Anthropologie is officially headed for Nashville’s 12South neighborhood, with the national home and apparel retailer set to move into space created by the redevelopment of the original White’s Mercantile storefront. The deal plants a major national brand on 12th Avenue South just as the block is being reworked for larger, mixed-use retail. The news was first reported on Friday by the Nashville Business Journal.
Reporter Julia Masters of the Nashville Business Journal writes that Anthropologie will be the new tenant at the White’s Mercantile site in 12South. The lease is tied to a new building planned for the property, according to that report, which also notes that no firm opening date has been announced yet.
White’s Mercantile, the locally owned general store launched by musician Holly Williams, is not disappearing from the neighborhood. Instead, it is shifting down the street while its original space is redeveloped, NewsChannel 5 reports. That coverage points out that the shop shared the move on social media and is taking over the former MAFIAoZA’s space as renovations get underway.
12South’s changing retail landscape
Developers and restaurateurs have been steadily reshaping 12South, carving up and reselling smaller parcels, then rebuilding to lure larger tenants and mixed-use projects. As the Nashville Business Journal has chronicled, that mix of local investment and national brands helps explain why a retailer like Anthropologie would zero in on 12th Avenue South.
Anthropologie’s local footprint
Anthropologie already lists a Nashville store in the Gulch, so a 12South outpost would give the brand two distinct in-city locations, with room for different merchandising mixes for locals and tourists alike. The company’s current Nashville entries are listed on Anthropologie…