The Hot New Pop-Up Shop Bringing Nashville to Brooklyn
"It's not just fashion or just food or just music. It's a hybrid that incorporates a mix of them all."
Turns out you don’t have to head South to explore Music City. Greetings from Nashville, the pop-up at Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn, showcases dozens of Nashville’s most celebrated makers and designers throughout the month of October. Curated by The Callaway, a communications company founded by Nashville’s own (and formerly New York’s) Libby Callaway, the residency—nearly two years in the making—presents a stunning collection of art, home goods, apothecary, clothing and accessories, punctuated by special events and one-of-a-kind limited edition wares designed specifically for GFN.
For the opening party, cocktails were poured compliments of Corsair Distillery, while artist Bryce McCloud of Isle of Printing treated guests to a “Silhouette Party.” A similar event was held in Nashville, so the space is now decorated with “fringe” made from the faces of both Nashville and Brooklyn residents. The pop-up will close with a special weekend appearance by Nashville songwriter and vintage clothing collector Nikki Lane, the expert eye behind High Class Hillbilly, one of Nashville’s finest vintage boutiques. Guests will have the pleasure of perusing a reserved selection of her secondhand finds and Lane will also play a show in the Wythe’s intimate Screening Room on the pop-up’s final night, Oct. 29, with support from Jonathan Tyler and Kirby Brown.
We chatted with Callaway about how the project came to be and what visitors can expect from the pop-up.
You lived in Brooklyn right before moving to Nashville. What are some of the similarities between the two cities? And how did that play into the decision to host the event there?
Independent designers and makers are championed over major brand names. Folks in Brooklyn and Nashville both want to invest in the work of their friends and neighbors. Both groups show up for and support their own. Another similarity is that the creative community is multi-discipline: it’s not just fashion or just food or just music. It’s a hybrid that incorporates a mix of them all.
Who are the Nashville creatives that have space in the pop-up?
Barista Parlor, New Hat, Lemon Laine, Honor Of Wildsam, Salt Ceramics, Portmanteau, Otis James, Goodwin, Imogene & Willie, Sophie Simmons, Fanny & June, Alizah Greenberg, Wilder, Jamie + the Jones, Ona Rex, Marbles Accessories, High Class Hillbilly, Atelier Savas, Ceri Hoover, Liz Hodder Studio, Little Seed, AILA Cosmetics, Country Music Hall of Fame, Relic Home, Arrow & Anchor, Seraphine Design, Oil & Lumber, BLEVINS Ceramics, Third Man Records, Black by Maria Silver, Emil Erwin, Vadie Turner, Any Old Iron, Laura Citron, Elektric Alice, Yuyo Botanics, Diamond Star Halo, Fringe Supply Co. and Ranger Station
Can you tell us about some of the special events around GFN?
Past events included an opening party, and pop-ups from imogene + willie, Arrow & Anchor Antiques, and Relic Home. We also hosted an all-female chef dinner featuring chefs from Nashville: Julia Sullivan, Julia Jaksic, Lokelani Alabanza – with support from our friend Kerry Diamond, the editor of Cherry Bombe. (The dinner also featured sommelier Allie Poindexter, and author Caroline Randall Williams came up to read from her book, Lucy Negro Redux.) Still to come is the Nikki Lane concert on Oct. 29 and High Class Hillbilly pop-up from October 27 through 29.
And also about some of the special products created just for the show?
Jessica Cheatham of Salt Ceramics made a few special shapes of her hugely popular “lip” design; Laura Lemon of Lemon Laine concocted a special facial oil; Third Man Records worked with Crosley to create a co-branded TMR x GFN portable record player; Ellie Caudill of Marbles & Jessica Robertson of Honor Of collaborated on a special collection of “ear buddy” earrings and Savannah Yarborough of Atelier Savas made a special color range of leather bags for us.
Will Greetings from Nashville go on the road, beyond Brooklyn?
Wythe has been so amazing to work with from start to finish. [Wythe has long supported the arts and has hosted pop-ups since 2013.] They’ve truly encouraged every creative idea we’ve had. The response from everyone we reached out to was also just so unbelievable. The challenge is really figuring out how to make it vertical, so we can do this without overworking everyone!
Any other cities in mind?
We’ve talked about London, Los Angeles, and closer to home, like St. Louis.
Details:
Greetings from Nashville
Wythe Hotel: 80 Wythe Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11249
Through October 29, daily: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST
Greetingsfromnashville.net
