Imogene + Willie
Hailing from Henderson, Kentucky, Matt and Carrie Eddmenson - childhood friends and now a married couple - worked together in Carrie's family business, developing denim collections for brands like Rogan, Earnest Sewn, Seven, J.Brand, etc. They moved to Nashville in May 2009; refurbished an ex-gas station; moved Nestor, a pattern maker and sewer, and Gloria, a master sewer, in June; and, in July, opened the magical store that we were lucky to visit in February. The store sells handpicked denim from select brands like J.Brand and A.P.C, choice vintage pieces like cowboy leather jackets and boots, scarves hand-dyed by Carrie's brother in India, and Imogene + Willie brand bespoke jeans, made of tough denim that you have to work into.
Gruhn Guitars
This is the place to get a guitar, banjo, mandolin or any "fretted" instrument, if you're picky about terminology like the experts at Gruhn. George Gruhn started the store in 1970 and it has come to be one of the, if not the premier place in the US to buy instruments. The client list is a who's who of musicians – Eric Clapton, Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Neil Young and many, many more. The store and repair shop specializes in vintage models and they keep a file on the history of each and every instrument in their inventory. Basically, if music is your thing, you've got to pay them a visit. Their website is a frett afficionado's haven with George Gruhn's newsletters on fretted instruments and features on particularly special models. If there's a vintage model you're particularly interested in, let them know and they'll keep an eye out for you.
