ALEXIS + BOLT is rooted in a desire to bring together a community of people who share an appreciation for carefully curated goods as well as carefully curated experiences. Owner, Kate Sbarra completely re-designed a home in the historical neighborhood of Germantown, and then merchandised the space with a selection of goods from men’s and women’s apparel, shoes and accessories to home goods, gifts and more! Kate is an Arkansas native who like many of us fell in love with Nashville on a weekend trip for a co-worker’s wedding. Since the wedding, Kate has also gotten married herself and left corporate America behind with her sights set on building ALEXIS + BOLT. Kate, shop dog Charlie and the Bolt Babes are ready to greet you with a glass of wine as you step off the beautiful sidewalks of Germantown and into this home-turned-shop. They can’t wait to meet you!

Tell us a little bit about you – 

I feel like I am new at all this stuff too, A+B is already 3 years old. I moved here for the store, I fell in love with Nashville and I started to fall in love with my husband and it was an easy move. I’m from Arkansas and when I traveled to Nashville, I fell in love quick with the city.  There is such a sense of community and an authenticity to it. 

What inspired you to start A+B?

I was driving by in Germantown and saw that the house had a for sale sign in (there was a 90 year – old sweet woman named Nancy) We love Nancy, but that house was a tad outdated. We definitely wanted to keep the bones of the house. We use each little nook + cranny for home, gift, mens + women’s clothing. Well, my personal brand is super edgy but A+B carries a little bit of everything for everyone. We have shoppers from our 20’s all the way up to their 60’s. 

We are open till 7:00 now if you’re ever in the neighborhood for dinner. Also, if you’re not in Nashville – they are offering FREE SHIPPING !

How has A+B evolved the past few years?

When we kicked off, we did have all categories. We have now figured out what works for our customer with the Nashville vibe. We definitely have refined what works for our shopper. We have evolved our price points, brands and what’s really working for our shopper. We’re definitely getting a little more savvy. 

We did launch e-commerce a few years ago, but the store is really out bread + butter. Right now, people are really responding well, so we’re trying to find pieces that work best for everyone’s lifestyle right now. 

Did you have retail experience before?

Oh, absolutely not. I never even worked in retail. I think with anything, your work ethic, your vision, hardworking – you can learn anything. I was shifting into a new face of life, I come from an entrepreneurial family and they were always encouraging. I think it gave me an unbiased mentality because I didn’t know anything, but I have so many good mentors – especially in Germantown. In general the retail community needs to stick together. 

You’ve added a new event space, Versed – How did that idea come to curate that space?

I wanted to bring something else to A+B and I new that we could do a lot more with the house we had. We renovated out garage space, glammed it up and we have an outside courtyard. We have and amazing plant wall, beautiful bathroom, glass garage door-  Now we use it for small events, birthday’s etc. You even had your surprise birthday there last summer!

The tornado – that was so devastating, especially for Germantown

We were very blessed, even compared to some of our neighbors, we are very lucky. A lot of sweet people who live in this neighborhood who still don’t have a place to live right now, my heart is still breaking for this community. To go from the tornado right to COVID- it hasn’t stopped. We were without power for a few weeks, we were desperate and L+L Market hosted us and it was super great.

OKAY – What is your most favorite meal to cook at home right now or your favorite place to snag take out?

We’ll we created a little coffee shop on the third floor of our house. My husband and I get up every morning, head up to the “coffee shop” and then sit at a table. It’s the little things right now, but we love it. I did make snickerdoodles the other day and they were really good! Here is the recipe: https://bakerbettie.com/easy-snickerdoodle-recipe/

My favorite take out is Butchertown Hall – we are there all the time. They are the best margarita in Nashville and they are doing to go margs and it’s the best. My favorite thing to eat is their tacos, brussel salads and their queso is killer. Last night I did Rolf+Daughters and had pasta from them, it was so good. For wine, I just have a BOTA box right now. 

Wines we talked about (get your drink on):

BOTA BOX

THREE BROOMS

a few favorite quotes 

when in doubt – turn off, turn on

lead with your heart

celebrate everything, creating small moments

we’re all just trying to find the silver lining and it’s finally setting in

ALL THE HAIR PRODUCTS

For Damaged Hair: Kerastase Resistance Serum – (Order from Oxana or Parlous 3!)