We had the good fortune of connecting with Ben & Theresa Alley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ben & Theresa, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
Failure leads to success. We often approach failure as a bad thing, and in most contexts it is (though, it’s rarely as bad as we make it out to be.) The most overlooked part of that equation though is our attitude to failure. Specifically the why, and how we can find the why for failing. In our business we’re teaching people what works, but not because we always find what works. Instead we hope to teach people how to evaluate failure in their art business or career, largely by using our own failures as a starting point. In any endeavor, failing and learning from your failure lead you to what works.

What should our readers know about your business?
We’re Trellis & Vine. We are an arts group in Smyrna, TN whose mission is to help artists grow their businesses and create space for those businesses to flourish. We do that by working directly with artists to create those areas through our Gallery and Workshop as well as providing arts business consulting and basic services. We’re really excited to be able to build relationships with up and coming artists so that we can not only highlight the work they do, but also try our best to get them to a point that that work can sustain them with or without us.

We started Trellis and Vine back in 2022 as a way to create more art workspaces in our area after visiting several large art communities and being absolutely jealous of the art scenes present there. We quickly learned that while we wanted to make a way for more art to thrive in our home community, what we really wanted was to help create more opportunities for community in our area and that art was the particular facilitator of that community that we craved. We also realized that small and local businesses really thrive more with community so we decided that the best use of our efforts was to help connect artists and creatives to the communities that can give them a path forward and the support to thrive in whatever way was best for them. Whether that is our community or another that’s right for them is up to the artist. We just want to help them work on a path forward.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Some of the best places in town are right here in our little district of the city. It would be best to take the whole trip in about 5 days.

Day 1: we’d hit up the depot district. The first stop is coffee and breakfast from a fantastic pastry and coffee shop called Viva la Fresa (just down the street from Trellis and Vine’s gallery.) Then we start on a trail to see the murals in the area and visit the old train depot and Zama Park just across the tracks. From there we’d grab lunch (or dinner if the mural tour took long enough) at Subculture.

Day 2: We check out the local arcade, Game galaxy, after breakfast (which was probably back at Viva la Fresa). After a few hours at the arcade we’d wander down to the Trellis & Vine’s art gallery to see what’s on display. Then we’d have a nicer late lunch/dinner and drinks at The Print Shop.

Day 3: We walk to visit the local Blue Angels memorial and then visit the Smyrna Outdoor and Adventure Center nearby. Dinner is burgers and shakes from Karen’s Kustard to reward ourselves from all of that walking.

Day 4: We rest and prepare for a fancy dinner and drinks at The Tasting Room.

Day 5: we see if Carpe Artista has any art classes open for us to join and get our craft on.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The stage for our business in our area has really been set by a local Non-profit called Carpe Artista. Our business wouldn’t be here if Carpe Artista hadn’t laid the groundwork for cultivating art in our area.

Website: https://www.trellisandvine.art

Instagram: @trellisandvinearts

Facebook: Trellis&Vine

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutTennessee is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.