Mike Wolfe is a name known through the television airwaves and now synonymous with stories of our American heritage. Locally, and all around the country, he now stands as a testament to the spirit of community. You may have seen him on the extremely popular, almost cult classic television show, American Pickers, sifting through dusty barns and attics in search of history. But what you might not know, is that his passion for picking goes beyond the finds in someone’s shed. He is also a reservoir for the spirit of the quiet towns and communities he visits on his treasure hunts. One such curating of community, where that has become even more true, is right here in our backyard.

 
As he scours the country for forgotten relics, Mike carries the memories of his own hometown with him. He's turned a childhood curiosity for…well…curiosities, into a lifelong journey; thus, making him a relatable figure who's seen the world but remains grounded in his roots. And it’s not just about the rusty gold he uncovers; it's the stories he unearths that truly connect him to communities across the country. Mike isn't just looking for artifacts; he's uncovering pieces of our shared history, tales of hard work, resilience and the American dream. He's a picker of stories, a collector of memories and a storyteller of the forgotten. Mike embodies the very essence of a community's values. Including ours.

In an age where the world seems to be moving at lightning speed, Mike reminds us of the value of our past, the importance of preserving our heritage, and the thrill of the hunt that unites us all. He's not just a TV personality; he's a reflection of our own curiosity and a symbol of the untold treasures that lie in our own backyards.

His new passion is in finding and helping to bring back to life, towns or buildings that were once full of vibrance. These are the places that embody small-town America. Mike is an explorer of the dreams that are hidden behind boarded-up windows and broken-down foundations. His passion for bringing the soul back to a town, business or home is palpable. It brings people together to help in ways they may not have expected, and it creates a new wave of vision for furthering the desire to restore our shared history. Mike reminds us that the stories of our past are the threads that weave our shared tapestry of life.

Mike’s journey from childhood to where he is now, is nothing short of astounding. At just four-years-old, Mike found himself on off the beaten paths to school that led him through alleyways and into the neighbor’s garbage. This started him on his path to “picking.” As the saying goes, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Well, he has indeed found many a treasure and he has turned them into a profitable career and become a celebrity in doing so. 

 

Mike has lived in middle Tennessee for twelve years but he first found his way to Williamson County in 2002, while out on a motorcycle ride. “I fell in love with it. I've never seen anything like it,” explains Mike. “What really attracted me was the antique industry. It was so different down here. A lot of the stores were curated and branded and, where I'm from, you don't see that. The level of retail down here really interested me in terms of the antique industry. When I came down here, I started setting up at the flea market in Nashville and we would do that usually in February and March. We would sell more here than anywhere and every time I brought something, every time I set up at the flea market here, I sold everything I brought,” he explains.

 

Mike’s passion behind the scenes, is really for going into towns that time forgot. While serving on a city council in a small town in Iowa, he quickly educated himself on the town's needs, he also learned that “once the community loses its Main Street, they lose entrepreneurs, they lose jobs, they lose pride.” While in that position he was also involved with tourism and that's where he felt he could make the most difference. He was able to use the platform he had built on television and put it to use to help rebuild main streets that had crumbled in small towns. He is proud of the personal preservation work he did there with an 1860s house and a building on Main Street.

 

Now, Mike is very excited about several preservation projects that he has taken on in the last three years since moving to middle Tennessee: Including the beautiful downtown loft that he renovated and hosts as an Airbnb that sits over a bicycle shop on the Columbia town square, in a historic brick building that dates back to 1857. He is also working on an 1873 antebellum house, a 1947 Chevy dealership that he calls Motor Alley, the 1940s Esso station, and another antebellum house he hopes to use as an Airbnb. Mike has been involved with restoration projects throughout Williamson and Maury counties and over the past few years, has been working on revitalizing parts of Columbia, especially. “Columbia still has so much to offer to people. There are historic districts and an arts district. If you draw a circle around Nashville, an hour out in any direction, there is no community that has what Columbia has to offer with history, architecture and people. The people are what really attracted me to living in the south. I am a Southerner by choice, not by birth,” he says.

“When I came across Columbia, it came into my life when I needed it most. I had been involved with the Heritage Foundation in Franklin and owned property in downtown Franklin. I had restored a building there. But the Foundation, during that time, had done such a great job already and it was a very well-oiled machine. They had a great understanding of their role in heritage, tourism and community. You can get involved, and I did. But, I wanted to get dirty and get my hands into something. So, when I came out here to Columbia, I was like wow, this is it. There are a lot of buildings that need to be fixed and there is not really any tourism. Now, we've got a great gal for Columbia’s tourism, Kelly Murphy, and amazing things are happening,” he says.

“I now own six different properties here in Columbia. When I go into a community, I'm not just interested in investment. For me, it's about long-term relationships and it's about what the town needs in that moment in time. I ask myself and those around me, how can I help? How can I have a seat at the table and be of use?”

 

“I was also recently involved with well-known preservationist and businessman, Aubrey Preston, on a project called Nashville’s Big Backyard. Our goal with this project, stretching from Muscle Shoals, Alabama to Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee, was to push people to discover this corridor of communities of 5,000 or less. With everybody being able to work from home in the last few years, you can live really anywhere, and these forgotten communities are starting to be thought of again,” says Mike. “Why not encourage people who can work from anywhere to invest in and live in and see these places once again as vibrant and appealing,” he explained.

 

Nashville’s Big Backyard has enabled many small, forgotten communities to be able to receive funding for revitalization, marketing, tourism and more, in order to revive shuttered streets and enable forgotten places to be born again. People like Mike Wolfe have definitely made that possible here in our backyard and around the country.

“You know that an idea can always blossom into something,” says the collector of memories. “I am really focused now on the concept of the show helping Americans fall in love with America again. And people need to understand that they NEED to fall in love with this country again and see and save the places that matter and remember the people that built this country. If you want to see the real America, get off your travel app; get a paper map; go take a trip; go out and explore and find these places with your family. Because if you don't, before we know it, they're going to be gone.”