Brad & Kimberly Williams-Paisley’s nonprofit, The Store, has just expanded, and it’s a big deal for Nashville.
On Jan. 14, The Store officially opened its second location on the campus of TriStar Centennial Medical Center, bringing more space, resources, and access to families across Middle Tennessee who need it most.
If you’re not familiar, The Store isn’t a typical food pantry. Founded by Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley, it’s a free, referral-based grocery store that lets people shop for their own food in a way that protects dignity and choice.
And that model is working.
The original location at Belmont University, which opened in 2020, served 2,200 families in 2025 alone, but demand has been growing fast, with waitlists getting longer as the region’s hunger crisis deepens. This new Centennial location will allow The Store to more than double the number of families it can serve.
The new space, located in TriStar Centennial’s B Garage at 311 23rd Ave North, is nearly three times the size of the original store and includes expanded storage, volunteer areas, and new offerings like emergency clothing and shopping trips for patients referred by hospital staff and community partners.
“We are very thankful to TriStar Centennial and to all of the wonderful individuals and corporations all over the country providing financial support for this mission,” says Kimberly Williams-Paisley. “We also couldn’t have done this without the hundreds of volunteers assisting our staff to help make this all come together. Together, we aim to help our customers get to the place where they won’t need The Store anymore, where the next time we see them will be when they come through our doors as one of our volunteers. That’s our dream.”
Speaking of volunteers… The Store used 3,100 volunteers in 2025, and with this new location, they’ll now need 275 volunteers every week. Individuals, families, and groups are all welcome.
If you want to volunteer, donate, or learn more, head to thestore.org.
