Took a trip to Knoxville, TN last weekend. It just so happens to be exactly halfway between Charlotte and Cincinnati, therefore making it the perfect meeting point for two luvas in a LDR. And lucky for me, my luva likes old stuff just as much as I do. So we made it a point to check out as many record stores, antique shops and vintage clothing boutiques as possible. Among our favorites were: Hot Horse, Raven Rarities and Records, Nostalgia and Willow Creek Gallery (which is the subject of this post).

Willow Creek Gallery is an architectural salvage warehouse specializing in European antiques from the 18th century to modern design. Everything is housed in a big ol’, rundown, rail warehouse in the Old City. It is a very unassuming place from the outside, but once you cross the threshold, you enter a gloriously large room with exposed ceilings, dramatic skylights and rows of centuries old furniture. It was absolutely fascinating. I cannot express how perfect the ambiance was. We were Bill and Ted stepping into a bygone era of excellent antiques.

Among my favorite things were the large-scale glass jugs, cabinets with more drawers than a Calvin Klein ad, a beautiful wooden row boat that hung from ceiling rafters, the aisles of occasional chairs and two taxidermy squirrels playing poker.

Definitely worth a look-see if you’re ever in the East Tennessee neck of the woods.