This Hidden Shopping Center In Nashville, Marathon Village, Is A Secret Gem Only Locals Know About
By Meghan Kraft|Published February 28, 2020
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Meghan Kraft
Author
Meghan Kraft loves to travel the world, but she makes her home right here in Nashville, Tennessee. She holds a degree in English, and has worked in the digital marketing realm with companies such as Apartments.com, USA Today and HarperCollins Publishing.
Nowadays, it doesn’t seem like much of Nashville is really “hidden.” The once quiet town in the heart of the American south has become a tourist mecca, the kind of place that locals hardly recognize and out-of-towners marvel at. Still, Nashville has a few spots throughout that city that herald a sweeter, calmer time, and one of them is Marathon Village. This beautiful and historic space is prime time when it comes to a Saturday morning. Come grab a cup of coffee and a sweet to go, and wander the shops within this stunning building on your own time. There’s no rush – it’s the south, after all.
The Marathon Motor Works building was built in 1881, and is best known for its former use as an auto factory. It was actually the first factory to manufacture automobiles in their entirety in the American south. The building itself has since been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The structure itself is stunning, as a brick-laden space just outside the heart of Nashville's bustling downtown. No longer a single-use facility, Marathon Motor Works, also known as Marathon Village, now plays host to a series of small businesses and shopping spaces.
Touted as a "creative community of unique retail, business, entertainment" on the Marathon Village website, this Nashville, Tennessee hidden gem boasts antique stores, work studios, and even a museum tour.
Marathon Village takes a lot of pride in its adaptive presentation of a historic structure. You come not only to peruse antiques or grab a cup of coffee, but to experience a stunning space in the midst of a contemporary reinvention.
You can find small retail spaces like The Faded Farmhouse, the Nashville Olive Oil Company, the Market Street Mercantile and Vincent Peach inside. Marathon Village is perfect if you're looking for jewelry storefronts and unique general stores! There's even a comedy club, Third Coast Comedy Club.
If you're looking to dine, make sure to pop by the Tennessee Legend Distillery, Bang Candy Company (try their homemade marshmallows!), Grinder's Switch Winery or the Southern Engine Deli for a stacked sandwich. Yum!
Marathon Motor Works also operates as a prime event venue, if you're looking. The next time you're on the west side of Nashville? Make sure to stop by! The building itself is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the week, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the weekends, but if you have a special shop in mind to visit then make sure to check their hours.
