Hidden Treasures

It goes without saying; in these incredibly tough economic times, we all could use as much help as we can get in finding the best places in the Nashville area to find great deals, great service, and get the most out of our hard-earned money. I am on a perpetual quest to do this, whatever my financial circumstances may be at the time. However, during this period of unemployment, my mission is greater than ever. Since my arrival to Nashville at the end of the summer, I have explored as many places as I could and done as many internet searches as possible to find out all sorts of things about this town. With each post, I'll share some of those with you.

One of my favorite little hidden treasures is located right on Charlotte Ave. in Nashville. It's called the Global Education Center. Inside you'll find all sorts of treasures from all around the world at incredible prices. From handmade clothing and jewelry, to handmade instruments, the prices absolutely cannot be beat. They're a non-profit organization which promotes multicultural arts within local schools. They also offer dance and music classes on the premises at very low prices. I cannot sing their praises enough! Here is their link: http://www.globaleducationcenter.net/

Just a couple of doors down from the Global Education Center, in that same row of store fronts, is a thrift shop that just opened right before Christmas. They are definitely one of the better thrift shops around. The store is neat and clean, the manager is extremely friendly and courteous, the merchandise is very nice and very well-priced. It is not over-crowded with items, and there is no junk. You may not necessarily find a lot of vintage here, but you'll certainly find some bargains. The name may have changed when the store changed hands, but it was formerly New Life Thrift, 4802 Charlotte Ave.

The best place to go for car repairs, hands down, is Oil Change Plus. Ollie (the owner) is located at 6320 Charlotte Pike, Nashville. I'm telling you, Charlotte Pike (turns into Ave.) is the place for one-stop shopping for the frugal shopper! Ollie is not only undoubtedly honest, but his prices are the fairest around. He's also quick in getting things done. Not that I'm biased at all, but Ollie is formerly a fellow New Jerseyan! More importantly, he is the best-priced mechanic around.

Since you're already going to Charlotte Pike for everything else, you may as well stop in at McKay's Used Books (and cd's, videos, dvd's, and video games) for some bargains. Look in the back of the store for the best prices, at the over-sized books. There you can find used books for $2 and $3. You can also trade in your used books, etc. for money or merchandise credit.

I know I'm being all business in this blog thus far, simply informative and not much 'fun', but... this is just the first of many postings and I've only touched the tip of the iceberg as far as bargain-hunting in Nashville. Rest assured, I'll post many more great places to shop, websites to join, special sales I come across....bargains galore! I'll also get a bit more fun as time goes on. Right now, it's all about gettin' it done!

If you're new to Nashville, I'll tell you all I know. We can also learn together as we go!

Happy frugaling!