“Love Thy Neighborhoods” — It’s the Nashville Way
With its brand new grassroots campaign, "Love Thy Neighborhoods," the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. encourages locals to "keep Music City singing!"
When we say we’re Nashville Strong, we aren’t mincing words. One of our city’s most impressive features lies in how we rally behind our local businesses, come to our neighbors’ aid, and foster community — particularly during challenging times. There’s no doubt we are living in those times right now, and our neighborhood shops and restaurants feel the heat. The pandemic has hit our local economy with unparalleled force, with estimates that our city is losing $100 million each week in visitor revenue. To encourage us to support Nashville’s ecosystem and help our favorite mom-and-pop businesses survive this setback, the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. has launched “Love Thy Neighborhoods,” its first grassroots campaign urging locals to safely patronize locally owned restaurants, hotels, music venues, attractions, and retail establishments.
The purpose of “Love Thy Neighborhoods” is to keep our vibrant Music City scene alive and make up for some of the hospitality industry’s financial loss by getting us out to show some love for our favorite local spots. The campaign is ensuring that our city can successfully maintain all of the inspiring entertainment and one-of-a-kind establishments that make Nashville the city we know and love. “Our neighborhood businesses throughout Nashville are what makes us a unique and authentic city,” says Butch Spyridon, President and CEO of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. “They add to the quality of life for locals and have made Nashville a top global destination for visitors.”
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So, what can we do to make a direct impact? It’s all about venturing back out into our community, visiting our beloved locally owned spots around town — as long as we feel safe and we’re able to do so — and tagging them on social media. Stop at a flower truck to buy a bouquet, hit up your favorite boutique for a birthday gift, enjoy a staycation, sip a latte at the corner coffee shop, grab a slice from the walk-up pizza joint down the street, or order a cocktail at your favorite dive bar. And then? Post about it. Let your friends and family know what makes Nashville exciting — you might even discover a few new hotspots yourself! “Local spots are the heart of Nashville and what makes the city special, and we need to do all we can to help them survive,” Butch adds.
As if we need more incentive to give back to the businesses we love, our local businesses are giving back to us, too. Restaurants and retail locations such as Oak Steakhouse, Deacon’s New South and Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery have deals and discounts to prompt our patronage and give us even more of an excuse to explore what Nashville has to offer. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to participate in the Love Thy Neighborhoods campaign and give our city a much-needed boost of support.
How to Participate in the “Love Thy Neighborhoods” Campaign:
- Pick your favorite locally owned Nashville spots.
- Tag them on social media and tell your friends and family why you love them.
- Encourage fellow Nashvillians to safely support these small, locally owned businesses, and ask them to tag their favorite Nashville spots in return. The more, the merrier!
- Tag @visitmusiccity and use the hashtag #LoveLocal, #Nashville, and #MusicCity.
Now, let’s get out and show some support for our home team!
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For more ideas on how to support local businesses, check out our neighborhood guides!
Jenna von Oy Bratcher
Jenna von Oy Bratcher is StyleBlueprint's Editorial Operations Manager and Lead Content Editor. The East Coast native moved to Nashville almost two decades ago, by way of Los Angeles. She is a lover of dogs, strong coffee, traveling, and exploring the local restaurant scene bite by bite.