on the open-air bazaars of Milan, Italy, and became a hub for downtown foot traffic long before the honky-tonks of Lower Broadway. In more recent years, it’s become an engine for the local art community as the home of the First Saturday Art Crawl.

But Nashville’s rapid growth brought new places to eat, shop and do business. More than a century after the Arcade’s construction, the pandemic — which accelerated a trend toward remote work — further drove downtown office workers to spots far away from Fourth and Fifth avenues.

The Arcade’s new owners want to help bring people back. In April 2021, a group of investors — including local real estate power player Rob Lowe and an affiliate of the Manhattan-based real estate company Linfield Capital — purchased the property for $28 million. Since then, they’ve begun a push toward a “vibrant, urban-scale destination in the heart of Music City.” Over the past four years, the new owners have brought on new businesses as tenants to reach that goal. Several are slated to open in the next few months, from national clothing retailer Faherty to new outposts of Nashville favorites like Roze Pony and Urban Cowboy. A handful of longtime tenants like From Nashville With Love and Percy’s Shoe Shine are also staying on.

In 2023, Arcade Arts was founded to host a rotating cast of 12 artists-in-residence who work from the small studios that line the Arcade’s second story. By covering the costs of artists’ rent and organizing various gallery and cultural events — including the newly established Second Saturday Art Crawl — Arcade Arts is carrying on one of Nashville’s most relevant art traditions, and in the process hopefully ingratiating downtown Nashville with both visitors and longtime residents.

The Scene spoke to 13 tenants at the Arcade, including longtime small businesses, working artists, new businesses setting up shop and one recently opened restaurant. The assortment of responses we received reflects the architecture of the Arcade itself — varied and at times discordant, but always sharing a common framework. 

Respondents

Lyon Porter: East Nashville-based developer behind properties like Urban Cowboy and The Dive Motel. He’s bringing a two-story Urban Cowboy cocktail lounge to the Arcade.

Anna Yi: Co-owner of Tony’s Shoe Service, which has operated in the Arcade since 1963. The store recently moved from a ground-floor storefront at the Arcade to an upstairs location.

Jacob Strang: Nashville hospitality industry veteran and co-founder of Ugly Bagel alongside Jeff Crabiel. The fast-casual bagel shop opened in November.

Brittany Cobb: Founder of Flea Style, a Dallas-based boutique opening in the Arcade. The store opened a location in 12South in May.

Rebecca Davis: Founder of several boutiques in Franklin, including Mimi + Dottie and Jondie. Davis is a longtime Middle Tennessee resident opening her first store in Nashville with Mimi + Dottie at the Arcade.

Marrah Florita: Founder of From Nashville with Love. Florita has created, exhibited and sold jewelry in various spaces throughout the Arcade for more than a decade.

XPayne: An Arcade Arts artist-in-residence and former Best of Nashville Best Artist of the Year, XPayne is known for a singular style that fuses Afrofuturism and pop culture. 

Mandy Rogers Horton: An Arcade Arts artist-in-residence and professor at Watkins College at Belmont University, Horton was a founding member of Coop gallery, which was originally housed just a few doors down from her current studio. Her recent work reflects an interest in rubble and transformation — the perfect subject matter for her studio in the ever-shifting Arcade.

Cesar Pita: A sculptor and Arcade Arts artist-in-residence, Pita also teaches community education classes at Buchanan Arts in North Nashville. His 2024 show at Elephant Gallery,  Raíces en Arcilla (Roots in Clay), showcased the artist’s mastery over terra-cotta.

Mike Mitchell: The self-proclaimed “fun uncle” of Nashville’s art scene, Mitchell is an artist, TSU professor and Arcade Arts artist-in-residence. He founded the TSU Skateboarding Club, which hosts weekly skate meetups for all skill levels, and hosts a visual-art podcast called Drawing South.

Sarah Clinton: Primarily a plein-air painter, Clinton is an Arcade Arts artist-in-residence whose practice developed after the birth of her daughter, who has a rare genetic disorder. She credits her painterly ability to reframe reality to her daughter’s distinct perspective on the world.

Rod McGaha: McGaha is an Arcade Arts artist-in-residence whose practice spans disciplines — he is an established sound artist and trumpet player, and his work in photography and collage was part of the Frist Art Museum’s 2023 exhibition Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage.

Katherine Frensley: A fiber artist and Arcade Arts artist-in-residence, Frensley regularly hosts natural dye workshops, where she sources various natural dyes from her own garden.

Why invest in the Arcade now (or why stay there)?

Lyon Porter: I always like to build what I want, maybe what I’m missing. I come down and go to Robert’s [Western World], and there’s a few other spots, but I really wanted to build our own cocktail lounge downtown that felt beautiful and comfortable and was available to locals and visitors alike.

Anna Yi: In 1963, my store [opened] downstairs. Over 60 years, everybody has good memories. Their daddy, granddaddy, came together along this road. Good memories. That’s why I don’t want to just move to another store. It’s keeping the good customers, good memories, everything, keeping here.

Rebecca Davis: I just felt like the Arcade was a really unique opportunity. It’s such a beautiful space with so much history. With my other stores being founded in historic downtown Franklin in really old buildings, it just kind of felt like a good vibe. It just felt like really the right place for us.

Brittany Cobb: When we were presented with the Arcade project, we really fell in love with it because it’s very representative of our story, which is supporting things that are vintage and have a great story. … I also love the location being near downtown and capturing and kind of celebrating a different kind of customer than we find on 12South.

Marrah Florita: I’m like part tour guide at my shop down here. I answer the same questions probably like five to 10 times a day: This building was built in 1902. The Peanut Shop was actually a Planters Peanut shop originally. … I’m from Nashville, so as you know, everything is getting torn down, knocked down and rebuilt 20 stories higher around here. I do like being attached to this piece of history of Nashville.

What do you make of the (other) new businesses that are coming in?

Rebecca Davis: I really think it’s going to be a really interesting and unique spot. The restaurants that are coming in, the little bars — it just seems like it’s going to be very vibrant and fun. I’m excited about being a part of that. Hopefully we’re going to draw people all times of day and into the evening with the mix that we have.

Lyon Porter: I’m super excited. I love the arts programs. I think that’s the coolest thing ever, and I can’t wait to collaborate. Since we’re upstairs and downstairs, I can’t wait to kind of bridge the gap between the two and hopefully have a lot of fun Art Crawls end here and begin here.

Marrah Florita: The courthouse is nearby, this is also the capital of Tennessee, there’s a lot of government workers down here. … It felt like they were catering to almost like, not the tourists, but kind of more young professionals. Not even young professionals, but kind of preppy professionals in a sense with the shoe brands and the clothing brands. And then there’s a couple fun, happy-hour, more local-vibe-type bars and restaurants coming in.

Jacob Strang: We were one of the first to open aside from some of the folks who were lucky enough to stay here, but we’re excited for some of the retail that’s coming in. I feel like it’s really bringing a higher-end feel to the Arcade.

Anna Yi: I don’t know. Nobody knows that, because it looks like a gamble. I don’t know exactly.

Mandy Rogers Horton: Ugly Bagel is a great spot for a meal or a snack while I am working in the studio, and the smell of fresh bagels is always tempting.

Sarah Clinton: It is a huge positive to me that the Arcade supports local small businesses from Nashville — it helps make the Arcade a unique spot to visit rather than a mall containing stores that you can find everywhere and anywhere. 

Rod McGaha: The new businesses bring a fresh energy and dynamic creativity to the Arcade. It’s exciting to see how they’re contributing to the vibrancy of the space while blending with its rich history.

Katherine Frensley: As a Nashville native who also lives downtown, I love to see new places in the area. I remember coming downtown with my parents as a young girl, and it was so much fun to see and explore all the shops and galleries. It is sad to see those who have been around for a while leave or be replaced, but seeing the new generation and what is to come is exciting. 

What has business been like in the past few months as renovations have started to take shape?

Jacob Strang: It’s been great. We’re still doing little pop-ups in some of the offices, letting people know we’re here, but it’s been really well-received. We’re starting to see some regulars on a daily or every-other-day basis. When other stores open in the Arcade and we start getting even more foot traffic, business will continue to grow.

Marrah Florita: Just from being down here for a long time, I know that, once we hit spring break, it does not slow down until around August. … I’m optimistic. But you know, it has been really slow. It’s even been slower for me, having a new neighbor across from me, than it was last year.

Anna Yi: More slow. We’re keeping the old customers. Yeah, everybody’s happy. That’s why I’m not moving.

What’s the value of working alongside legacy businesses?

Lyon Porter: [Tony’s] repairs my shoes. They’re amazing. … All of them have this amazing romantic nostalgia for this place, and I think honoring that kind of history is something they’ve done a really great job of that we want to keep doing as well.

Jacob Strang: I guess they’re the OG, right? They’ve been here. They’ve serviced Nashville for a long time before Nashville even blew up, really. So they’ve really put their time in at the Arcade, and I think it’s a nice blend of new and old.

Rebecca Davis: My business started in downtown Franklin, and I actually started my business by making handmade jewelry, and I was using antique jewelry and repurposing it. … I love that there is going to be this really interesting mix of businesses that have been around for a long time and then new businesses that want to come in and create a new atmosphere. But it’s not a different atmosphere. I feel like, at least for us, we want to fit in.

Mandy Rogers Horton: The sense of history and continuity is invaluable. With such an influx of non-Tennessee natives such as myself, it is important for New Nashville to keep a connection to Old Nashville. [Alterations by] Semra has been in the Arcade for something like 30 years, and I’ve had great conversations with her while having some pants altered. She is a wealth of insights and stories.  

Mike Mitchell: The idea that I have a studio space that almost everyone I know from Nashville has a connection to, from as many as 50 years back, is pretty incredible.  

Rod McGaha: Legacy businesses like Percy’s Shoe Shine provide a deep sense of history and continuity. Their presence reminds us of the Arcade’s roots and creates a unique blend of tradition and innovation that you can’t find anywhere else.

Katherine Frensley: Much of what I have learned has to do with the quality of the work and connections. When it comes to the art world, networking and creating connections is what helps us thrive.

Sarah Clinton: These legacy businesses are both a connection to the past and also a reminder of the importance of how local people have invested so much in the city. 

What makes working from the Arcade different from working from other places in town?

Lyon Porter: You’re downtown in a historic corridor, but you’re not on Broadway, right? It’s another iteration of what downtown Nashville is to all of us. A lot of locals don’t come downtown as much, and my hope is that this will give all of us a reason to be down here as well as tourists.

Jacob Strang: Jeff [Crabiel, co-founder of Ugly Bagels] and I both were in the hotel industry, so I can say, I think it’s a great location because we get a good mix of some tourists. I think as other stores open, there will be a little more foot traffic with tourists. But I think it’s just [as] accessible to locals as well.

Rebecca Davis: It’s going to be kind of new for us because we haven’t been in downtown Nashville, but I feel like it’s still a similar customer. One thing I feel like is, just with the history and the uniqueness of the atmosphere of the Arcade, I think it’s just going to be a really interesting and cool place for people to come.

Brittany Cobb: [In our 12South store] there’s no landlord, and we’re not in a development, if you will. But I also think it’s just a very different customer and experience. When someone’s leaving a hotel near the Arcade or downtown, they have a really different reason for being there than they do on 12South. I like that we have a wide net in Nashville.

Cesar Pita: Being in an area that is also a public space gives a different energy to being in the studio. At another spot, I might feel secluded. Here I get just the right amount of social interaction by just knowing that there’s people walking around. The fact that the studios are downtown has been an interesting adjustment. Downtown always seemed so intimidating when I first got to Nashville. I was an Uber driver for a couple of years, and was always trying to drive through insane crowds to pick up/drop off passengers. Being able to walk around more freely, and at a much slower pace, has allowed me to get to know the area better and feel as a part of the community.

XPayne: It’s kind of surreal, especially considering what I’m doing. I remember yearning to see artworks downtown that reflected my own feelings as a Black person here. Now I get the chance to feed my own desires for downtown. Honestly, I feel like the stakes for my work are higher. 

Mandy Rogers Horton: It has been fascinating to spend more time downtown. I have been in Nashville 20 years now, but my relationship to downtown has mainly been driving through or going around it to get across town. There is a lot of joy and energy in the bustle of the downtown area with a mix of locals and tourists. Having closer contact by walking rather than driving through the streets gives a sense of being and sharing in it together. … The city is reshaping itself in front of our eyes, but the ultimate impact is unpredictable. I sometimes scavenge debris and cast-off materials from the construction sites to incorporate in my installations. 

Rod McGaha: The Arcade is a hub of creativity, with an inspiring mix of artists, small businesses and history all under one roof. It’s not just a workspace — it’s a community that fuels ideas and collaboration.

Hearing From the Arcade’s New Owners

Talking to developer Rob Lowe and broker Elliott Kyle about charting a new course for the historic property

Do you feel that the new owners sought insight from longtime tenants?

Marrah Florita: There’s two ways you can definitely look at it. Business has to evolve, and when you as a business owner don’t own the property your business is in, you have no control over the future. And I feel like when you look at it from that direction, it was only going to evolve in this way. I hate to say it that way, and it really does break my heart that some of those businesses that have been here for like 60 years weren’t allowed to come back, but I also understand the price tag that this property was sold for and that the new ownership was kind of doing what they have to do, in their eyes, to make it thrive.

Anna Yi: I’ve never seen this owner. I’ve never seen them. Just the manager, the company. I’ve never talked to this owner.

How do you feel about the closure of longtime businesses like Manny’s?

Anna Yi: Everybody’s angry because it’s [been there] a long time. [Manny’s opened in the mid-1980s.]  Everybody liked the pizza store. But right now, everybody’s angry. Same here. Everybody’s talking. Same, angry.

Marrah Florita: In my business, I’ve had to pivot a lot. And I understand that that is too hard for some businesses to do. I respect and love the hell out of Manny and the House of Pizza family. [The new owners] really did try to work with them and move them, and they didn’t want to move. There were so many businesses I’ve seen leave that also tried to be like, “Stick it out with me.” I can see both sides, certainly. But I do think that the owners of the Arcade were fair in their strategic planning.

Are you optimistic about this new chapter?

Anna Yi: For my store, good or not? I don’t know. I don’t know. Nobody knows that. Everywhere in the Arcade, nobody knows. … My pocket money is different. Much, much different. But I want to keep my customers. Good customers.

Marrah Florita: I am very optimistic. In general, I will say it has been a little scary because it has been slower. I don’t ever want to get political, but I feel like ever since the election, it’s been very slow. Like, unusually slow. So I’m hoping in March that we get busy like usual. I think I have been a little bit wary in the last month, like, “Is business ever going to come back?” In general, I’m very optimistic. I think this will be a really cool place.

What do you imagine when you think of a typical day at the new-look Arcade?

Katherine Frensley: When I describe the Arcade to people who have never been or haven’t heard of it, I like to describe it as a terrarium. Yes, in a way, it looks like a terrarium with a glass ceiling with the sun shining through, but it is also a space that promotes a multitude of growth. Not only are artists given the space to grow within their practice, but they are also becoming and integrating themselves into the Nashville art community and scene. 

Cesar Pita: So far it’s been pretty chill. I park, walk to the space, say hello to the Arcade staff, who are always friendly and happy to see us. Sometimes I get a breakfast sandwich from Ugly Bagel before walking upstairs and seeing some of the other residents working in their spaces. I get to my studio and get to work. It’s a comforting setup for me to be in a space where I can feel a good sense of privacy while also feeling the energy and social interaction of people walking around the space.

XPayne: I would like to see the new-look Arcade as a place for avant-garde projects. Ideally I think a typical day would see local and touring creatives walking around the top level, and absorbing the work of everything going on. We know malls are dying everywhere, but this is a historic mall that could easily become a cultural hub if that’s what we want as a city.

Mandy Rogers Horton: I imagine more bustling traffic, especially Thursdays through Sundays when both locals and tourists are out for shopping and fun. The mix of shopping, good food and art studios will offer a really balanced encounter for anyone — much better than the overload of a typical shopping mall or strip mall. 

Mike Mitchell: Hopefully it will be Nashvillians and tourists supporting Nashville businesses, tipping well, and buying art from Arcade Arts residents!

What is your relationship with the other artists and businesses here?

Cesar Pita: I enjoy seeing the other artists in their spaces and have gotten to know everyone so much better. Being artists-in-arms is always a good feeling of belonging. 

XPayne: All of the other artists in the residency are cool. I don’t get to see everyone that often because of schedules, but we hang out after the Art Crawl, which is fun. Cesar and I are planning to do an art swap — I’m super excited to see what he has for me.

Mandy Rogers Horton: I love the spirit of the Arcade artists and businesses. Though we operate on different schedules, I am always looking at what the other artists are up to in their studios. There is a good sense of shared momentum and encouragement. Each Art Crawl is a good chance to catch up with each other as a whole group, and we often go out for drinks after the Art Crawl.  

Sarah Clinton: It is such a supportive community of passionate and engaged artists, and it has been a privilege to spend time with them and learn from them. It is always nice to be able to just say, “Hey, what do you think of this?” but also share projects we have been working on, and share opportunities that we come across that might be suited for one another. I think some unique collaborations will evolve! 

Rod McGaha: The relationships here feel like a creative family. There’s a lot of mutual respect and collaboration, and everyone genuinely wants to see each other succeed. The energy here fosters creativity and growth in ways that wouldn’t happen in isolation.

More from the Arcade’s longtime tenants.

Tony’s recently moved from its downstairs location to a smaller space on the Arcade’s second floor, and From Nashville With Love is also set to move to a different location in the Arcade. In 2022, the Scene spoke to beloved longtime Arcade shoe shiner Robert “Percy” Person about the then-upcoming renovations. “I don’t have the slightest idea of what it’s gonna be,” he told writer Erica Ciccarone. “I just hope I still be here.”

He told our photographers in January that business is still slow since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, and high parking prices in the area mean he’s decided to take the bus to work rather than driving.

Marrah Florita: We were the ones who installed these hardwood floors [in our store]. We really spent so much time, love and attention to fixing this place up. Sometimes I’ll groan, like, “Oh, my God! I can’t believe we’re leaving this!” or “They’re just going to demolish it!” At the same time, I also have a background in construction. ... Every other space in this building right now is new, as far as electrical and the bones. … So I’m sure everybody wants the peace of mind of all the bones being brand-new and not having to worry about wiring from the early 1900s. … It’s a huge, substantial jump to where they want to be charging rent from what I was paying with the old owners. I am very optimistic, but I also know I’m going to give it a shot for this amount of time, and hopefully it works. Obviously, if it doesn’t, I won’t be here for very long.

Anna Yi: Downstairs is so-so, but here, nobody knows [if it’s] good or not [upstairs]. I don’t know. That’s why it’s just a six-month contract. If I see, six months later it’s a little better, I’ll keep it here. But [if I] lose money too much, I cannot. I’ll give up. … ​​[I moved] upstairs, over here. It’s a different space. It was almost 900 square feet. Right now, [I’m in] 360 square feet. Three times as small, but rent has more than doubled.