Marathon Village Nashville: A Creative Shopping District in an Historic Auto Factory

I love the idea of taking old factories or warehouses and giving them new life. Luckily, this is a pretty common thing in the creative community around the world, keeping historic buildings intact while giving creators a place to flourish. Along this line, you’ll find The Source market in Denver, The West Bottoms in Kansas City, and in Nashville, you’ll find Marathon Village.

Marathon Village is a collection of independent retailers, artist studios, restaurants, and venues housed inside of the old Marathon Motor Works factory. While Marathon Motors had a short life, over a century later, its reincarnation as a creative compound is doing decidedly better.

This 130,000 square foot complex has been beautifully restored and renovated. The creaky hardwood floors and exposed brick remind you that you’re in an historic building, honoring the character of its former life.

Some shops are only accessible by separate doors along the outside of the building, however most are connected by a long indoor hallway.

The really cool thing about Marathon Village is the way it upholds its history. As you walk the dark corridor and browse through the shops, you’ll find memorabilia and information that tells the story of Marathon Motor Works. As someone who enjoys museums more than shopping, I found this to be an interesting way to differentiate the place from other entertainment districts.

In addition to all of the shops, there is also a winery, a distillery, a deli, creative offices on the upper floor, a salon, a tattoo studio, and a music venue.