AMY MONTGOMERY HOME — AT HOME IN NASHVILLE FRANKLIN, AND NOW COLUMBIA

By William Harwood

Photos by Allison Elefante

It was love at first sight. The time was May 2021. The place is downtown Columbia, Tennessee. As odd as it now seems, Amy Montgomery of Amy Montgomery Home had yet to set foot in the picturesque town or enjoy its historic square. In fact, if it weren't for the recommendation from her mother, longtime Franklin resident who had taken to retreating to the serenity of nearby Columbia for the weekend shopping, Amy may still not have discovered Columbia's unspoiled charms. But discover them she did, and in the most magical, 'Mayberry Moment' of ways. To celebrate her husband’s birthday, Amy rented Two Lanes Guesthouse, the unique loft on the square owned by Mike Wolfe of American Pickers. Strolling downtown, the couple walked into Smith & York, a home decor store. Adam York, one of the store's owners, immediately recognized her. "Oh my gosh!" he yelled as customers turned to stare. “It's Amy Montgomery from Instagram! It's my pleasure to meet you!" While the two new friends chatted, Amy sent her husband, John, to get a table for dinner. He didn't have to go far. In fact, all Amy had to do was step out on the sidewalk to see him wave to her from the nearby restaurant. "Hey, honey, I got us a table," he called out. "Let's just have fun this weekend and pretend like we live here."

Photos by Allison Elefante

Photos by Allison Elefante

The couple didn't have to pretend long. Just two weeks later, they bought a house in Columbia, and, shortly after that, they purchased one more on Walker Street, a Victorian home built in 1895 that has become the epicenter of Amy's home entertaining and decor business. "We wanted to come to a smaller town with a wonderful community," Amy says. “We found the perfect places, just a block and a half from the square with lots of foot traffic. Franklin is just twenty minutes away, and the big city is still at our fingertips."

By "big city," of course, Amy refers to Nashville, her home of 38 years. Growing up, Amy developed her love of entertaining from her grandmother and mother, a passion that would eventually prove pivotal to her commercial success. "My Grandmother and my mother were both wonderful hostesses," she says. "I learned the art of hosting a guest, of being able to enjoy the luxury of having people in your home. To me, one of the most intimate, personal things you can do is invite someone into the space in which you live."

It also didn't hurt that her grandmother was a professional florist and expert horticulturist. "She filled her yard with rose bushes," Amy recalls. "One of my earliest memories is her walking with me and telling me the names of each — a Tropicana, a Double Delight." Clearly, those lessons took root, continuing to bloom to this day. "Fresh flowers say I took the time to purchase them, to arrange them, to say that 'I care that you're here.' It's living in the moment," says Amy.

Amy's moment to truly flower commercially began some seven years ago when she opened a shop inside Gas Lamp Too in the 100 Oaks area. "I started with vintage furniture," she says. “That led to designing custom pillows to help accessorize and design her space." The pillows, along with entertaining essentials such as Caspari napkins, proved very popular, and Amy phased out the furniture. Then the pandemic struck.

Photos by Allison Elefante

"During COVID," she says, "I worked behind the scenes at home, ordering more placemats and napkins and started doing live, Instagram sales, selling all over the U.S. and acquiring a lot of followers.” Amy began sharing videos of how to set a table. “I've actually had people tell me that being able to sit down at their table and set it during COVID when you couldn't go out to dinner, couldn't go anywhere, literally got them through."

Photos by Allison Elefante

Photos by Allison Elefante

Amy also began to share floral arrangements on Instagram. “I called them 'Flower Fridays,'” she says. “I had moms who got on Google calls with their daughters and would pull up Instagram and watch the videos together. That was kind of their family time to sit and enjoy the florals.” The results spoke for themselves. As the pandemic finally crested and Nashville retail was allowed to reopen, Amy got a call from Gas Lamp telling her that literally dozens of ladies were leaving with stacks of her placemats and napkins because they had watched her videos on Instagram.

Photos by Allison Elefante

Now, thankfully, folks don’t have to rely only on Amy’s Instagram videos but can visit her new flagship store and meet her in person. Located in the historic Athenaeum District of Columbia, just a block and a half from the square, now known as The 808 House which provides 2,300 square feet of relaxed shopping. Patrons and passersby can come in, be welcomed at the door by Amy or one of her staff, then amble to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee and help themselves to a snack. As one would expect of a home built in 1895, there is a large front porch complete with wicker seating. For patrons' furry friends on leashes, a water bowl awaits on the porch as does, oftentimes, Missy the shop cat.

Photos by Allison Elefante

Photos by Allison Elefante

In addition to the 808 House being the flagship for Amy Montgomery Home, Amy also leases part of the house to Aubree P. Boutique, a retail shop for women. While the 808 House is a relaxed place to shop and rest a spell, Amy and Aubree also host a monthly event called Boards and Blooms where participants learn how to prepare charcuterie boards and arrange flowers. “It is absolutely an enchanting evening. The key to what I do is engagement," Amy says. "I teach how to take what you have, add a little something to it, and make it work." The evening is filled with learning, listening, appetizers, and after-hours shopping, and always a special gift from the hosts.

Photos by Allison Elefante

Amy is certainly making The 808 House a destination, routinely drawing in friends from Franklin and day trippers from Nashville to northern Alabama to Columbia to shop. While enjoying their sweet Mayberry, Amy and her husband live in such close proximately they are able to walk to church, dinner, and shop around the historic square in Columbia. But, still, with a quick 20-minute commute to Franklin, Amy is with her family enjoying all of her favorite Franklin shops and restaurants.

For additional information, visit amymontgomeryhome.com where you can sign up for the monthly newsletter and learn more about upcoming events. Follow Amy on Instagram at @amymontgomeryhome.