Fork of the South

May 08, 2023 at 10:48 am by RMGadmin


Where Shabby & Chic Meet Southern

With Stef Gorman

Welcome Y’all! My name is Stef Gorman and I’m the proprietor of Fork of the South, located in the Factory at Franklin. I’m a former elementary school teacher turned Southern Hospitality Specialist. I left the classroom in the summer of 2019 to open our store in the Factory. I loved my time in the classroom, but our two Airbnb cottages, in Leiper’s Fork, were already pulling me away from my kiddos. It was like having two full-time jobs! I knew that something had to happen, so I prayed and prayed about the path I was supposed to take. With full faith in the Lord and the strong support of my husband Steve, I left the classroom to open Fork of the South General Store.  
 
We started out with just over fifty-five makers, woman-owned businesses, veteran-owned businesses, and other small businesses that we were honored to call our partners. During the pandemic, I was scared as we had to close for forty-five days… But with my faith and community support, we were able to thrive. We grew to eighty-five partners and moved to a larger space. We learned from our partners that we were able to help six of our makers save their homes.  
 
It’s been a wild ride since I put my number-two pencil down... I was worried about my mission to impact and mentor young people. I was afraid, since I was leaving the classroom, that I wouldn’t be able to do that anymore. Thankfully, I was wrong. My first employee, Kailey, was one of my all-time favorite students. She was part of my first class when we moved to Franklin in 2013 and, now, she’s thriving studying abroad, and she’s coming back to join us for the summer! You know you do something right when a former student wants to come work with you. I have had over ten of my former students and siblings join me at the store. I’ve even had former room moms and parents be part of our team and continue to be part of my life.  I’m truly blessed with my amazing team, and I will continue to be a role model, mentor and shoulder to cry on when they need someone.
 
Flash forward to 2023, and we’re moving one final time to our new flagship location in Building 8 of the Factory.  It’s a scary move, but we’re expanding to a fifty-seat restaurant space and barista – heck, we’re even going to “homemake” all our ice cream! The Milkshake Bar is going to be out of this world. Also coming to this new space will be a Candy Martini Bar, and my take on English High Tea – Southern Tea.  Building 8 is the big building on the left as you leave Mojo’s Tacos and walk towards the Farmers Market. We’re going to have some amazing neighbors in the new space! Blockhouse is going to be across the path from us, our good friends from Third Coast Clay are going to share the building with us, and Mr. Ken’s carousel is going to be installed in our courtyard! Learn more about Fork of the South and shop at forkofthesouth.com.