Walton's Jewelry
3 Generations in Downtown Franklin
In 1974, Walton's Jewelry opened its doors in Franklin. The city was smaller then, and downtown had only a fraction of the shops and restaurants it has today. Over the next five decades, Franklin grew into one of the state's most sought-after and fastest-growing communities, and Walton’s grew right along with it. Businesses opened, sidewalks filled with visitors, and new neighbors arrived every year. Through it all, Walton’s stayed right where it started.
Staying in one place that long gives a business a rare view of a community. The Walton family has watched Williamson County grow up one milestone at a time.
Jewelry tends to show up at the biggest moments of a person's life: an engagement ring picked out with shaking hands, a strand of pearls for a daughter's wedding, an anniversary band, a piece bought to celebrate a new job or promotion, or just because. Many of the families who first shopped at Walton’s in the 1970s and '80s still come in today, and now they bring their children and grandchildren along to choose pieces of their own.
"We have clients who bought their engagement rings from my dad or grandmother, and now we're helping their grandchildren pick out theirs," says Julie Walton Garland, third-generation owner. "Being part of a family's story across that many years is the best part of what we do. Every piece that comes through our door carries someone's history with it."
That sense of history runs through the showroom, which specializes in antique and custom fine jewelry. A Victorian locket or an Art Deco ring has already outlived the occasion it was made for, and often the person who first wore it. The Walton’s team seeks out these pieces, studies them, and gives each one a place in the showroom until it finds its next owner. Franklin has always valued what came before it, from its historic Main Street to its preserved homes. Antique jewelry fits right in: beautiful things made long ago, still being enjoyed today.
As the holidays approach, the Walton family says they are especially grateful for more than fifty years of proposals, anniversaries, birthdays, and Christmas mornings in Williamson County. In a county that has grown and changed so much, there is something reassuring about a store that is still right where it started, ready for whatever milestone comes next.
410 Main Street | Franklin | waltonsjewelry.com
