May 1, 2009

Gaylord’s Broadway gift shop caters to broad audienceBy Cindy WattsTennessean.com

Thoughts about shopping on lower Broadway can conjure up images of Hank Williams coffee mugs, Elvis ashtrays and more than a few hot-pink cowboy boots.

But with the mid-April opening of Opry Originals: The Shop on Broadway, that somewhat limited vision can be expanded. The new store, at 300 Broadway, is a cousin to the Opry gift shop at the Grand Ole Opry House and includes high-end apparel, baby gifts, pottery, kitchenware, textiles and even an old- fashioned snack bar.

“We wanted to have a broad range of products so that the store in large part appeals to that country lifestyle,” said Steve Buchanan, senior vice president of media and entertainment at Gaylord. “We wanted to also appeal to people who love to shop. … We want it to be much more than the stereotypical souvenir shop.”

That means that while commemorative Opry and Music City T-shirts are offered, so are leather jackets and shirts that Buchanan calls “very current with a lot of style.”

A clothing line designed exclusively for the Opry store by famed clothier Manuel has Buchanan particularly excited. The line includes embroidered men’s and women’s Western shirts, jeans and jackets.

“It’s a little bit more of an upscale, fashionable apparel line,” Buchanan said.

However it was the pottery that caught the attention of the Duvall family, in town from Seneca, S.C. A colorful pottery display lines the front right wall of the 5,000-square-foot store, along with an informative slide show about the artisan who created the pieces.

Read complete article.