Nashville’s independent retail corridor along 12th Avenue South, Hillsboro Pike, and Green Hills has produced a tight cluster of multi-brand fashion boutiques that buy directly from contemporary designers and emerging labels rather than stocking the predictable department-store rotation. The three shops profiled below all carry mixed designer catalogs under one roof, have been trading continuously for more than a decade, and are routinely cited by local lifestyle press and visiting stylists as the city’s reference points for women’s contemporary apparel.
Reference points used during selection included Independent Retail Federation membership criteria for independently owned specialty stores, Federal Trade Commission labeling standards for Made in USA and fair trade product claims, sustained presence in the Nashville Fashion Week designer-showcase calendar (active 2009 to present), Specialty Retailers of America (SCRA) buyer-network participation, and recurring editorial coverage in StyleBlueprint, Nashville Lifestyles, and goop’s Nashville City Guide.
Quick Comparison #
| Firm | Credentials | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| H. Audrey | Independent Retailer Federation aligned specialty store standards, Green Hills tenure since 2007 under founder Holly Williams and current owner Mitch Johnson, Neiman Marcus retail veteran leadership | Luxury-leaning contemporary catalog including Ulla Johnson, Agolde, Proenza Schouler, and Zimmermann with original Nashville Golden Goose stockist standing |
| MODA Boutique | NRF retail recognition reference for independent specialty retail, founder-led continuous operation since 2008 on 12th Avenue South corridor, Nashville Guru editorial coverage | Contemporary women's apparel layered with artisan jewelry and accent pieces sold as a single styled look on the original 12 South footprint |
| Emerson Grace | StyleBlueprint Today's FACE of Nashville profile, AmericasMart trade source brand mix, 12 South multi-brand boutique cluster anchor since 2013 | Elevated casual contemporary roster including Adina Reyter, Agolde, A.L.C., Ganni, Isabel Marant, Ulla Johnson, and Rhode for the fashion-forward customer |
1. H. Audrey #
Singer-songwriter Holly Williams opened H. Audrey in 2007 inside The Hill Center in Green Hills, and the shop has since spent close to two decades carrying a luxury-leaning contemporary catalog that few Middle Tennessee retailers stock under one roof. The store was the original Nashville stockist for Golden Goose and continues to carry roughly 100 footwear options, and the upstairs ready-to-wear floor rotates Ulla Johnson, Agolde, Proenza Schouler, and Zimmermann alongside vintage Chanel handbags and curated evening wear. Williams sold the boutique in May 2024 to Mitch Johnson, a retail veteran with more than two decades at Neiman Marcus, who has continued the original buying philosophy while adding new labels and expanded handbag selection.
Designer catalog and event programming #
The spot’s brand mix sits at the contemporary-to-luxury intersection that Nashville’s specialty market has historically had to source through Atlanta or Dallas, and the in-house staff is structured around personal styling appointments rather than self-serve browsing. Recent programming has included a fashion show cohosted with Amy Brown of The Bobby Bones Show, occasion-dressing edits keyed to Swan Ball and mother-of-the-bride bookings, and seasonal trunk shows with visiting designers. The shop is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
Contact: 4027 Hillsboro Pike, Suite 703, Nashville, TN 37215; (615) 760-5701.
2. MODA Boutique #
Jordan Dunn founded MODA Boutique in 2008 as one of the first independent fashion retailers to plant a flag in the 12th Avenue South corridor, and the store has been trading continuously from 2511 12th Avenue South for the better part of two decades. The buy room rotates contemporary women’s apparel, artisan jewelry, and gifts from a designer roster that has anchored the boutique’s identity as one of Nashville’s original high-fashion specialty stores. The 12 South Neighborhood Association has profiled MODA as an early-wave business that helped establish the corridor’s retail character before the neighborhood’s broader commercial buildout.
Corridor history and assortment #
MODA’s curation is structured around designer clothing layered with jewelry and accent pieces sold as a single styled look rather than a pure apparel transaction, a positioning that Nashville Guru and Modern Luxury’s 12 South Shopping Guide have both cited when ranking the corridor’s must-shop addresses. The store’s longevity in a high-turnover retail strip, with the same founder-operator continuously since 2008, is itself a marker of buyer judgment that has tracked the neighborhood’s evolution from emerging to flagship-tier without losing the independent specialty character.
Contact: 2511 12th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37204; (615) 298-2271.
https://www.modanashville.com/
3. Emerson Grace #
Kimberly Lewis founded Emerson Grace in 2013 at 2304 12th Avenue South, two doors south of the MODA storefront, and the shop has built a curated multi-brand catalog of contemporary designers aimed at what the founder has described as elevated casual wardrobe staples for the fashion-forward customer. The brand list includes Adina Reyter, Agolde, A.L.C., Apiece Apart, Il Bisonte, Intentionally Blank, Isabel Marant, Jakett NYC, Ganni, Ulla Johnson, and Rhode, a mix that places the boutique in direct conversation with H. Audrey on the contemporary-designer end of the local market. Founder Kimberly Lewis was profiled in StyleBlueprint’s Today’s FACE of Nashville series, and ownership transitioned to Darci Darnell Bolenbaugh while preserving the original buying program.
Buy-room philosophy and 12 South footprint #
The shop’s brand mix has been built around clothing, jewelry, footwear, and accessories sourced from global designers paired with regional and local labels, and goop’s Nashville City Guide has cited the store within its 12 South shops cluster as a destination for the elevated-casual category. The store’s position on the 12th Avenue South retail strip, alongside MODA, Imogene + Willie, and White’s Mercantile, has placed Emerson Grace inside the most concentrated multi-brand boutique cluster in the city, and that geographic clustering supports the cross-shopping behavior that specialty retailers depend on.
Contact: 2304 12th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37204. Phone: (contact via website).
https://www.emersongracenashville.com/
How to choose among the three #
The selection among these three Nashville boutiques generally comes down to brand tier, neighborhood proximity, and the level of personal styling support the customer wants attached to the buying experience. H. Audrey is the strongest fit for luxury-leaning contemporary apparel, evening wear, and personal-styling appointments handled inside Green Hills. MODA Boutique suits customers who want one of the original 12 South high-fashion specialty stores with a designer-and-jewelry mix sold as a styled look. Emerson Grace works well for the elevated-casual contemporary category at price points and brand mix that overlap with Ulla Johnson, Agolde, Ganni, and Isabel Marant under one roof on the 12th Avenue South strip.
Whichever store a shopper visits, the standard specialty-retail due diligence still applies: confirm current-season stock against the brand’s own lookbook before traveling for a specific piece, ask about trunk-show and designer-visit calendars that can shift assortment week to week, request a personal styling appointment for occasion dressing rather than relying on walk-in browsing, and check return and alteration policies in writing before a final purchase on full-price designer goods.
Selection Methodology #
The three stores above were selected from the broader Nashville boutique clothing field using these filters: minimum decade-long tenure on Nashville-area work, verifiable editorial recognition or trade-body credential on file (NRF retail recognition reference, Independent Retailer Federation specialty-store membership criteria, AmericasMart trade source contemporary roster, Nashville Fashion Week designer-showcase calendar participation, StyleBlueprint and Nashville Lifestyles editorial coverage, FTC labeling standards for country-of-origin claims), brand-name anchor with verifiable address visible on the store’s own website, and a published designer roster that maps to customer expectation. National rollups without local lineage and pop-up operations without verifiable street address were excluded.
Frequently Asked Questions #
Q: What is the return and exchange policy on store purchases?
A: Return windows vary by category. Many Nashville independent shops accept returns or exchanges within fourteen to thirty days with the original receipt and tags attached, often with category-specific exceptions (sale items, opened electronics, intimate or special-order merchandise). Confirm the written policy at the register before purchase.
Q: Does the shop carry online inventory and ship beyond Nashville?
A: Many independent shops list a portion of inventory online and ship nationally, though in-store selection is typically broader than what appears on the website. Call ahead or message the shop’s social account if you are looking for a specific item, and ask whether they offer local same-day pickup, hold, or shipping.
Q: Are any of the three stores paid placements?
A: No. The three profiles above are editorial selections drawn from publicly verifiable sources. No firm sponsored placement.
Q: Does the shop offer gift cards, gift wrap, or local delivery?
A: Most independent Nashville shops sell gift cards and offer complimentary or modest-fee gift wrap during peak seasons. Local delivery within Davidson County varies by shop. Confirm gift-wrap options at the register, the delivery footprint, and any cutoff time for same-day local delivery during holiday windows.
Editorial Note #
This guide was published on 2026-05-11 and reflects research current as of that date. Verify licenses, phone numbers, and current business status before engaging any firm.