Brian Hitt and his dog Benny
Music City Modern’s owner Brian Hitt comes by the furniture business honestly. Growing up in Arkansas, his grandfather owned a furniture factory, and Hitt spent a lot of time using scrap wood to build his own creations — and just as much time digging through booths at antique malls with his mother and grandmother.
“On a regular basis, I remember getting lost in antique stores finding treasures, toys and cool junk that would later form my addiction,” Hitt says.
Hitt started buying and selling furniture as a hobby while his wife was going through grad school, and it blossomed into a business that has evolved from purveying all types of furniture to specializing in one style: midcentury modern. The design and architecture style known for its clean, sleek look has remained a staple years beyond its origin in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s.
“I think that what’s made midcentury modern furniture stay so popular is that the look itself is just timeless,” Hitt says. “It’s uniquely designed. It has a very minimalistic design, which makes it blend in with more modern and contemporary furniture.”
But the problem with owning a business in the South that focuses on midcentury modern furniture is that it’s pretty difficult to find items close to home. There are pieces scattered here and there in some Southern states, but the bulk of the furniture comes from places like Detroit or Chicago or in rural communities up in Yankee territory, Hitt says. That means Hitt has to load up his 11-year-old shop dog Benny in his restored 1989 Chevy van, which he named “Motley Blue,” to venture out to find the right pieces.
“Really, anywhere up North you can find a lot more than you find here,” Hitt says. “That’s pretty vague, but in the South, the midcentury modern movement wasn’t as popular as the more early-American style of furniture. In the North, they kind of held onto the minimal stuff — and a lot of families up there were buying nicer things post-World War II. But it just keeps getting more popular here now.”
Sometimes you can’t tell how great midcentury furniture is until you you strip it, Hitt says. Back when the furniture was originally made, builders would make do with different styles of wood and then stain them all to match so their furniture line looked cohesive.
“If the finish isn’t great, I just go ahead and strip it, refinish it and stain it,” Hitt says. “It’s really interesting because you find some gorgeous stuff underneath that people never even realized was there.”
Music City Modern’s clients are mostly local business owners, photographers, newlyweds and expectant mothers, but he’s also worked with the American Pickers TV show, Ford on a commercial, The Black Keys and Jack White, along with cast members and set designers from ABC’s Nashville.
Hitt didn’t realize it at first, but he sees now that his experience with furniture and collecting has come full circle. He also works producing music for indie, gospel and children’s choral arrangements, but he finds himself more intrigued by the history of the furniture he sells than by his day job as a musician.
“As a kid, I got to see firsthand how furniture was made — with love and attention and solid wood,” Hitt says. “It was really great to see that happen. And now to work with it almost every day is amazing. My grandpa would be proud.”
