Luxury Nashville fashion brand opens first retail store in trendy spot
A company that designs high-end Italian boots and other luxury leather goods in Nashville is expanding by opening what the owners consider their first true retail store — in one of Nashville's trendiest neighborhoods.
Peter Nappi is one of the premiere names in Nashville's fashion business, landing on the radar of everyone from GQ to The Wall Street Journal. And, with high-end denim retailer Imogene + Willie now headquartered in Los Angeles, the Peter Nappi brand has become that much more central to the success of Nashville's fashion industry — especially for those who believe fashion contains the potential to bolster the city's budding creative economy and enhance Nashville's rising national profile.
Peter Nappi is leasing a store in the 12South neighborhood, tentatively set to open May 13 in ground-floor retail space in the 12 South Flats apartment building. Other tenants there include Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams and the restaurant Josephine.
"We like to think of the 12South retail district as the 'Nashville' version of Abbot Kinney in Venice. As we continue to expand to other cities, we'll be looking for similar upscale casual areas that are equally authentic," said Phillip Nappi in a Monday news release. He co-owns and operates the business with his wife, Dana.
Phillip Nappi comes from a family of shoemakers, and his grandfather, Peter Nappi, came to the U.S. from Italy in 1904. Phillip Nappi created the Peter Nappi brand in 2011, setting up shop in an old industrial space in Germantown [ and spared no expense revitalizing it into this very cool space].
The products designed in Nashville are handmade in Tuscany.
"Our Germantown flagship was always meant to be our showroom — not a traditional retail space," Phillip Nappi said. "This will be the first true retail location for us. We knew as soon as we saw the space in 12 South Flats that both the neighborhood and building were a natural fit for our brand."