Maria Torres is the founder & owner of Torres Vintage, a vintage shop in East Nashville that pulls inspiration from amongst many things, Maria's Mexican roots (she was born in Guadalajara and her family is mostly in Zacatecas).

Her hope with Torres Vintage is that visitors can find "wearable basics & pieces that can fit into the common closet."

One area where Torres Vintage shines is denim. Maria offers only "a true classic denim" -- meaning jeans made in the USA, and from before the year 2000, which is when most of the domestic denim production went overseas. That's music to my ears.

When I asked Maria what Nashville meant to her and her business, the first word that came mind was "community". Whether as a female or Latina business owner, Maria has felt supported by her community. You'll notice this is a common thread with all of the folks we talked to.

She also spoke about being from an immigrant family and how amazing it feels, within that journey, to now be a shop owner. Her whole family, from Mexico to Tennessee, are rooting her on she told me.

And, Where to Next?

Expansion of her business. Maria is excited by the idea of designing her own line, exploring new creative outlets like photography, and taking Torres Vintage on the road. Maybe you'll find her amazing denim collection at a Sabah House soon ;)  Find Torres Vintage on Instagram.

Becca Mancari is a queer musical artist based in Nashville. They were born in Staten Island; however, and grew up along the East Coast... "East Coast, always," Becca told us.

But Becca loves the South for a lot of reasons people often misunderstand. "There is so much history of fighting back in the South," Becca told me.

That's informed Becca's own work which is very much about speaking out, sharing their own story on coming out and about queer rights. Becca explains however that their music and work is full of love. "You won't find any hate on my page, just lots of love. Everyone is welcome."

When I asked Becca what comes to mind when they think of Nashville, it's that common refrain: community.

"Everyone really comes out and supports each other in so many ways. When we eat out, we know the chefs. It's really amazing here in that way. We all need eachother." they told us.

When asked, "Where to Next?" Becca lit up with a few answers.

After 10 years of solid work and career focus, they want to be able to travel and see things "for the sake of living" again.

That would include visiting Puerto Rico, where Becca's mom is from and grandfather still has a home. Digging into her ancestry has felt important to Becca, learning Spanish. "I've gotten to that age where I'm obsessed with my ancestors."

Becca concluded our chat, "But I love music. I want to do it til I drop dead on stage, ya know!" 

Find Becca on Spotify here.

Ash Atterberry is a ceramic artist, practicing both sculptural work and pottery, through her studio: Handwings Ceramics.

Much of Ash's work focuses on recurring characters, landscapes and storytelling -- which she brings to life through surface decoration and carving on her pieces. She told me she's highly influenced by "outsider art" such as graffiti.

Originally from central Illinois, Ash has traveled all over the country (Seattle, California, and Arkansas - to name a few) working under various ceramicists and as part of different programs & residencies. She eventually found her way to Nashville where she works out of the Elephant Gallery, which is one reason she was drawn to the city. 

Otherwise, she's moved by the small, but thriving visual arts community in Nashville and so many of the gallerists she respects: Alex Lockwood, Red Arrow and Julia Martin all came to mind.

As for Where to Next? 

A solo show on June 21 at Elephant Gallery, a public art installation for Artville in Wedgewood Houston (a Nashville neighborhood), and seeing where these things take her.

"I'm an in the moment person, taking things as they come," she told me, "Clay has been the thing in my life that propels me forward." Find Ash & her work on Instagram here.