Shop Talk: Sept. 6, 2024

Waldo's Chicken and Beer has announced plans to open in Nolensville in November.

The company posted on its Instagram that the 7238 Nolensville Road location will include a drive-thru, full bar and a heated, enclosed patio.

Waldo's has three Williamson County locations in Cool Springs, Franklin and Brentwood. The Nolensville location will be the eighth spot in Tennessee. The new store will be hiring and job seekers can apply online.

Last month, Vui's Kitchen announced it would be closing its location in Nolensville. Vui's, which officially closed on Aug. 25, was previously located at the site of the new Waldo's. 

"Being a part of this amazing community has been a joy, and we truly appreciate your support," the restaurant shared on an Instagram post. "While it’s sad to say goodbye, we look forward to serving you at our other Vui’s Kitchen locations." 

Vui's has four locations in Franklin, Berry Hill, East Nashville and Gallatin.

Leiper's Fork gathering space opens

Local business owners Brooke and Steve Giannetti have opened a community gathering space called The Shed along alongside their daughter Leila Gianetti.

The Shed is located on the Gianettis' farm Patina Meadow near Leiper's Fork. The barn-like structure includes a modern kitchen, guest quarters and pottery studio where Leila will begin teaching classes this winter. She also manages the Patina Meadow greenhouse, biodynamic garden and Bloomerie, which offers produce and flowers that the family hopes to share.

The family has partnered with Chelsea J. O'Leary, founder of Wiley Canning Company, as well as Steven Abernathy and Claire Papavies of Greenwood Honey Company to serve as resident educators at The Shed.

“Our plan for this space is to be an educational hub for our community to learn more about nature and the abundance it provides,” Steve said. “This is a place where our reverence for connection, nature and education meet. We will create programming and host events and classes that highlight those tenets.”

The family owns the architectural, design and lifestyle firm Gianetti Home and created a retail location called Patina Home & Garden in Leiper's Fork after moving to Tennessee from California.

5by5 introduces ESOP

Brentwood-based marketing agency 5by5 announced in a release it has introduced an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), which allows employees to have ownership in the company. Partners Shannon Litton, Mike Schatz and Josh Miller have sold 30 percent of their ownership to the ESOP Trust and plan to increase that percentage in the future.

“Our success over the past decade is due to the great work our team does on behalf of our clients,” Litton, 5by5 co-founder and chief executive officer, said in the release. “Every time we made the Inc. 5000 list, we received inquiries about selling our agency. As we started seriously discussing our succession plans about four years ago, a client introduced us to the concept of an ESOP.”

The agency has had made the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. every year from 2018 to 2021 and made its return to the list in 2024. They are one of 38 Williamson County companies featured on the list.

5by5 also celebrates its 10th anniversary in business this year.