Chestnut Cove Mercantile: Hand-Tool Woodworking on Glades Road

About

Chestnut Cove Mercantile is a primitive shop in the Glades section of Gatlinburg's Arts and Crafts area, set in an old farmhouse nestled between a tree-covered hill and a small stream. It is a quiet, personal stop that rewards curious visitors, especially anyone who appreciates how things were made before power tools. The heart of the place is the Olde Wood Shoppe, which the family runs as an on-site working museum.

Inside the Olde Wood Shoppe, traditional woodworking techniques from the early 1800s through the early 1900s are used with hand tools the family has collected for more than 35 years. Visitors are welcome to watch the tools in use and ask questions. The mercantile then offers the results, including wooden furniture and signs made in the shop, along with old-fashioned nib pens and India ink, aprons, trivets and books for young and old written by members of the family.

Chestnut Cove Mercantile is at 680 Glades Road, inside the Olde Farm House, and is open on weekdays; the shop's website lists slightly different hours on different pages, so call or check before you drive over. It is a small shop, so plan it as part of a wider afternoon along the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community loop. Reach the shop at (931) 561-3209 or by email through its website.

Photo: Chestnut Cove Mercantile

Did You Know

• The Olde Wood Shoppe is run as an on-site working museum (Chestnut Cove Mercantile).
• The shop uses woodworking techniques from the early 1800s through the early 1900s (Chestnut Cove Mercantile).
• The family has been collecting traditional woodworking hand tools for more than 35 years (Chestnut Cove Mercantile).
• The mercantile sells books written by members of the owners' family (Chestnut Cove Mercantile).