NOLENSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Itty Bitty Donuts is a popular donut and coffee shop, tucked just off Nolensville Road, in the heart of the historic district.
Co-owner Misty Brown and her staff gave us a warm welcome for our latest Your Voice stop.
Misty worked in the music business before taking a leap of faith with co-owner Kristy Bigham.
They first sold their dainty donuts at the farmers market and then opened their own shop in 2020.
Two weeks after the doors opened, the pandemic hit, but somehow, their business stayed afloat.
"You know, it's a crazy thing. When you have to survive something, you'll find a way," Brown said.
And now, they're enjoying steady business from regular customers, while they watch steady changes unfold just feet away, along the rapidly growing State Highway 41-A corridor, which is better known as Nolensville Road.
"I think one of the things that I'm excited about obviously is more people that are coming to the area and seeing what, what Nolensville is and what it, what it's great, what's great about us," Misty Brown said. "Obviously growth is an issue. We have growing pains. Roads aren't what they should be."
Growing pains, without a doubt, were also top of mind among those we met at Itty Bitty Donuts, with many voicing concerns over navigating construction and traffic delays.
"We have that one main road that goes through town that's two lanes you know and you already can't make a left in this town that's another thing that everybody jokes about you can't make a left you know," one customer who's lived in Nolensville for 10 years said. "And so, in the ten years, it's, like, exploded and I think that a lot of the fears that people have is we're growing too fast."
"I wouldn't exactly know how to solve the whole traffic problem," Nolensville resident Jadon Vongsamphanh said.
Four years ago, Jadon Vongsamphanh graduated from Nolensville High and went off to UT Knoxville for college.
Now, he's back home pondering his next step and said he's still taking in all the changes the region has undergone since 2021.
"Recently, obviously there's a lot of new construction and just a lot of growth happening—Apartments, and a ton of people moving in, lots of new construction," Vongsamphanh said.
But Vongsamphanh said he's taking a "glass half full" approach to the growth.
"Nolensville's definitely grown a lot and I'm excited to see what that growth brings," Vongsamphanh said.
For Brown, she said the traffic issues along Nolensville Road have led to a specific challenge for her business—signage.
"I would say that's probably the biggest challenge is that having signage that people know that, you know, we're even back here," Brown said.
Challenges that come with explosive growth
Just 15 years ago, the 210 Census listed 5,861 residents in Nolensville.
By 2020, the number soared to almost 14,000.
And as of last summer, Nolensville's population estimate neared 16,000—That's jump of about 170%.
Locals tell us aside from just getting around, the bigger concern is whether Nolensville can keep growing without losing its identity.
"I think if we could preserve the small-town charm and just control the growth and just slow the roll, I think that would be good," one local said.
For Brown and the others here, the right recipe for the future includes one key ingredient— good neighbors.
One of the best things about Tennessee is its beauty. Reporter, Chris Davis, certainly makes the most of it as an avid hunter and fisherman. When he turned the spotlight on the potential funding shortfall the TWRA is facing - it hit a nerve with many of our viewers. To find out more, make sure to watch this story.
- Carrie Sharp
