Shoptalk: Mercantile 37
Mercantile 37 Photography by Tony Valainis
Farmland, silos, and quarries near the Hamilton and Madison county line surround Mercantile 37, and co-owner Nick Roudebush is quick to admit it’s in the middle of nowhere. His dad, J.R., has a different take. “We’re in the middle of everywhere,” he says, pointing in all directions while explaining that customers sometimes meet at this crossroads from far-flung locales. They can catch up in the adjacent cafe before shopping two floors of handcrafted treasures. More than 50 vendors contribute brooms, baskets, candles, pottery, jewelry, and furniture to the inspired selection of rustic-cool goods set up like an art-directed picker’s paradise. The mix includes work from Nick, who has an MFA and designs and wires industrial light fixtures from plumbing components under the label Farmstead Ironworks with his brother-in-law, Grant House. Lest you forget your rural whereabouts ensconced inside the spiffy Mercantile, thick fireplace-mantel beams are labeled by the barn they were pulled from—over yonder, in acres seeded with Hoosier authenticity.
Mercantile 37
25625 S.R. 37 N, Atlanta, 765-734-1683
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