Near the center of downtown Franklin rests an old stove factory built in the 1920s. It's fitted with eroded brick walls, aged metal pipes and faded white letters reading “Dortch Stove Works” over the entrance.
Though almost 100 years old, this factory remains far from abandoned.
In fact, thousands of people visit The Factory at Franklin every day.
Since 1996, the Factory has served as a hub for Williamson County residents and tourists, welcoming guest musicians, local businesses and nonprofits to contribute to its creative and social atmosphere.
With $56 million from Holladay Properties’ purchase of the building in 2021, The Factory’s architects are able to massively renovate its infrastructure — allowing for improved event venues, outdoor green spaces and more restaurants to add to its historic grounds.
Following years of increased tourism, the Factory’s officials announced earlier this year the addition of a 120-room boutique hotel to begin construction in late 2026. To combat parking woes, the plan includes a new parking garage on the property. The development plans to create around 60 new jobs to facilitate the hotel, said Factory marketing director Claire Francis.
The implementation of a hotel near the Factory encapsulates the growth of the establishment since its opening.
“Ten years ago, you'd probably see a bunch of folks sitting in the lobby working on their laptops because it was a quiet place to work,” said Matthew Maxey, senior director of public relations for Franklin’s visitor center, Visit Franklin. “There wasn't a whole lot of activity going on. Now you go out there and it’s stylish, and there’s people buzzing around all the time.”
Ten years ago, 1.43 million tourists visited Williamson County, where The Factory is located. Visitor spending that year reached $427.25 million, according to Visit Franklin’s website.
Since then, 8.83 million visitors travel to Williamson County every year, generating a new peak of $ 1.38 billion in tourist spending.
The Factory is home to 25 local and boutique retailers, ranging from an expansive vinyl record store to southern-style clothing shops and weekly outdoor farmers markets. Many of the resident businesses are family- or women-owned like Bound Booksellers and The Find, a secondhand and vintage clothing store.
The economic hub also hosted a free market event in May 2026 for previous Painted Tree vendors following the company’s closure in April.
“That [event] was our partnership with the chamber [Williamson County Chamber of Commerce,]” Francis said. “The chamber did a ton for that, and we were lucky that they booked us in. Yeah, we love those community shopping events and again just the opportunity to promote local.”
The Factory also offers 16 eating options for customers wanting to enjoy a sit-down meal and for those wanting to snack while they shop. With ample seating and a ceiling of dangling vines and lights, diners can enjoy bowls from Otaku Ramen or assorted ice cream scoops from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in the Factory’s Skylight area.
Nolensville natives Chaelie Davis and Maxwell Stuart visit the Factory often for the fun activities and restaurants it offers. Davis views the space as an “elevated” mall, she said.
“It's rare that you have a place where people can gather and also do so many things besides eating,” Davis said. “The stores have a lot more personality than you would find at just, like, a regular mall.”
Locals and tourists patronize the Factory’s curated experiences and small businesses, many spending their time in Studio Tenn or Turner Theater. Every summer, the location hosts The Red Wheel songwriting series, showcasing local and traveling musicians for $35 per ticket.
“We're really trying to bring some of those performing arts down to Williamson County so that people who really like viewing those types of things aren't driving all the way to Nashville for that,” Francis said. “Any time that we can be a central hub for a community event, especially as it relates to arts and entertainment, we try to seek out those opportunities.”
When it comes to the Factory’s tourism impact, data from Visit Franklin shows when and how many visitors pass through the factory, Francis said.
“We do get data with Visit Franklin to show that we have a good drive-in market,” Francis said. “So we see a lot of, like, people from Alabama, and then you can tell, too, if there's a large conference in town. We do get to see some data like that, but it's a pretty healthy mix right now. I'd say it's close to 50-50.”
While many locals use the Factory as a cultural and commercial hub, others may see the market differently.
“I think it's brought more money into the area, and I think there's been a lot more growth,” said Stuart. “But I also think at the same time it makes this area much more expensive to live in. There's the element of like a loss of identity almost. And that's part of my concern going forward. As cool as this place is, I don't want it to lose its tone, this town, and just become more of an advertisement.”
Francis believes in the importance of supporting small, Middle Tennessee-born businesses — not trading ingenuity for ingenuineness.
“We like to have local businesses,” Francis said. “That's really important for us. We also have a lot of women-owned businesses and family-owned businesses, so we try to maintain that ratio. Over 50% of our businesses – of our tenant training – are now women-owned, which is so cool.”
This story was produced in partnership with students at Middle Tennessee State University Seigenthaler News Service.