the real story: TEDx
WEEK 66 - OCTOBER 24, 2012
A couple of months ago, Matt and I accepted the kind invitation from TEDxAtlanta to give a TED talk. With a massive amount of support from the TEDxAtlanta team and our team at imogene + willie, we spent weeks preparing for the talk. Formal outlines were submitted, the story was written, then… we had to put it into speakable words. That’s where the shit hit the fan! Four days prior to heading to Atlanta for the talk, we locked the doors at our house and had a shut-in with Elise, Jonathan, Jessica and Joe from our team. We tried every...
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the belcourt
WEEK 65 - SEPTEMBER 19, 2012
It is hard to convey to you in this day and age the allure the Belcourt Theatre had for me in my youth. Sitting with dignity a block back from the head shops, boutiques and the already overrated Pancake Pantry, the Belcourt offered movies that you would never see in Green Hills or Belle Meade, much less Clarksville. While it was true music was emerging as a cultural force in town, Hillsboro Village was the only place where you could find students, hippies, pickers and soldiers from Fort Campbell mixing with the neighbors. Predictably, I saw Woodstock and The Harder...
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supper + song
WEEK 64 - September 5, 2012
This is the story of our supper+song, a story thread that we hoped would grow and grow for years to come. But probably now, it just became a legend. Matt and I, along with our friends and family, spent April, May and June of 2009 renovating the gas station in preparation for the July opening of imogene + willie. I will never forget one late night, about a week before we had everything ready for opening day… I took Matt by the hand and drug him out to the backyard of the shop. We stood in the middle of the...
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i+w x made in kind
WEEK 63 - August 2, 2012
When large companies contact us requesting to explore a wholesale relationship with them, our automatic response has been, “thanks so much for reaching out to us, but we just aren’t ready.” When Anthropologie, a division of the 42-year-old Urban Outfitters Corporation, reached out to us 6 months ago, we said just that. “No thank you.” They asked that we at least allow them to share with us why they were calling: they were developing a new initiative that seemingly would be in line with our philosophies. I think we said “no thank you” again… TWICE! Our wholesale director, Brian Awitan,...
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Sideshow Sign Co.
WEEK 62 - July 19, 2012
If you’ve come to one of the past few events in our backyard, or even just seen any photos from the evenings, you may have noticed a glowing, behemoth TN sign residing behind the performers. On all of these nights, we have watched people young and old admire and even take their picture in front of it. We are big fans of our friends at Sideshow Sign Co. and would like to tell you about them… Aussie graphic designer and builder, Luke Stockdale, was born to a mother who was a collector, teacher and former magic shop owner. He grew...
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backyard mixtape
WEEK 61 - July 4, 2012
The Fourth of July falls right smack dab in the middle of the week this year, which unfortunately does not allow much time for getting away for a long weekend. In case you find the opportunity to take a day trip, chill by the pool or spend a day reveling in the air conditioning, we mixed up a little something for you – a special selection of tunes from performers that have played in the backyard over the years at our supper+song event. We appreciate all of these artists so much, and hope you enjoy listening to it as much...
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the ettes + ultras s/c
WEEK 60 - June 28, 2012
Simply put, the stars aligned for our third installment of supper + song. What started as a casual brainstorming session with Coco Hames and Jem Cohen (two members of The Ettes) over a beer in East Nashville turned into one of those perfect summer evenings in our cozy backyard. We started off the night with an incredible blues rock set from Nashville’s brand new ULTRAS S/C. Though they are a burgeoning band, each member has the equivalent experience of a seasoned rock band. Jemina Pearl, Ben Swank and Chet Weise are all friends of ours. We count ourselves lucky that...
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allister ann
WEEK 59 - June 21, 2012
It was around Christmas nearly four years ago when I first met the talented miss Allister Ann. A dinner with mutual friends quickly spiraled into a sweet friendship and shared appreciation of fashion, art and blogging. Since then, we’ve made many fun memories together – from hours chatting about life in a hot tub on Cayamo Cruise to too-many-cocktails-turned-bathroom-photoshoot; we’ve enjoyed lazy brunches at Nashville-fave Marché and even collaborated on numerous photoshoots. In all the time I’ve spent with Allister, I can tell you, this gal’s got somethin’ special. At the ripe age of 17, Allister was in Los Angeles...
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an ode to our fathers
WEEK 58 - June 14, 2012
I’ve always heard that we can count our most truly precious relationships on one hand. I think it’s both hands, though. Because what would we be without – whether blood or not – our grandparents, our parents or alternate mentors filling that role, our siblings, a few best friends, the last mate that we eventually find to love. And then for some, the next cycle… precious children. That makes it two hands and a half, then. It’s too easy to forget how these handful of people shape our lives, through many many really good times and through plenty of bad....
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