Just a few short minutes from Brentwood is the sweet little town, Nolensville, which offers a fun afternoon of shopping and treasure hunting.
I’ve driven past the Nolensville Feed Mill several times and wanted to go in. Recently, my daughter and I decided to make an afternoon of browsing the Feed Mill and other Nolensville shops.
Nolensville is a small town in the middle of some beautiful farm land. In the last several years subdivisions have moved in and Nolensville has grown quickly. Nevertheless, driving down Nolensville Road through the old part of Nolensville feels like a step back in time.
On Nolensville Road
Antiques, a few crafts, boutique items and some “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” items can be found in the quaint shops on Nolensville Road.
My daughter and I started at the Nolensville Feed Mill. We spent quite a while speaking with Darin Scheff, who bought The Feed Mill in 2005.
The Feed Mill is a beautiful old building, over 120 years old. Scheff points out that it is the oldest existing business in Williamson County, which is why he kept the name The Feed Mill when he bought the business.
My daughter and I both agreed that we felt like we had stepped back in time walking through the old building, particularly as we walked up the mill stairs and stared out the window at the creek running out back of the mill.
Antiques & Other Goodies
You won’t find food for your animals at The Feed Mill; you will find beautiful antiques, crafts and treasure. Scheff has converted The Feed Mill into a venue for antiques and craft items.
The biggest draw of the place lately is the great Amish goods he sells. There were the usual jars of the jellies and jams but Maddie and I were drawn especially to the unusual things. I was intrigued by the pickled eggs, particularly the pickled jalapeno eggs.
A popular item, according to Scheff, has been the roll butter. It would go great with the beautiful homemade breads. My mouth waters thinking about the homemade Amish sweet rolls that come in 3 flavors.
Fresh Foods & Sweet Treats
Another thing that caught my eye was the freshly made chicken salad made with all white meat and grapes or cranberries. At $4.35, it makes a great item to pick up for lunches or a picnic. The tubs of freshly made pimento cheese would have caught my mom’s eye.
People in the area who are looking for great organic products will be impressed with The Feed Mill. They carry fresh, whole organic Hatcher Dairy milk (creamier than anything I’ve ever seen), as well as beautiful free range organic eggs.
I was picturing all of the beautiful country-style meals that could be prepared with products from The Feed Mill.
The Feed Mill shelves are stocked with all kinds of great looking candy. The Feed Mill is already known for its peanut, chocolate and pecan brittle. Maddie’s eyes lit up when she saw the chocolate-covered cookie dough bites.
Scheff showed me and Maddie a shelf filled with packages of homemade noodles. They all looked delicious, but the ones that we thought looked the tastiest were called pot pie noodles. “You take your ham and potatoes and layer these noodles in,” said Scheff. “It’s the ultimate in comfort food.”
Handmade Home Goods
It wasn’t just the food that was a treat to see. There were many other handmade Amish goods, including beautiful handmade cookware.
For $35 there were stunning rolling pins. There were hand-carved cooking spoons and tools. I loved looking at all the toys. My boys would have immediately hoped they had the $5 of allowance money they needed to purchase the Amish made slingshot that I saw.
I also loved the Amish clothing. Scheff explained that it was authentic — I could see the small dresses and bonnets being used as decorations in homes. Maddie liked trying on the Amish hats and bonnets.
Antiques Vendors
The day that we were in The Feed Mill, Scheff was in the process of reorganizing the store.
He rents out booth spaces to area antique and craft vendors.
There were lots of really interesting antiques to buy, as well as handmade crafts. The vendors regularly change their products and booths, which means that each time you go back, you will have new treasures to see.
The Feed Mill’s Future
Scheff has big plans for The Feed Mill.
The Feed Mill includes a 4,400 square foot building next door which Scheff plans on turning into a climate-controlled space to sell organic vegetables and eggs. Currently, The Feed Mill has fresh, beautiful produce in the summer but Scheff would like to offer it all year round.
He made us laugh at his plans for a future slogan, “Nolensville Feed Mill, where we feed good folks and a few old goats.”
Locals have already been fed at the Feed Mill. In the summer, Scheff brings in Uncle Bud’s Catfish on the weekends, and folks gather for outdoor fish frys. Scheff is working to bring in Uncle Bud’s throughout the year.
Scheff’s plans are also to use the building next to the feedmill to create an environment where people can come in, scoop out their own fresh coffee beans from buckets, and shop for beautiful produce. Eventually, he plans on people being able to eat lunch there.
We plan to have a place where we will sell great meats and breads and we can slice you off a great slice of ham or roasted turkey. It won’t be the kind you get in the stores that is a paper thin and doesn’t’ taste like anything, I want it to be thick and tasty — if we serve a little extra, who cares.
— Darin Scheff
There are other great stops you can make on a trip to Nolensville, but The Feed Mill alone is worth making the trip just to explore the building and find unique items and great food.
The Feed Mill is closed on Mondays, but open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Nolensville Feed Mill
7280 Nolensville Road
Nolensville, TN 37135
(615) 776-4252
I recently moved to the area and am on a fast track to getting to know my way around. I have 4 kids, so I will be writing a lot about family-friendly activities. I also network with several other mothers and am always looking for good ideas.
