At 144 Wilson Pike Circle, blue tape and spray paint on the floor show where the aisles will go. The pink poles from the original store are still standing, the wood trim is still on the walls, and the wall-size photos of the family business still hang where shoppers walked past them in the 1980s and '90s. NewsChannel 5 reported all of this in August after visiting the former Huff's Food Town. The building closed as a grocery in 1993 and is now being built out as one again.
Brentwood has a few old grocery buildings, and this is the only one going back to food. The others have become a home-furnishings gallery, a pickleball hall and a bookstore bar on the same stretch of Franklin Road. The one that made it back is the one whose owner kept it.
A Family Store That Stayed in the Family
The Huff family bought Food Town in 1949, when it was across the street from where it ended up. They built the Wilson Pike Circle building in 1983. Huff's was known for fresh-cut meats and seafood, a bakery, a deli, specialty cheeses and natural foods, and it closed in 1993. After that the building held a series of retail tenants, including Brentwood Interiors and Stitchers Garden, according to Williamson Source.
Mike Huff spent 17 years building the store into what NewsChannel 5 called a community pillar. He still owns the building, and he told the station he never seriously thought about selling it:
"I've had many offers to sell, but there was no way I was gonna do that. This is part of my family, and I wanted to keep it."
That decision is why a grocery can go back in. A building that has belonged to one family for more than four decades, and still has its 1983 fittings, can be leased to a tenant who wants what it was built for. In the lease announcement carried by the Williamson Herald, Huff said the new tenants' vision is "similar to our family's mission of creating a fresh, healthy alternative to traditional national grocery chains."
What Nashville Farmers' Storehouse Is Building
The new tenant is Nashville Farmers' Storehouse, which describes itself as an independently owned cooperative of farmers and families that connects producers directly with shoppers. The lease covers all 24,350 square feet of the old store and was announced July 30, 2026.
The plans go well beyond shelves of groceries. The announcement lists:
- A market with organic and locally sourced products
- A flour mill
- A bakery
- A pizzeria
- A stage for local musicians
The flour mill fits the cooperative's focus. Its website sorts products into categories such as specialty and raw flours, grains, bakery, and goods from poultry and cattle farmers. Raw grass-fed dairy is marked "coming soon." Those categories come from the website, so they don't confirm exactly what the Brentwood store will carry.
Membership is part of how the cooperative works. The membership page lists three types. The Active Member tier costs $138 a year. The Millers Club is a five-year membership for $2,000, and an ownership tier is offered in a limited number of shares. The page says members get better prices, merchandise and access to more than 60 online classes on grain, flour, baking and milling. It doesn't say whether you have to be a member to shop.
General manager Cristina Roman told NewsChannel 5 that the building's history was part of the appeal: "We love the legacy of it. We love that this started out as a family-owned market."
Where the Opening Date Stands
No opening date has been announced. The lease announcement says construction is underway and the Storehouse will announce a date. NewsChannel 5's August 18 report said there was no target date yet.
The store has started appearing in county records. Williamson Source's retail food list as of October 1, 2026 includes "Farmers' Storehouse - Nashville Cooperative" at 144 Wilson Pike Circle, but the inspection score and inspection date are blank. A listing with no inspection doesn't mean the store is about to open. The Storehouse is hiring, according to NewsChannel 5.
Brentwood Place's Old Kroger Went a Different Way
Two miles of errands away, the old Kroger at Brentwood Place shows what usually happens when a big grocery leaves. The Kroger moved down the road to Peartree Village, and Stein Mart took part of the empty space in 2017. Stein Mart closed after the chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020, according to the Williamson Scene.
The space was split up, and none of the new tenants sell food off shelves:
- Stock & Trade Design Co. took over part of the former Kroger as its main storefront and largest gallery, selling custom upholstery, rugs, lighting, furniture and pieces by local artisans. It was the company's first Tennessee location, the Scene reported.
- Crush Yard held its ribbon-cutting June 1, 2026, in a 33,400-square-foot space that FOX 17 identified as the former home of both Kroger and Stein Mart.
Local coverage gives Crush Yard's address as both 300 and 330 Franklin Road. The company's own location page uses 330.
What Fills a Grocery-Sized Room Now
Crush Yard shows how a room that once held checkout lanes gets used today. It has eight indoor pickleball courts, a full restaurant and bar, and private event space, Williamson Source reported. Golf simulators came after opening, and the company's Brentwood page now lists them.
Courts are open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The kitchen and bar open at noon Monday through Thursday and on Sunday, and at 11 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, closing at 9 p.m. every day. The courts, restaurant and bar are open to the public. You can book a court without a pass, and passholders get priority booking and discounts. Programs include open play, lessons, leagues, round robins and youth camps. Williamson Source's June 2 report listed a menu with bang-bang shrimp, cheeseburger sliders, pretzel bites and a hot-honey chicken bowl, along with pizza and salads.
In the same center, The Raven Book Lounge opened April 18 in Suite 250B at 330 Franklin Road. Owner Danniele Reeves is a longtime Williamson County resident, and the Williamson Herald reported that hundreds of people came to the grand opening. At first the bar served only mocktails while the liquor license was pending. Shelf Awareness reported that the license came through May 2, and the bar now serves cocktails, wine and beer alongside nonalcoholic drinks. Its events include author signings, trivia, bouquet classes and mystery-theater nights.
These changes are happening under a new owner. Regency Centers bought Brentwood Place in March 2025 and said it planned active asset management of the property.
Why Wilson Pike Circle Ended Up Different
Both buildings lost their grocery tenants decades ago. At Brentwood Place, the grocer moved down Franklin Road, and the big room it left was split among a discount retailer, then a design gallery and a pickleball operator under a shopping-center owner. On Wilson Pike Circle, Huff's closed but the building stayed with the Huff family through 30-plus years of other tenants. When a farmer cooperative came looking for a place with a mill, a bakery, a pizza oven and a stage, the old store was still there, with its pink poles still standing.
"I'm looking forward to moving into a new era of grocery shopping," Huff told NewsChannel 5. As of mid-October 2026, the Storehouse has not announced an opening date for 144 Wilson Pike Circle.
Commercial changes like these affect how a part of town feels to live in. If you're wondering what a new tenant down the road might mean for a home you own or are thinking about buying in Brentwood, Donna Walsh eXp Realty TN is happy to talk it through with you directly. Let's Connect.
