After successfully launching her mercantile in Pigeon Forge, TN, Johnson City, TN, Blowing Rock, NC and Abingdon, VA, Tabitha Estep the owner and founder of Coal Miners Daughter Mercantile is looking for new opportunities to grow her small business.

“What we do is showcase vendors under one roof,” Estep said. “I have over 300 vendors altogether. We have clothes, tumblers, jewelry, and woodwork to name a few.”

Originally from the mountains of Southwest Virginia, Estep’s father worked in the mines which inspired the name of her store.

 “There are pictures on the wall of the mines he worked inside in my hometown of Appalachia, VA,” Estep noted. “I wanted to incorporate those.”

 Estep started out in Jonesborough in 2017, which she said was when she owned Bewitched Boutique – from there she decided to expand her horizons to support small businesses.

 “We sold it and started with the vendor stores two years ago,” Estep explained. “We have our own stuff in here which is my own boutique stuff – I still make shirts. Then we have the vendors, and the vendors are all over. They may be local to Blowing Rock or Pigeon Forge, but when I open another store, they come with me. This is a collection of my best vendors.”

Vendors for the business were found on ETSY, according to Estep – and it just grew from there.

“We would search a zip code on ETSY because I was looking for local people who didn’t have stores. I would then reach out to them and ask if they would be interested in putting their items in my store,” she said. “When we started, there weren’t very many, but it has grown, and it is still a growing concept.”

Giving the vendors a brick-and-mortar establishment to sell their art was important to Estep.

“It’s supporting small business. There are no corporations in here, they’re all small stores – though some grow bigger than others and expand,” Estep said. “

Coal Miner’s Daughter is looking to open its seventh storefront this summer.

“Bewitched is currently downstairs in the mall,” Estep said. “We will be closing it the end of February and moving into a bigger store upstairs.”

If you are interested in becoming a vendor with Coal Miner’s Daughter, you can email Estep at coalminersdaughtermercatile@gmail.com and she will send you an application.