Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandi McAughty.
Hi Sandi, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
TN Flea was established in 2016 in White House, Tennessee, by Eddie and Heidi Harlin. What began as a small weekend venture, with spaces rented to a handful of vendors, slowly grew into something much bigger—a thriving flea market and, eventually, a beloved vendor mall.
I was new to White House at the time and looking for work when I walked through the doors of TN Flea and met Heidi and Eddie for the first time. Before long, I became a vendor myself, setting up right by the front door on weekends. Little did I know that walking through those doors would change the course of my life.
Over the years, TN Flea continued to grow. What started so simply eventually became a 17,000-square-foot vendor mall with more than 120 vendors. But TN Flea was about much more than the merchandise inside its walls. It became a special part of the community—a place where customers were welcomed, friendships were made, and so many people felt at home.
In 2021, we unexpectedly lost Eddie. His passing was a devastating loss for his family and for the entire TN Flea family. We came together to help keep the store going for Heidi, and through that difficult time, we became even closer. Heidi became much more than a friend to me—she became like a sister.
In 2024, Heidi decided it was time for a new chapter and made the difficult decision to sell TN Flea. My husband and I were incredibly honored to become the new owners and to carry forward something that meant so much to so many people.
We began searching for a new home for the business. We looked at location after location, hoping to find a space large enough to continue the vision we had for TN Flea. At times, we were beginning to wonder if we would ever find the right place.
Then we found 130 N. Locust Avenue in Gallatin.
We met with the landlord, walked through the building, and knew we had found the new home for TN Flea—now known as TN Flea, Antiques & Collectibles.
We started with four walls and a roof, and with the incredible help of our family, friends, and vendors, we began building something special all over again. We have poured our hearts and souls into this business, and watching people walk through the doors, look around, and say “WOW” makes every bit of the hard work worthwhile.
We are incredibly grateful for every vendor who has trusted us, every customer who has walked through our doors, and every person who has helped us along the way.
TN Flea has never been just a business to us. It is a family, a community, and a labor of love.
We hope that what we are building honors Eddie’s legacy, makes him proud, and keeps our customers coming back through our doors for years to come.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Our road to get here has not been without it’s fair share of obstacles. We had plenty of delays along the way. We had to wait months before we could get into the new location and we had So many new things to learn. Even though TN Flea had been in business for a long time, some of this was new territory for us. We powered through and got the ball rolling. We had five storage units full of walls made of lumber and lattice, our fixtures, shopping carts, racks, display cases, well, everything really. The first storage unit to be emptied was the one that was packed full of the old white lattice walls we saved from the White House location. We didn’t throw anything away, we upcycled it! Our build crew worked long hard hours putting together the rental spaces. They got the first section complete and they were not happy with how it looked so they took that section down and started over. We were lucky enough to have a build crew that took tremendous pride in what they were doing. We all wanted this new space to be as close to perfect as we could get. Once they got a good construction routine going, the vendor booths took shape faster and they look amazing. As we were gaining momentum and the build was moving along, the ice storm hit Tennessee. Our whole world literally froze. We were so close to being open, but sadly we had another set back. We had all worked so hard and waited so long, and got stopped again. But, despite the ice and cold, we opened TN Flea, Antiques & Collectibles on February 1, 2026 during an ice storm. We had made a promise to our vendors and we intended to keep it. It was cold, It was icy, but we were tired of waiting and took the bull by the horns and opened our doors.
We’ve been impressed with TN Flea, Antiques & Collectibles, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
TN Flea, Antiques & Collectibles is a unique, eclectic place offering a great selection of merchandise for just about everyone. From die-cast cars, Vintage blouses, sport coats, t-shirts, tables, chairs, furniture and one-of-a-kind art pieces and antiques. You never know what you’ll discover. We’re proud to be open 7 days a week to serve our community. We are known for our unique style, clean booths and welcoming staff.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Our industry has seen a steady increase over the past 8-10 years and we believe that increase will continue. We want to make sure we keep providing our customers the fun and unique shopping experience they have come to love at our store. We are the trend setters, refusing to be just like every other vendor mall. Pushing the limits and daring to be different.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tnflea.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tn_flea_antiques_collectibles
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tnfleaantiquescollectibles
