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'When we started hashing this idea out a year ago, Nashville was on the short list of a five-year expansion plan,” says Josh Elrod, co-owner of Wilder, a newly opened contemporary design shop in Germantown. At the time, he lived in New York with his wife and business partner, Ivy. They assumed they would launch the endeavor there, adds Ivy, but 'it became so clear that the best business decision was to go to Nashville and start in a place where nothing like this is currently offered.”
The Elrods had roots in NashvilleJosh grew up herebut spent two decades in New York. Ivy, who is originally from there, was an actor and dancer (she performed with the Rockettes), and Josh, a painter and musician, toured with the Blue Man Group for ten years. The move to Tennessee brought the added bonus of being closer to Josh's family. In November, they opened Wilder with the intention of offering pieces that can't otherwise be found within a 500-mile radius.
Wilder promotes the arrangement of high and lowthere's a street culture influence as well as a focus on conscientious design. The 1,300-square-foot gallery-like space has floor-to-ceiling windows, creating an interesting canvas against which the displayed art pops.
'It's about knowing the provenance of things,” says Ivy. 'Knowing where they came from and who had a hand in creating them is a personal endeavor. It's about people and stories and, hopefully, that translates into conscientiousness.”
The shop features a mix of national and international brands. From colorfully woven hammock chairs made by Nicaraguan manufacturer Masaya & Co. (their U.S. store is near Edgehill Village) to a record player cabinet from Murfreesboro company Bear It No More, the selection is eclectic but well curated. There's a custom magazine stand built by local woodworkers the Whitson Brothers; woven, sculptural vessels from Brooklyn-based artist Doug Johnston (who sources his cords from Cleveland, Tennessee); ceramic planters by fellow Brooklynite Isaac Nichols; plus more ceramics from Japan and coat hangers from Italy. As Wilder grows, the pair remains open to new ideas, like offering design consulting services, collaborating with other artists to manufacture a signature Wilder line, and soon, adding a wedding registry.
As for the working partnership, Ivy and Josh claim a unique balance and compatibility.
'It's [like] when two minds are jamming together and create this other thing in the room that's greater than anything the two could've individually brought,” says Josh. For them, the result is a space for contemporary design. 'Josh has a wilder aestheticno pun intended,” says Ivy. 'He's messier whereas I gravitate toward order. That's what our store is about: bringing together the nonobvious pairings.”
1212 4th Ave. N., 615-679-0008; wilderlife.com