Though she’s a former military kid who moved around during her formative years, Allison Holley has put down deep roots in Nashville and made her mark. An educator-turned-retail maven, Allison opened her East Nashville gift and home decor shop, Apple and Oak, in 2015 and quickly became a local favorite. Known for vibrant Turkish rugs and fabulous, thought-provoking (occasionally controversial) offerings, her shop is a great go-to for holiday gifts and pretty things all year round. Get to know Apple and Oak owner Allison Holley!Â
Did you always dream of owning your own shop?
I never wanted to open retail! My mom owned a candy store when I was little, so I helped with that; it was a family business. I was a military child — my dad was in the Air Force — and we moved every three years. Nashville is actually the longest I’ve ever lived in one place! I’ve been here 10 years now. Once we moved a few times, my mother stopped doing the candy store and gave it to her brother.
What brought you to Nashville?
I went to college for child development and became a teacher — first grade mostly. Then, my dad died because he got cancer from being stationed overseas on a radioactive wasteland. We all got to go to college or grad school through the VA. That was about to expire for me, so I decided to go back to grad school, and I went to Vanderbilt for education. My goal was to be a superintendent or advise public policy on education, and I really wanted to be in Northern California. I was going to go to Vanderbilt, then move. But Nashville is great! I fell in love with the city.
How did Apple and Oak come about? Give us the scoop!
When I graduated, I was repurposing furniture and using it to help teachers try to do something fun and different in their classrooms. I became friends with Ginny [Reed], who owns Vinnie Louise, and she was like, “Why don’t you open a store at Porter with the furniture you’re doing?” I’d never even thought of having a retail store, and I honestly didn’t want to. She said, “Just meet with the management and see.” I went and looked at the space and met with the management. I was like, “Oh, this is actually kind of doable.” So, I opened a store. I called it Apple and Oak because of my education and design background — my degrees in education and design.
Among other things, Apple and Oak is known for beautiful rugs. What’s the story behind them?
The opening week, my mom was in Turkey, and she was like, “Hey, I met this lady, and she has pink vintage rugs. Do you want me to connect you?” Well, what goes in a home? Rugs. So, I connected with them, and I’ve been using them ever since. Now we’re mainly a rug store that has gifts in it. That happened pretty organically and accidentally.
You’re Nashville’s go-to shop for “pretty things and dirty words.” Tell us about that.
One of the first items I designed was a wine glass with “fancy as f**k” on it. It was our best seller for many years, but people would get really mad if they came to Instagram for rugs, and then all of a sudden, it says f**k on there. People were like, “My daughter and I look at this together, and you’re offending us!” So, I put a disclaimer on there. You’ll see pretty rugs and nice things, but you’ll also see some bad words. I like to warn people.
What is your absolute favorite shop item right now?
I love the rugs — they are my favorite thing — but we have a Nike sneaker candle that I really like. I also love our crystal champagne coupes.
You have another entrepreneurial endeavor, Madison Country Club. Can you tell us about it?
That was our house when we were living in Madison. During the pandemic, we randomly looked at a house in Old Hickory and decided to put an offer on it. We didn’t expect to get it because of how the market was, and we didn’t go over [the asking price], so when we got it, we were like, “Oh shoot, we’re going to be in Old Hickory; what are we going to do with the other house?”
At first, we were going to Airbnb it, but I didn’t want to ruin the neighborhood with drunken bachelorette parties. It’s such a “neighborhood.” Then I found Swimply, the swimming pool rental app, and thought, Why don’t we rent out the pool? We went all in with it, but the only way it could work was if someone else ran it. Nate owns two businesses in town, and I own Apple and Oak, so we don’t have time. I reached out to Kat and asked if she wanted to run it for us. We mainly rent it out for photo and video shoots and hanging at the pool.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
“If you have to force it, you should probably leave it behind.” That’s what’s happened the whole time with my business — when doors have opened and seem like they’re working for me, I go through them. As soon as it feels like I have to force it, that’s when I know it’s not right. Why try to shove a square into a triangle?
Outside of faith, family, and friends, what are three things you cannot live without?
My dog! I try not to have emotional connections to physical items. Besides family and friends, I guess what’s important to me is having one clean, well-organized, and beautifully decorated room in my house. Just one space that isn’t a disaster. And disco balls.
Special thanks to Rachel Tenpenny of Brasspenny Photography for the photos.
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