News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Cookeville business The Munkey Wrench Gallery and Shop is opening the doors of its new, West Side home on Friday.
Owner Bruce Heard said the new location will feature a new aspect in addition to his artistic and antique items: coffee, desserts, and craft beverages. Heard said that he wanted to create a place in his business for people to spend time and chat. He said that’s what he most looks forward to in his new endeavor.
“I mean there’s people from all over the world that come through Cookeville,” Heard said. “And they come in my store, so you get a lot of neat stories and you meet a lot of neat people. So I just like meeting people, so that’s the big thing for me with this.”
Heard said that because his new building is older, he’s run into some issues that pushed back his new services. He said that he hopes to get the coffee, craft beverages, and desserts sales started within the next month. Until then, Heard said he’s selling his original and repurposed antique pieces in his gallery.
“I just try to find things that work with what I’m doing,” Heard said. “And AI like to have a mixture because not everybody that comes in the store is going to like the same thing but I try to keep everything in my style and things that match. I do have some antiques, and sometimes I find stuff that I think is kind of unusual, and then I’ll put it in there. It’s a mixture, but I try to highlight most of my artwork in there.”
Heard said that he moved to Cookeville from California in 1996. He said that on a visit to his grandmother, he said he thought the city was a great place. Heard said his journey started with bringing his art to a Nashville Flea Market, and has grown his craft from there.
The new location can be found at 18 North Cedar Ave.
