Do you relish the hunt for the perfect gift and innovative home decor? Love color and style? Want an exciting shopping experience like no other? Then you’ll enjoy exploring the more than 40 shops conveniently gathered under the roof of Southern Market, a fascinating shop of shops. Each shop is conceived and designed by individual merchants who offer a medley of antique and contemporary furniture, decorative accessories and art, garden decor, jewelry, pets items, or gift items. Such a delightful mix makes Southern Market truly a one-stop shopping destination for all your decorative and gift needs.

Susan Worthington, who co-owns Southern Market along with her mother, Frances Sexton, operates Southern Market while individual merchants rent space within the Market to sell their merchandise. Southern Market provides a venue for merchants to sell their wares without having to operate their own store or hire a staff. The shop owners are free then to enjoy the exciting aspects of merchandising like traveling to find unique products or analyzing current styles and trends while Southern Market handles the routine operations for their businesses. With so many buyers with varied tastes within one building, the result is a broad collection of furniture, home décor, gourmet, pet items, personal care, and other items waiting to be discovered. Oh the possibilities!

“We offer a variety of styles, from funky and whimsical to ornate and formal,” Worthington said. “We try to stay with the trends, but also give a diverse range of classic and contemporary products. It is the look of an item that matters most to us...not whether an item has some intrinsic worth because it was artisan made or from some specific period. This is what differentiates us from antique malls and craft galleries. Those features add value to an item but do not in and of themselves make an item desirable to us. We combine together in one building items from many genres regardless of origin, to create the most stylish vignettes possible. All prospective tenants and their respective product mixes are screened prior to move-in to ensure that the customer will find only the best and most diverse products available at Southern Market.”

Worthington and Sexton founded Southern Market 10 years ago after studying upscale antique markets in Atlanta. They decided that Knoxville could benefit from something similar, however, with a different twist—introducing a mix of of antique and contemporary furnishings and accessories. After 20,000 miles of traveling to select merchants all over the Southeast, Southern Market was born. Instead of booths, Worthington and Sexton decided to style the Market in a series of smaller shops or interior design boutiques, each with a creative storefront.

“At the time, there were no marketplaces like us in the Southeast. The closest in concept was an interior design market in North Carolina.” Worthington added.

In the past decade, Southern Market has established itself as a local shopping favorite as well as a draw for tourists from far and wide. Gift ideas abound in each shop, with prices ranging from as little as $2 and up to well over $2,000. Depending on the merchant, customers can find something for virtually anyone on their gift list.

Don Lawson, who operates two shops within Southern Market with his partner, Gary Curnutt, says he spends about 45 minutes per day in his shops along with a couple of hours on the weekends. Lawson and Curnutt run Embellish, which is an interior design shop, and Seasons Garden Accents, which features outdoor garden accessories.

One of their featured items is a series of vintage Knoxville images placed on coasters, magnets and a variety of other items. The antique look can be customized for your own image of a wedding, a baby shower or other occasions, Lawson said. Right now they have 12 exclusive designs, but Lawson and Curnutt come out with additional designs periodically.

They also sell soaps, candles, picture frames and clocks in Embellish, while Seasons Garden Accents features a variety of weather vanes, plaques and statuary. Everything varies according to the seasons. Lawson said he gets his inspiration from market trends he sees in magazines and other stores, but puts his own personal touch on those trends.

“We’re always trying to expand and keep things fresh,” he said. “I enjoy it; it’s a lot of fun.”

Liz Martin, who runs a shop called Mustard Seed, has a line of candles which she says are popular with customers. The candles are available in 32 different scents and range in price from $1.95 to $18.95. Martin also sells collectibles, clocks, lamps, figurines, wall decorations and much more.

“I started out painting furniture, but it started broadening out,” she said. “Now I’m in the full-fledged gift business, which I love.”

Martin also sells colorful monogrammed guest towels and pillows and brightly colored notecard stationary which sells for $9.95 for a pack of 10, and people can pick out the one that features their initials. Martin also hand paints plaques to display on walls that feature the same character with different sayings, which also is popular.

“I try to keep things that no one else has,” she said. “I try to stay unique.”

Another merchant, Jane Litchfield, runs a shop called Home Choreography, which features patriotic items for the home. Litchfield chose an American theme for her shop because her son is in the Naval Academy and she wanted to honor him. Although she’s only been a part of Southern Market for several months, she enjoys being affiliated with the Market.

“It’s a new concept, and it’s interesting to people in town,” Litchfield said. “We all try to be different because if we’re all different, it’s better for the Market.”

Worthington agrees, saying “a little friendly competition between merchants is a good thing.”

“At Southern Market, it’s much more than simply a place to buy gifts or home furnishings,” she said. “It’s an enjoyable place where people come to be inspired, delight in a myriad of senses, and stir their inner creative spirit– it’s a shopping experience.”

Southern Market features three big events each year. The Annual Spring Fling just ended in April, but upcoming events include a Tailgate Party in August and a Holiday Open House in November. Each event features interior design presentations, artists’ demonstrations, trunk shows, live music, gourmet foods, and a lot of other fine festivities.

For a totally unique shopping experience, whether it be furniture, home décor items, antiques or their large assortment of quality gift items, Southern Market is sure to please even the most discriminating shopper.

Southern Market is found at 5400 Homberg Drive in The Distirct in Bearden in nearby Knoxville. For more information, call (865) 588-0274 or log on to www.southernmarketshops.com.