It was an antique auction 30 years ago that got Micki Goetsch hooked on “pickin’.” She fell in love with all the elaborate pieces—each engulfed in some piece of unique history—being poked and prodded and sought after by the crowd. She did some research and started an antique booth but it quickly reached capacity. The only thing left to do was prop open the doors to her dream.

Arbor Antique Mall opened in April 2002 on South Margin Street in downtown Franklin. Derived from a 1800s barn, a 1920s grocery and two old homes, Arbor is packed with stories of old Franklin.

Dermess Renewal is in the business of making you glow. And not just for that holiday party or the special occasion—glow when you wake up in the morning and when you scrub your younger-looking face at night.

For 14 years, the medispa has been offering wrinkle-smoothing injectables and laser treatment consultations, plus customized aesthetic and wellness interventions. Now, the Nashville-based shop has opened a satellite location on Third Avenue South, delivering the same highly personalized skincare that tailors to each customer’s need and lifestyle, with an emphasis on a pressure-free environment.

In the old Bennett House, walls where Amy Grant’s voice once bounced around are now covered in handcrafted home accessories, custom floral arrangements and happy Christmas decorations. Shabby chic furniture and rustic antiques now grace rooms where recording equipment and Civil War soldiers used to rest.

The shop at 134 Fourth Avenue North operates like a merchant mall, with 12 vendors and consigners who blend together to show off rooms ‘n’ rooms of unique wares that include custom floral, antiques, artwork and gifts.

After more than 30 years working in malls, Bob Roethemeyer decided he needed a change — he wanted to spend his time doing what he loved.

If you’re a customer at Dion’s South on Main Street, you may be under the scissors of someone who has trained in Europe, courtesy of owner Richard Dion.

In 2007, the destination was Paris, where the staff attended the Mondial Coiffure Beauté hair show. Two years later, they were off to London for a private, five-day cut and color clinic at Vidal Sassoon Advanced Academy.  And in 2010, the team spent time in Portofino to style a celebrity client’s family wedding party before traveling to Venice for vacation – stopping at several top salons in Europe to learn styling and business techniques along the way.

A few years ago, Linda Gardner couldn’t find the jewelry she wanted at the price she needed—so she took matters into her own hands.

It all started with a passion for the holiday season.

Janis Gaudette has always been enthralled with Christmas—the cold weather, the smell of pine needles and the steaming hot cocoas—but what she really loves is the explosion of festive decorations.

She loved it so much, in fact, that she started participating in Christmas markets around the southeast, and selling her overflow merchandise in a small booth at an Opry Mills store.

For Maria Magdalena Molnar, Boutique MMM on Main Street is a dream come true. She never thought she’d own the upscale shoe store that now sits on the corner of the Public Square in downtown Franklin.

She’s nearly 1,000 miles from her former home in Palm Beach, Fla., but Maria says that moving was the best decision she could have made. Within a few months of living in Franklin, she became a first-time business owner.

Behind each piece of Rebecca Davis’s jewelry lies a part of history. It comes in different forms – an ancient pocket watch, a religious relic from Belgium, a centuries-old coin from Spain – but each bit is deliberately placed.

She’s held a fascination with the fashion industry since childhood, and often rummaged through her grandmother’s antique costume jewelry as a teen to repurpose pieces.  Rebecca launched her custom jewelry line, Mimi and Dottie, in the fall of 2008 and success came swiftly.