Sometimes you don’t find the best things in life, but rather they find you. This is true in both antiquing, and in Rebecca Stilwell’s case with the actual antique store. She first came across the Spring Hill Antique Mall as a customer living in Chicago, stopping in to shop any time she was visiting Tennessee. As a frequent visitor of the mall since its inception in 2005, she still has the receipt from her very first purchase there.
Several years later, the east Tennessee native moved back to the Volunteer State, settling down in Middle Tennessee. Not being the type to sit idle, when she retired from a career in the financial services industry and a short period as an interim president of a design college, she reached out to the mall’s owners Paul and Margaret Greer in 2015 with interest in opening a booth, when they asked if she’d instead like to buy the entire mall. A newly retired Stilwell was excited by the prospect but needed some
convincing that it was the right move for her. After discussing the idea with her husband, financial advisor, and others in her circle, all voices echoed a resounding “yes,” so she dove right in and never looked back.
Antiques have long held a place in Stilwell’s heart. From the time she was a little girl, she’s been captivated by antiques, pinpointing the origin of her love to visits she used to make to a family friend’s house as a child. “Their house was always full of antiques, and I always loved the way I felt in their house,” recalls Stilwell. “I remember being in their house when I was five years old and loving the old furniture and loving seeing things that had stories and were old.”
The Spring Hill Antique Mall is filled with vendors who offer a plethora of treasures from antique furnishings and dishware to oil lamps and mason jars. The original owners started with one vendor, and it just kept growing from there. There is even a waitlist for monthly booth rental since they rarely have turnover of their beloved vendors. With items from a range of eras and price points, the mall is frequented by locals and visitors alike— from weekly regulars to tourists on antique-focused road trips. “I think part of what makes the Spring Hill Antique Mall so special is that there is a wide variety,” she explains. “95% of items at the Spring Hill Antique Mall are antique, vintage, or collectible. You just never know what you’re going to find there.” SpringHillAntiqueMall.com
