The Art Barn



As most of you know, I work auctions sometimes on Satuday mornings. The early morning drives to these auctions can sometimes bring more adventure than I bargained for, but I certainly don't mind. This Saturday the auction was in a small town near where I live called Eagleville. I am sure most of you Middle Tennessee natives have heard plenty about it. It's a cute little town about 30 minutes from Murfreesboro that has about one stop light and a couple of restaurants. It reminds me alot of where I grew up- Woodbury, Tennessee.

On the way to Eagleville I noticed a neat old barn on the side of the road that looked like it had been converted into a business. I am ALL ABOUT turning old buildings, factories, barns, etc into businesses or homes, so of course I wanted to stop in and see what they had done with the place. The business was called The Art Barn. It was such an adorable barn on the side of Highway 99 with not much around. I thought, "I'll stop in and check it out." Boy, oh boy.. I was not quite prepared for what was in store.

Joe, the owner, greeted me at the door and immediately said, "Do you like dogs?" "Of course, I love dogs," I said, as his beautiful dog rushed and jumped onto my legs for a quick petting. The inside of the barn was so neat. It has been converted into a gallery, space for classes, loft for an office and small kitchen area. Joe informed me of the multitide of classes they provide on a daily to weekly basis. They literally have an medium of art you could imagine.

After serving me a warm cup of Just Love Coffee (a local non-profit, charity brewer in Murfreesboro) he gave me a bit of a tour of his wifes studio upstairs. (Yes, it was 90 degrees outside, but who cares... there is NO wrong time for a good cup of Joe.) As we walked up the stairs, he began to tell me how they started the business and all the many talents his wife possessed. He told me all about this technique his wife was learing where she made abstract art with wax. After a lengthy explanation, he said, "But she really doesn't like this one and she hasn't been doing it long, that's why these items are upstairs in the private studio..." Then he flips it around and I was floored. It was so incredibly gorgeous.

After talking with Joe for about thirty minutes I left with a revived spirit. I was not sure what I enjoyed the most: him telling me all about art, their business and all the different mediums in which they provided art to the world. Or the passion in which he spoke of his beautifully talented wife. It was so sweet... he closed his eyes and smiled so big as he talked about her. I loved it and really needed it that day.

I will certainly be back to The Art Barn. For more information, check out their website: http://theartbarntn.com/Home_Page.html



What could make this weekend even better? A delicious and healthy pizza of course. Murfreesboro just got a great new restaurant called "You Pie" Pizza. What so neat about "Your Pie" is they have delicious, fresh and healthy ingredients. They even have gluten free crust! You can make your own pizza complete with any topping you want, or you can chose one of their neat selections. My personal favorite: The Hippie. Thin Wheat crust with tomatoe basil sauce, artichokes, spinach, peppers, tomatoes, fresh mozarella and mushrooms. The entire pizza is under 700 calories, too! I have a feeling this place is going to be a hit! At least with me ;) Check it out! http://www.yourpie.com/murfreesboro