CoolSprings Galleria opened in 1991, and JCPenney joined it three years later. That store has been there for every holiday season since 1994. Williamson Source reported on Oct. 27 that JCPenney has closed, so this is the Galleria's first holiday season in 32 years without it.
Two weeks earlier, Tin Roof 2 on Carothers Parkway served its last night on Oct. 9, after 20 years in Franklin.
The new arrivals in Cool Springs are restaurants with long hours, plus a mall tenant built around climbing walls and golf simulators. The Galleria has also put more of its holiday season onto a calendar of dated, ticketed or reserved events. This November, a Cool Springs outing is more likely to be planned around a table or a set time than a store errand.
What Left, and What Takes Its Place
Each closing already has a named successor.
| Closed | Years in Cool Springs | What comes next | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| JCPenney, CoolSprings Galleria | 32, since 1994 | DICK'S House of Sport, about 100,000 square feet | Targeting early 2028 |
| Tin Roof 2, 9135 Carothers Parkway | 20 | The Rafters, under new ownership | Took over the space in October |
The JCPenney replacement will be the first DICK'S House of Sport in the greater Nashville area. The Nashville Post describes the format: sporting goods along with a climbing wall, golf bays with TrackMan simulators and a HitTrax multi-sport cage for baseball, softball and soccer. The company runs about 35 House of Sport locations nationally and plans at least 75 by 2028. According to Williamson Source, construction is expected to start now that JCPenney has closed.
Williamson Source quoted CBL Properties CEO Stephen D. Lebovitz from the company's earlier announcement:
"We are pleased to announce that the first DICK'S House of Sport in the greater Nashville area will be located at CoolSprings Galleria."
In the same announcement, Lebovitz listed the July opening of Tennessee's first L.L.Bean as another change underway at the mall. The Post also reported that it could not determine whether the existing DICK'S Sporting Goods at 2000 Mallory Lane will close once the House of Sport opens.
On Carothers Parkway, the new owners posted "New name, new ownership" and said the kitchen would stay open during the transition. Williamson Source reported that the old Tin Roof sign was still up in mid-October. At a Franklin Beer Board hearing on Oct. 13, the restaurant's managing agent described a family-friendly, full-service restaurant and sports bar, and the board deferred its permit decision for a month, Williamson Source reported.
Three Kitchens That Opened Before the Holidays
The mall's new anchor is still more than a year away. In the meantime, the openings that change a December evening in Cool Springs are restaurants, and all three opened within about three weeks of each other.
Roots Prime Italian Chophouse, 440 Cool Springs Boulevard. Roots is in the former Old Chicago Pizza space. It is the second concept from Chef Jose Serrato and Elizabeth Serrato, the team behind Serrato's Steakhouse. Williamson Source confirmed it was open on Sept. 15. For a Cool Springs holiday dinner that used to mean a drive elsewhere, this is the new upscale option on the Boulevard.
Bravado Small Plates & Pizzabar, 1770 Galleria Boulevard, Suite A. POP Hospitality Group rolled Bravado out in stages, the Williamson Herald reported. Dinner started Sept. 23, brunch on Saturday, Oct. 3, and lunch with full service on Monday, Oct. 5. Chef Sean Foley's menu covers pasta, wood-fired pizza and plates to share. Bob's Discount Furniture opened at the same address in Cool Springs Crossing on Sept. 4.
Hawkers Asian Street Food, 4020 Aspen Grove Drive, McEwen Northside. Hawkers shares the ground floor of McEwen Northside's newest building with Culinary Dropout. That building is part of the district's $125 million, 300,000-square-foot expansion. The menu draws on Asian open-air markets, with Korean twice-fried wings, five-spice green beans and roti canai with curry dipping sauce, plus sake and craft cocktails. This is the company's second Middle Tennessee location, after the East Nashville restaurant it opened in 2020.
The hours set Hawkers apart. Its Franklin location page lists 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday. On weekends, it serves until midnight.
A few doors away, H. Audrey opened its luxury fashion boutique at 4031 Aspen Grove Drive, Suite 150, in late summer. On that one block of Aspen Grove Drive you can now shop for a gift and stay for dinner.
The Galleria's Season Now Runs on Dates
At the Galleria, the holiday season now comes with a set of dates. As of publish day, Santa photos are already running, and the first Monday pet session has passed. Here is the order from here through Christmas Eve:
- Santa photos, now through Dec. 24. Santa's set is on the lower-level center court in front of Dillard's. The photo operator lists packages starting at $42.
- Pet photos with Santa, Mondays through Dec. 14. The series started Nov. 9 and has five Mondays left.
- Fall Craft & Vendor Market, Nov. 14–15. This Saturday and Sunday, two days after this post goes up.
- GingerSnapped, Saturday, Dec. 12, 9 to 11 a.m. Santa photos, a gingerbread-house contest and breakfast refreshments. Reservations are required.
- Holiday gift-card giveaway, through Dec. 22. The Galleria is giving away $3,000 in gift cards over a run that began Nov. 1, with weekly prizes from mall retailers.
Three of those five have a fixed time slot or a reservation, so you put them on the family calendar instead of fitting them around a shopping trip. They also fill the same months the old anchor used to, while its space waits on the House of Sport build.
Thanksgiving Morning Starts at Meridian
The biggest scheduled event of the season takes place outside the mall, among the office buildings. GraceWorks holds its 27th Annual Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 26, at Meridian Cool Springs, 5000 Meridian Blvd. Proceeds support GraceWorks programs, Williamson Source reported.
The Race Roster registration page staggers the morning, and the listed prices include mandatory fees:
- 10K at 7 a.m., $55.49 as listed in early November
- 5K at 8 a.m., $50.14
- Kids' Turkey Chase at 9 a.m., $18.04
With races starting an hour apart, a family can split up, with one runner in the 10K and the kids in the 9 a.m. chase, and still be done before most Thanksgiving kitchens get busy.
One Detour to Plan Around
Trips to McEwen Northside from the east cross a corridor that will stay under construction well past this season. The City of Franklin's East McEwen Phase 4 project covers the stretch from about 800 feet east of the Cool Springs Boulevard and Oxford Glen Drive roundabout to Wilson Pike. When it's finished, that section will be a divided four-lane road with turn lanes, sidewalks, a multi-use path and lighting. The city estimates completion in 2028. That is the same year the House of Sport is targeted to open, so Cool Springs' two biggest projects in progress share a 2028 finish line.
At Franklin Homes, each home is built indoors at our Russellville factory under in-factory quality control, so weather on site doesn't hold up construction, and our authorized retailers coordinate permitting and installation locally. Visit our model center to walk through a finished home, or find a retailer near Cool Springs to talk timelines before the new year.
