Cracker Barrel Place

Over the past 30 years, the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store has sold us on more than good food and souvenirs. The country-cozy decor always made customers feel close to home … even those raised in Manhattan. The Lebanon, Tenn.-based company has partnered a country-style restaurant with retail in almost 400 locations in 36 states. But recently, the store went solo.

The first retail-only “test” location, The Store, opened at the Hickory Hollow Mall in Nashville this summer. The Store, the very first extension of the Cracker Barrel brand, is very recognizable to interstate travelers turned mall-dwellers, since turn-of-the century country stores also inspired the look of this 4000-square-foot shop. It features a front porch with Hinkle rocking chairs, hardwood floors and a working fireplace. Warm lighting and furniture-like fixtures also support the country-home illusion.

Expecting the mall location to attract a different kind of consumer than the restaurant locations, proprietors shifted the merchandise mix. Much of the same items can be found in both venues, but instead of souvenirs, The Store focuses more on home furnishings, collectibles, apparel and take-home food products.

The Store also promises to keep the friendly service, free signature gift-wrapping and complimentary gift boxes — the amenities that made Cracker Barrel an oasis for the road-weary.

Client Design: Cracker Barrel Old Country Store — Aimee Davis, vp, account management; Stephen Bresler, visual merchandising director

Design: Design Forum, Dayton, Ohio — Bruce Dybvad, senior vp of design and architecture; Paul Ashburn, project manager

Suppliers: Our Country Home Inc., Grabill, Ind. (fixtures and furniture); Sullins House, Fremont, Ind. (wall mural); Silvestri California, Los Angeles (mannequins/forms); Halo Lighting, Elk Grove Village, Ill., and Indy Lighting Inc., Fishers, Ind. (lighting); Cracker Barrel Old Country Store decor warehouse (an in-house antique collection), Lebanon, Tenn. (props and decoratives); Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Lebanon, Tenn. (signage)

Photographs: Scott Bartelson, Nashville