A man with a purpose

By: Marilee Spanjian

Published On: June 25, 2010



Keith Merry is one of Nashville’s greatest treasures. Why? Because he’s constantly on the prowl for little gems someone else has deemed junk. He seeks, discovers and then transforms them into things of beauty at his shop, Garden Park Antiques. The store is a division of Herndon & Merry, one of the oldest and most-respected manufacturers of hand-forged ironwork in Nashville. Our Marilee Spanjian talked to Keith about his work and vision. Here’s what he had to say.

M.S. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to meet the mind behind some of the finest repurposed antiques I’ve ever seen.

K.M. Come out to the showroom on Cockrill Bend.

M.S. Cockrill Bend? The only places I knew were in that hood were the Department of Motor Vehicles, a little airport, the Sprintz Furniture warehouse and a jail. (No, I haven’t been to all of them.)

K.M. We have a 4,000-square foot showroom.

M.S. Really? Open to the public?

K.M. Every day except Sunday.

Before the short drive over, I checked out his website—gardenpark.com. It has all the tools—dimensions, prices, a little history and great photos of each item. Still, I wondered, would the showroom look like other architectural antique haunts I’d rummaged through over the years?

Upon arrival, I realized the reason I never noticed Garden Park Antiques was because its neighbors are light industrial businesses—all big, boxy buildings. It’s definitely not a lunch-and-stroll hot spot.

Keith heads up Garden Park and is one of the three sons carrying on the family business founded in 1959 by their late father Bill Merry Sr. and his partner.

Inside, the showroom feels more like a New York art gallery. Instead of canvases, there are architectural antiques, custom furniture and accessories artisically placed in rooms divided by white and stone walls. What’s missing is junk, poor imitations and small items that would divert one’s attention.

Each table, mantel, lamp, console, stool, bed and hanging fixture comes with a story. An architectural fragment from the Tulip Street Church set on a stand is the real deal—not a stamped-out knock-off. A copper/pewter/bronze metal table’s top was an air return from the Philadelphia Civic Center.

A grand console’s iron base was a balcony on a building in Argentina.

M.S. Great showroom. Love the lighting, the spotlights. And love your prices. Wasn’t expecting them to be so affordable.

K.M. People who shop in other cities think we’re low. Then sometimes locals think we’re too high...Designers love us because we make everything here. So if something isn’t the right size or color or finish, we can make it for them.

M.S. Where do you get the architectural pieces and old wood and molds?

K.M. All over, but mostly from Philadelphia, Chicago and New York.

M.S. Do you personally find the pieces?

K.M. Not so much anymore. I used to head out in my truck and come back with it piled high. Now, thanks to the Internet and cell phones, I have pickers that send me photos. Most pickers know what I like. They’ll say, “I saw this and I thought of you. I think I can get it for such-and-such? Do you want it?”’

Armed with his interior design degree and years of experience, Keith decides which pieces he can use. While his first pieces included four iron legs, some are repurposed into something completely unexpected, like an industrial-style wall sconce made from the original wooden pattern for a T-section cast iron water pipe fitting from the Powell Foundry in Cincinnati, Ohio.

M.S. So where do you see the business going over the next few years?

K.M. I’ll continue to create custom pieces, but I’m also going to start carrying some limited lines of original lighting, sconces, chandeliers, some tables, furniture pieces, accessories.

M.S. And the style? What’s next on the horizon?

K.M. Mid-century modern. Clean lines. It fits my favorite saying: “Less is more.” It’s also ironic since I’m in the ‘curly-Q’(iron) business.