NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A historic fixture on Lower Broadway is making its return to Music City.

On Tuesday, the sign for the iconic Ernest Tubb Record Shop was hung back up, restored to its former glory. The legendary shop announced it would close its doors in 2022, but not long after, new owners stepped in, promising to reopen it this fall.

When you take a trip to Broadway, you’re greeted with live music, honky-tonks, and bright lights and signs.

“We’ve done probably 90% – 95% of all the signs down here, and we still service and maintain them all as well,” Kayla Mirenda, Vice President at Joslin and Son Signs, said.

Mirenda's father started Joslin and Son Signs almost 50 years ago. “We really are putting our footprint on Nashville, and we are really involved in all of these signs, and it's such an honor."

She said one of the biggest honors was refurbishing one of the oldest signs on Broadway.  

“This is one of the very oldest signs on Broadway. So, Ernest Tubb Record Shop opened here in this location in 1947 it was critical that it was this close to the Ryman Auditorium,” Mirenda said.

The shop was founded by Grand Ole Opry star Ernest Tubb. The record shop was a fixture on Lower Broadway and propelled some of the biggest names in country music.

In 2022, the shop announced it would close its doors, which sparked an outcry from the community to save it. In 2023, the Tubb family and new owners promised to rebuild the landmark. 

Today, it's the first sign of progress.

“This morning, we got here at 5 a.m. and have been hard at work ever since,” Mirenda said.

She said the sign that you now see on the wall is the original 1960s sign, but much more structurally sound. “Sixty-five years later, it's back up on the wall and we hope it will be here another 65."

The new shop is expected to open this fall with plans for a four-story bar and members' lounge. 

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/broadway-nashville/ernest-tubb-record-shop-sign-restored/