SPRING HILL, Tenn. (WTVF) — Early's Honey Stand has stood the test of time in Spring Hill, celebrating 100 years of business since first opening in 1925, even as the community around it undergoes rapid transformation.
"There was a lot of traffic north to south on Highway 31. When the interstate came in in the 50s and 60s, that kind of dried up," said Curtis Gibbs, who runs Early's Honey Stand.
A shift to catalogs and mail-order business kept the historic roadside retailer afloat during leaner times. But today, with Spring Hill's explosive growth, traffic is no longer an issue for the business that Gibbs' family purchased in 2011.
"It's pretty impressive, the change," Gibbs said.
The numbers tell the story of Spring Hill's transformation.
"I think we looked it up, there's something like 25,000 cars a day now on this road," Gibbs said.
That high visibility brings new customers to the iconic retailer daily.
"Every day, we get new people in, who are 'I just moved here six months ago,'" Gibbs said.
However, the growth presents challenges alongside opportunities.
"It's been a blessing and a curse," Gibbs said. "We've heard from many people that the traffic is very tough for them to get here. You know, they say we're 100 feet off the road, but it's a 20-minute process to get off, get back on."
A few miles south, just across the city line at Embers, a popular gathering spot near the massive GM plant, residents share similar mixed feelings about their rapidly changing community.
"So, we live in a neighborhood that has 3 or 4 different developers in it," said Nathan Ward, a Spring Hill resident.
"Quick is definitely the word for what they want to do here in town."
Development and the increasing cost of living dominate conversations among locals.
"You know, when we moved here, we looked around," said Mike Vannoy, another Spring Hill resident. "Then we decided on a place, we found a home that had been vacant for about a year for whatever reason. We got it for $99 a square foot. It's now valued at $270 a square foot. It's unreal. The fact that my home is valued more and appreciated more than my 401K is unreal."
Infrastructure struggles to keep pace with the population boom.
"We're watching the infrastructure not being in place prior to the growth. And that has a big impact," Vannoy said.
At the Fainting Goat Coffee Company, Caden Cameron acknowledges these growing pains while maintaining optimism about the community.
"What concerns me is... the traffic can be rough at times," Cameron said.
Yet he remains positive about his hometown.
"But I mean if you go anywhere at the wrong time you're gonna have a ton of traffic," Cameron said.
Cameron, who serves as "Head of Coffee," started at the shop when it opened in 2017. "I left for a bit and then came back because I missed, missed the community here," Cameron said.
The strong sense of community keeps residents like Cameron committed to Spring Hill despite its challenges.
"I think part of what makes it so special is... I mean the people. They're just all very welcoming and kind. For the most part, they all genuinely want to connect with you and get to know you," Cameron said.
This community connection remains a consistent theme among Spring Hill residents and business owners.
"I always feel positive. There's always a positive side to it, and I think, like I said, daily we have new people come in the store and that's really been helpful for us," Gibbs said.
"We live in a great neighborhood, the people are super," Ward said.
"We decided on Williamson County because they have a top school district in the country," Vannoy said.
"Spring Hill is a wonderful town," Ward said. "But I think sometimes as a city, we hold back from the growth portion of what's going on."
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