The Store

A not-for-profit, retail store built for country music star Brad Paisley and his wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley. The Store offers a variety of foods that will help individuals strive for healthier lives through food choices, as well as nutritional education and cooking classes. Clients are given the opportunity to come to The Store for a one-year period. There is no charge to those referred or to the people and agencies that send them. They may shop for food to supplement their income during times of crisis and as they work toward self-sufficiency. Brad and Kimberly were inspired to get involved in the Nashville project after volunteering at a similar organization, Unity Shoppe, in Santa Barbara, Calif. The Paisleys partnered with Brad’s alma mater, Belmont University, to establish The Store’s location at 2005 12th Ave. South, next to the University’s Ministry Center. The location is convenient to bus routes and in the heart of Nashville’s ever-growing 12 South district. Belmont provided the property for The Store and ESa (Earl Swensson Associates), one of the largest architectural firms in Nashville, donated its services to design the project. The 3,933 square-foot facility’s exterior is a mixture of brick and EIFS with an EPDM roof. The grocery store contains a check-in desk for customer pre-qualification, a check-out station, two restrooms, a dry good section, frozen/refrigerated space and a second-floor mezzanine. Interior finishes include polished concrete floors, pendant LED lighting and custom wood-framed signage. For more information, visit www.thestore.org.