A Lovingly Restored Former Country Store More Than 100 Years Old
The Backstory ~ The Gathering at Milton
Hello. We are Phillip and Alanna Vaught - the excited new proprietors of the historical building formerly known as the Milton Country Store. Phillip and I purchased the building and the adjacent lot and house in February 2018. We reside in the Auburntown community and have two sons; John Buyrl and Jess Michael. Phillip grew up on a farm in Lascassas and I on a farm in Obion County. He is self-employed and owns a custom land clearing and bushogging business. I have been a professor in the MTSU School of Agriculture for the past 16 years.
The first thing I need to tell you is...
WE DID NOT PLAN ON BUYING THE BUILDING.
Yes, you heard me correctly. We never planned to purchase the building.
We joked about buying it in the past, however were never serious.
The auction was held on a nasty, rainy Saturday morning. I was announcing a cattle show at MTSU and Phillip had decided to stay home with our two year old son. Low and behold, Phillip decided to bring the baby to watch the cattle show. On his way to Murfreesboro, he noticed the auction sign and decided to stop in to see what the old store building brought. He parked the truck right at the front door and as he entered the store, the auction was underway. He quickly called me, cited the price the auctioneer was asking for and said, “Do we want to get in?”
I quickly responded, “get in what?”
Well my friends, the rest is history!
During the days that followed, we constantly questioned our spontaneous decision. What in the world were we going to do with it? We even had a few individuals approach us about buying it. One thing we did know was we had no interest in opening a restaurant. I know we disappointed many people when they heard that. However, even among those disappointed people there was a constant consensus. Everyone was very grateful and thankful we had purchased it and encouraged us to please “save the ole Milton store building”. That constant encouragement gave us the desire to, and the passion we needed to begin the HUGE project before us.
The first thing we found ourselves doing was deciding upon a name. Since so many people had so many fond memories of the building and its various occupants, we wanted everyone to be able to enjoy it. I have a background in agritourism and Phillip and I both love seeing people, young and old, “enjoy” themselves at gatherings and events. We wanted the building to be a place where people could gather for a family dinner, a work Christmas party, a baby shower, a community open house, a bridal shower, a luncheon and much more. The list could go on and on. This is how we came about the name...
The Gathering at Milton
We have big plans and dreams to continue to make this event venue a perfect place for you to gather together. We also offer various outdoor options in a large, open adjacent lot.
We hope to host several free community events throughout the year as well as seasonal events such as: workshops, holiday open house and markets featuring the Easter Bunny, Uncle Sam and Santa, catered dinners, outdoor plays, street dances and more!
Please LIKE US on Facebook and check back regularly for updates and venue rental availability, times and dates.
Feel free to contact us anytime.
Sincerely,
Alanna & Phillip Vaught
