Story by Karen Parr-Moody
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Last Friday the Smith-Trahern Mansions’s rooms were filled with the scent of fresh-baked pies and the happy chatter that comes with a marketplace. Even outdoors, on the porch and in a side building, vendors had set up wares and produce. (Yes, there is produce this late in the season, as many shoppers were surprised to find.)
Tara Russell stood before a bounty of fresh greens that were so picture perfect they could have been in a photo in Southern Living magazine.
“We’ve had a few people come up and say, ‘You’re still getting this many greens in?” Russell said.
Russell was one of many vendors who participate in the Winter Market every Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. She was representing the Food Initiative, a local nonprofit that grows vegetables according to organic practices. The Food Initiative’s wooden boxes were filled with kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, baby lettuces, broccoli and radishes.
Other vendors sold produce outdoors, including Columbus Jones and Steve Nagy. Connell Austin, of Connell’s Cakes, sat on the mansion’s porch selling decadent confections dripping in caramel. Gary and Mel Cryder operated a Maui Wowi Hawaiian coffee and smoothie stand nearby.
Inside, every room of the mansion held tables overflowing with gifts and food for the holiday season. There were jams, pies, crafts, girls’ tutus, quilts, jewelry, glassware and more.
“This is as full as I have seen the market in months,” said Jan Lucus, who was selling baby quilts, handmade teddy bears, bread pudding, apple pie and pumpkin pie. “I am thrilled. This fall we’ve been busy every week.”
The market operates during the winter and early spring, when the Clarksville Downtown Market is closed for the season.
If you are interest in participating in the Winter Market at the Smith-Trahern Mansion, please contact Barbara Brown at 931-801-0822 or mamabee@twotzus.com or Martha Pile at 931-648-5725 or mmpile@utk.edu. The Smith-Trahern Mansion is located at 101 McClure Street, at the corner of 1st Street and McClure Street.
The Food Initiative offered bins filled with fresh greens.
Inside the mansion, booths were bustling.
Jan Lucus sold pies, baby quilts and handmade teddy bears at her booth.
Karen Parr-Moody began a career as a New York journalist, working as a fashion reporter for Women’s Wear Daily, a beauty editor for Young Miss and a beauty and fashion writer for both In Style and People magazines. Regionally, she has been a writer at The Leaf-Chronicle newspaper and currently writes about arts and culture for Nashville Arts magazine each month.