NASHVILLE, Tenn (WKRN) — Framed photos of horrific damage hang inside Sandy Lee’s new Nashville boutique. Last Christmas, a bomb destroyed both of her stores on 2nd Avenue.
“We took a direct hit from it and lost both of our retail storefronts,” Sandy said.
Sandy and her husband, Geff, co-owned “Ensemble” and “Simply The Best $10 Boutique” for nearly a decade. But the Dec. 25 bombing dismantled years of hard work and precious memories in a matter of seconds.
“It was hurtful, it was scary, it was humbling,” Sandy said.
But for the Lees, there was no looking back. The only option was to rebuild and reopen.
“We had such an outpouring also of strangers and friends and people coming out of the woodwork. Sometimes, when something bad happens, they don’t know what to do, and the only thing they know how to do is give,” Sandy said.
Between prayers, donations and insurance, the Lees consolidated both businesses into one new store in Marathon Village. It’s called “Nashville’s Best $10 Dollar and Up Boutique.”
The walls of the new store are lined with photos and artifacts from the Christmas Day bombing, including an unscathed painting of Johnny Cash, a mangled piece of the RV the bomb was detonated from and an American flag.
Metro first responders pulled the flag from the rubble days after the bomb went off. They signed it and presented it to Geff who is a United States Army Veteran.
“That was so special to him,” Sandy said.
Sandy says they don’t want locals or tourists to ever forget what happened on 2nd Avenue.
“We felt it was important to continue to just tell the story not only of our store but of 2nd Avenue North, because it was a historic street in Nashville,” Sandy said.
