Nashville Has Changed Since 1981, But These Two Businesses are Still Local Favorites
As we look back to 1981, it wasn't just about the marriage of Charles and Diana and the launch of MTV. Here in Music City, two local businesses opened their doors ... and they're still thriving 40 years later!
A lot has changed in 40 years. In 1981, Ronald Reagan was sworn in as the 40th President of the United States, the Iran Hostage Crisis came to an end, Major League Baseball went on strike, Sandra Day OβConnor took her seat as the first female justice of the Supreme Court, over 750 million viewers watched as Charles and Diana tied the knot, and MTV officially launched in all its rocking β80s music glory. Here in Nashville, there was a lot to brag about on a local level as several businesses opened their doors for the first time, becoming local fixtures weβve relied on ever since. As Nashville continues growing at breakneck speed, we salute two local brick-and-mortar businesses that have survived and thrived for the past four decades and are turning 40 this year: Private Edition and Sprintz.
Private Edition
Forty years is unquestionably a milestone to celebrate. Just ask Linda Roberts, who founded Private Edition, an upscale Nashville cosmetics and skincare boutique, on April 1, 1981. Setting up shop in Green Hills, she found a void in the market that was as yet unfilled by bringing to town European brands that Nashvillians couldnβt find anywhere else. Little did she know that her burgeoning business would become such an esteemed and longstanding shopping staple. βI was 34 years old when I started it,β says Linda. βI had three kids and no money; I was just 1,000% plugged in. I worked seven days a week.β
Lindaβs work ethic paid off. Forty years later, Private Edition has weathered four recessions and now, a pandemic. Through it all, Linda has continued to grow her business, and she now owns not only Private Edition, but also The Cosmetic Market and Therapy Systems. They all work hand-in-hand to offer clients top-of-the-line beauty products and aesthetic services. βForty years ago, Private Edition was the first entity to sell all these European brands,β Linda shares. βWe brought standout players that nobody else was carrying, and that really came from the fact that I was lucky enough to travel with my husband. Weβd go all over Europe and find all of these weird things and bring them back. So, I feel like the [success came from] bringing all these high-end, prestigious brands to Nashville. Youβve got to stay ahead because thereβs always somebody breathing down your neck whoβs going to try to duplicate what you do. Weβre still in business because weβve continued to evolve. We certainly havenβt had the budget that Sephora or Nordstrom have, so Iβm always grateful weβre still here. And weβre going to stay in business! My business goes way beyond me. Itβs really about customer service, being innovative, and being a small business thatβs really plugged in β not just locally, but nationally and internationally.β
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To celebrate the milestone in style, Private Edition is hosting a two-day event that includes champagne, treats and promotions galore. Still, Linda says the entire month will be a celebration to remember. It kicks off on Friday, April 9 with their wildly popular Goody Bag Day, and this year, the beauty-product-filled bag is valued at more than $500 (the biggest theyβve ever had!) and given to clients who spend more than $350. βGoody Bag Day is always the biggest day of the year,β says Linda. βWeβre going to have a big celebration β socially distanced, of course β and weβre doing some things for our clients that weβve never done before. Then the party continues on April 10.β
In 40 years, Linda and her staff have seen changes in everything from the explosion of eCommerce to the crucial introduction of curbside service. βThe number one change thatβs occurred in the last few years, where thereβs no going back, is convenience,β says Linda of the pandemicβs impact. βIt used to all be about service, but that has now become secondary. Convenience is the number one change for everybody β I donβt care if youβre selling tires or selling lipstick. Thereβs no going back.β
Linda credits Private Editionβs longtime success to three things: incredibly hard work, devoted staff members, and never giving up. βHere I am at 74, and I work seven days a week,β she says. βI never quit working. I can tell you there have been five or six times when I should have called it quits. But once youβre defeated, itβs all over. Even with this pandemic, Iβve told all of my corporate employees that weβre going to come out of this stronger on the other side. So, youβve got to work your tail off, you got to have great people who help you through, and you canβt give up regardless of what hits you in the face. You look at it, and then you move past it. Thatβs the whole secret! The rest is chatter.β
Sprintz
Officially opening on June 12, 1981, Sprintz Furniture started in an empty, 10,000-square-foot warehouse in Belle Meade Plaza that had once housed a Kroger. With careers in design and furniture store management (respectively), founders Alyse Sprintz and her husband Charles took over the building as it was on the brink of being demolished, turning it into a storefront filled with sofas, loveseats, beds, dressers and more. βThey had only $1,000 in cash and a commitment to their customers to find them the highest quality furniture at the best prices available,β says current owner Bruce Sprintz, who also happens to be Alyse and Charlesβ son. βBy 1982, they had attained exclusive contracts with the countryβs finest furniture manufacturers and moved to the current White Bridge Road location where they built a 25,000-square-foot store.β
The business continued to grow, and not only has the original warehouse expanded several times, but there is also now a second store location in Cool Springs. βWe keep thousands of items in stock, have 45 design and sales associates, and a staff of 130,β Bruce says, attributing much of the companyβs 40-year success to the staff. βWe are blessed to have an incredible group of longstanding employees who genuinely care about making customers happy. Weβve also maintained the tradition established by [Charles and Alyse] to source the best products from the best vendors anywhere in the world and to offer our customers the best prices available anywhere.β Additionally,Β there are currently three Sprintz generations represented in this family business.
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Though the celebratory anniversary plans are still in the beginning planning stages, Bruce and the Sprintz team look forward to an event later this year, including some great sales, to commemorate the past 40 years of success.
Cheers to 40 years! We wish Private Edition and Sprintz another 40 years (and more!) of success here in Music City.
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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.