We continously make fresh donuts throughout each day, with Groovy, Far Out and Funkadelic toppings and frostings! We also serve freshly ground coffee.
Now, no matter where you travel, shopping malls have sprung up all over the state of Tennessee. But can you name the very first shopping mall in the state? Well, don't rush out to Google it, I'm going to tell you. It's between 4th and 5th in downtown Nashville, the arcade, of course. Sammy Arndall went down there and discovered the secret to survival and success, just maybe a flavorful mix of the old and the new. The green awning announcing the arcade in downtown Nashville isn't just a remnant of what used to be, it's a welcome map for what still is a wonderful business district. I think it's a melting pot of people. There's travelers and there's downtown workers and then there's all the families of the owners and all of us that come here every day and it just seems to get busier and busier. I mean, look at my store, it's busy. Kathy Bloodworth owns the Peanut Shop, originally the planters peanut store, one of three original establishments inside the arcade. And if you measure success by sales and the ability to weather any economic storm since 1927, then by any standard you measure up. For Bloodworth, it's knowing you must keep the quality, This store never sold chocolate in the early days, So that's one thing I think is we've really, I've added, it seems We dip our own chocolates, strawberries and graham crackers and cookies and that very good mix leads to lots of big-eyed smiles and happy returns. Glenn Lightner of Clarksville, Tennessee often comes into the store more than once a day. There's a good vibe in here, it's like your home, Everybody in the heart of downtown Nashville knows they can come here and get not only the sweet and salty treats, but they can walk this 340-foot-long marketplace and find all types of meals, merchandise and many services. A spokesperson for the arcade said at the time of the grand opening in 1903, you could get anything from a shave to a piano at the arcade. Just the feel is really homey, their business has been here Buddy Jewel is one of the newest tenants, he's co-owner of Peace, Love and Little Donuts. What can I get for you? I want to get one of the strawberry shortcakes, just His hippy style gourmet donut dive is fitting in quite nicely with the throwback theme of the old-fashioned shopping center, complete with alb We play 60s and 70s music in the shop and it's more of an experience for people to come in, you just don't walk in and just buy a donut, we try to greet you and spend a little time chatting with you and stuff And if you think you recognize Buddy, you're right. Yes, he's a country music singer who's had some hit singles on the charts and he still plays music and tours but his favorite charts now list the flavors of the day. Buddy's entire family pours themselves into the business. His wife, Tanae and their two kids do everything from making the batter to decorating the fancy and funkadelic donuts with emphasis on funkadelic. Probably our biggest seller is a thing called maple bacon, if you can believe it or not, it's We do things It'some great things Some of them are more basic donuts that are just chocolate frosted or banana or strawberry or whatever but the funkadelics is what we'really known for. Tanae, I'm trying to narrow this down because I'm just really going to eat one, okay? But I want four. So this is how we're going to do this. I'm going to pick, well I got to do maple bacon and Boston cream so those are two. That's my favorite. Okay. I'm going to pick one. I'm an apple pie freak so let me have, and is this heat bar? That's my other weakness. So now quarter those and I will share with my coworkers. I said I was only going to eat one donut, okay? But there are four on that plate. But Tanae has helped me out by splitting them and quartering them. So now I'm just going to eat one piece of each, okay? And that way it's only one. And I'm going to start with, well let's do the bacon first. On my lunch of decadent donuts digest, I enjoy the ambiance of the arcade, the mom and pop eateries mixed with the retail businesses who cater to those who work and live downtown, all providing that little escape from the office and a taste of way back when. And this store came in 1927 and we're both still here. So that's pretty powerful.