Do Hermès, Equinox, Nobu and More Signal Nashville’s Tier‑One Moment
At the Hermès Nashville opening celebration in October, live music by Jack White, Bastion-catered dishes, and an open bar tended by craft cocktail creators elevated an already lavish dinner party - the kind you'd expect in Paris or New York.
The event, in a custom-outfitted Berry Hill warehouse for 500 guests, was a high-caliber grand opening for a high-caliber brand. In attendance were members of the media and public relations worlds, celebrities, music producers, artists, and many loyal customers toting Birkin bags. The party was an inflection point for a city on the rise in the worlds of art, culture, dining, retail ,and business.
"Hermès was spectacular," AJ Capital Partners Senior Vice President of Retail Kyle Allen said. AJ Capital is the retailer's Nashville landlord. "It felt like an earth-shifting moment for the city, not just for our neighborhood. That was one of the more wild opening events I've ever been to... It's the most spectacular store that's ever opened in Nashville."
Hermès, Nobu, The Four Seasons, Soho House, Pastis, Equinox, Craig's, The Ritz-Carlton and even In-N-Out Burger. These are red-hot hospitality and lifestyle brands, some with cult-like followings and others with legacy and heritage. They all want a piece of Nashville amid its ascent to the big leagues.
Before the lavish Hermès Nashville opening could unfold, one key player had to set the stage: the brand's landlord, global real estate firm AJ Capital Partners. The company owns the May Hosiery Mills complex that houses Nashville's Soho House, Pastis, and Hermès. The firm played a significant role in convincing those brands that Nashville was a good bet. Allen, AJ Capital's senior vice president of retail, is now working on the lease-up for the firm's next phase of growth in Wedgewood Houston. Hе said the bar has been raised even further for businesses expanding or moving into the area. "The quality of what those brands are about to produce has only become that much better because of the influence of places like Pastis and Hermès." Allen said.
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