Women-Founded & Women-Owned
Just one year before the U.N. declared March 8th as International Women's Day, Walton's Jewelry was founded by Melba Walton in June of 1974.
This was years before women could open a line of credit or a business without their husband's blessing...But that was no problem for Melba with her unmatched eye for style, legendary social graces, and a little help from Paw Paw.
She beat the odds to go from selling jewelry off the hood of her car at flea markets to opening a couple of storefronts in historic Downtown Franklin. Melba was a trailblazer building a legacy that would live on in her family for three generations and counting.
As a little girl, Julie loved to look at the dazzling gems, practice her times tables on the rhinestone-encrusted calculators, and spend time with her Maw Maw. And as it turns out, a passion for antique jewelry wasn't the only thing passed down through the generations of our family business.
It's the same storefront, same family, same outstanding quality, same amazing service, and same hope for the future - while still preserving our past.
Our newest addition to the breakroom - our first-ever sign that hung on the facade of our original location in Carter's Court! Melba hadn't even settled on the name "Walton's Jewelry" at the time, the store was "Melba Walton Antique and Estate Jewelry". We recently found the sign in storage, gave it a little TLC, and hung it up for all to enjoy.
You can see it in this ad Melba ran in the local paper with a photo of the sign hanging up in Carter's Court!
Concierge-style client service, pride in our expertise, and an incredible historic showroom have set us apart for nearly 50 years. This International Women's Day (and every day) we're proud to be a women-founded and women-run business. But Julie would be first to tell you that she couldn't have done it without her incredible team of women...Together, we're committed to providing the best education and service to go along with our carefully vetted and authenticated jewelry that can't be found anywhere else.
If you're in the Nashville area, we'd love to see you in our showroom and offer private appointments for jewelry browsing and buying to make any of life's great milestones.
Happy International Women's Day!
Julie and the Walton's Team
