BY AMELIA ROSE SMITH
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TRENTON LEE PHOTOGRAPHY

Buffie Baril is the founder of Lovely Franklin, a digital platform developed to discover historic Franklin’s most charming places and people. Buffie also manages
@FranklinTN, Franklin’s largest community Instagram page, dedicated to showcasing the very best of Franklin’s people and happenings while promoting local businesses. Between Buffie’s love for historic homes, supporting local and building connections within the community, she is living out her dream job. 

So just how did Buffie come to be here in “lovely Franklin?” After graduating from Harding University with a degree in marketing, Buffie married her best friend Chuck and moved to Nashville for music. They built their first home and raised their three children in Gallatin. After twenty-one years in the same home, Buffie’s family moved to Franklin in 2016, and the rest is history – pun intended!

Buffie’s earlier career had been at Bridgestone Corporation for seven years, then Nashville Wraps, a gift wrap company in Hendersonville, for fifteen years. A few years ago, Buffie realized she was searching for her next venture. That is when her husband, Chuck, suggested she do what she loves - interior design - and that is how Buffie’s Home Decorating began. Buffie’s Home Decorating was a blog and YouTube channel with the intention of teaching women how to decorate. After starting this endeavor, one thing led to the next, and before she knew it, Buffie’s true love of history and lovely historic homes came to the forefront. As a result, Lovely Franklin was born in 2019. With the help of her son, Brandon, Buffie cultivated a brand that encompasses everything she is passionate about.

Buffie and Brandon are invested in telling the story of their beloved town. “It is everything from the historic homes and places to the fascinating people, that we are honored to share with you,” Buffie says. Lovely Franklin started as an outlet to share her passion for the city of Franklin, and it has developed into so much more. Buffie feels her role is to, “Make Franklin the star of the show. She is charming, fascinating, and altogether lovely. Our backstories and travel guides appeal to locals and visitors alike, from staycations to vacations,” Buffie says. “I feel a responsibility to present Franklin as a bridge-builder between ‘old Franklin’ and ‘new Franklin’ and among all races and backgrounds of people. I want to be a light for good and allow Franklin to shine. I created Lovely Franklin to preserve the backstories of our historic, charming city. Now we offer great local stories, visitor’s travel guides and our brand-new Downtown Franklin Shopping & Dining Map.” Buffie is thrilled to announce this interactive map launch that will provide a guide for the original sixteen square blocks of historic downtown Franklin. It will be printed monthly, and kept as up-to-date as possible, focusing on the very best shopping, dining, services, and historic sites for tourists and residents alike. Buffie explains that she wants the map to be her gift to the city, not only for travelers and visitors but for locals to use almost like a bucket list of what to do and see in their hometown. 

When asked what makes Franklin and Williamson County so special, Buffie says, “the people are lovely and are so proud to live here. They want to preserve its charm because in many ways it is truly like living in a Hallmark movie - much like our recent feature on Landmark Bookstore.” Buffie has had the pleasure to feature stories on the Watson House, the Harris McEwen House, Lilli House, Gray’s on Main, Mayor Ken and Linda Moore’s home, Gallery 202 and many more. With every story, her love only deepens for Williamson County. In fact, Buffie admits she still gets giddy to drive down the streets of Franklin and throughout the county, admiring all the beautiful homes. 

Currently, Buffie runs the business side of Lovely Franklin on her own but dreams of creating a team. Thankfully, she is blessed with the help of award-winning author Katie Shands and photographer Trent Wallace of Trenton Lee Photography. Their contribution to Lovely Franklin is a wonderful addition as it features talented locals right here in Williamson County.

To follow Buffie’s journey, you can find her on Instagram @lovelyfranklintn. Look for copies of the new downtown map in prominent locations throughout downtown soon - including at the YOUR Williamson offices at 404 Bridge Street!