Tennessee Gets Wilder

After working for two decades as artists and performers in New York, Josh and Ivy Elrod wanted a change of scene. “Josh is a rabid collector, so I’ve always said we needed to have a store,” says Ivy, an actress and former Rockette. “We were initially looking at doing it in New York, but the market is already so saturated. We wanted to pioneer something new.” And so they headed for Nashville, where they opened Wilder this past weekend. The shop offers plenty of Brooklyn-born wares—woven baskets by Doug Johnston, porcelain dishes from Souda, and planters by Issac Nichols—and some internationally-sourced pieces like printed scarves from A Peace Treaty. In coming months, the couple plans to fold more local artisans into the mix. “We hope it will be place where artists just come to hang out,” says Ivy. “We are creating a space that almost selfishly engenders relationships.” Always a good idea when you’re new in town.