By Charlotte Fontaine
NASHVILLE, TN — Thundermoon Collective is more than an eclectic shop nestled in between Van Gogh’s Wine Bar and Five Points Alley Shops in East Nashville. For owner Nina Brito, the store is a lifestyle and extension of who she is. Featuring home goods, one-of-a-kind jewelry, vintage glassware, a men and women’s clothing section, foreign cookware and books, handmade vases and so many more trinkets, walking around Thundermoon is like tearing off pieces of cotton candy that swirl between beautiful pinks and blues, and one doesn’t want to reach the bottom of the tub.
“I decided to start supporting small businesses around the world. It always fascinated me that people can paint beautiful things or make pretty jewelry,” Nina opened, explaining she used to own a plant shop in California before deciding to take her long-term knowledge of working in retail and go into a different kind of retail business for herself. The name comes from a text from a friend years ago, which said “get on your roof… there is a Thundermoon tonight” (also called a “Buck” or Full moon). Her inventory, which she finds through thrifting in neighboring small towns in Tennessee and online (where she says she is “all the time”) is eclectic, artistic, and unique.
Nina made approximately six sales in the time I spoke with her, greeting guests affectionately with a “I’m so happy to see you! Would you like some rose?” Her passion for creativity (though she claims she herself is not an artist) and her talent for finding beautiful and intricate items is delightful to watch as she would excitedly explain where various pieces came from: “I have a Portuguese flannel company that hand makes and tailors these shirts…. the ‘potheads’ (vases) are from San Miguel De Allende, where a 23-year-old started her own company.” Everything one can see in the store has an interesting and unforgettable backstory.
Brito’s desire to “start conversations and highlight amazing artists across the world” is evident through the curation of the walls, the shelves, the flooring, and every detail that fills up the house-turned-retail space. “I started this store and it was very important to me that when you walked in it didn’t feel like anything was too precious to touch or smell, I want it to feel like you’ve walked into my living room and feel warm welcoming, like you belong here even though you’ve never stepped foot in here, like you just came over for dinner.”
Brito prides herself on guests going to the store for more than a shopping trip; “Come here for an experience, come here to be part of the family.” With a light floral scent, soft lighting, and a fashionable crowd of foot traffic, Brito has captured her target audience, though it is more important to cultivate relationships rather than “just sell [her] items for a paycheck…This is a community space. Product is secondary. Everything in here, we buy with intention. Everything has a story, which starts with a base of sustainable fair trade or is hand made. If it doesn’t meet one of those things it doesn’t make it in.” She speaks with fondness of other local small businesses, who she credits with the opening and continued success of the store. “I have curated such a great community. It’s about the people behind the products, and hosting workshops and singer-songwriter nights. There will always be random spots in the store where I carve out space for community, for people to come and drink wine with me at four o’clock on Friday, just to hang and talk and meet new people.”
The store brings people together to bond over art, style, and deciding which local restaurant is best in East Nashville. Brito has created a beautiful pocket of creativity in Thundermoon Collective that deserves a star on the map of small local businesses to see. You can follow Brito’s story online, where she enjoys creating friendships, sharing the ins and outs of running a small business on her own with help from her husband, and visit the shop yourself located at 1110 Woodland St in Nashville.
It is open Wednesday through Sundays, and hours are located on her instagram page, @thundermooncollective.
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