Kelsey Dobias and Kricket Krizon opened their boutique, Crickets & Clovers, on Columbia Avenue in downtown Franklin as work on a massive mixed-use development was already underway on the block around them, bringing cranes, cement trucks, and months of disruption to their corner of downtown.
NewsChannel 5 reported construction activity on the Margin District in June 2025. Earlier, the outlet reported that the Williamson Herald had reported on March 20, 2025, that the project's first stage was underway and demolition had begun. Krizon told the outlet the timing made for a rocky start, describing cement trucks that parked in front of the shop all day while waiting to head down the block. “It's been challenging,” Krizon said, adding that the sisters are simply waiting for the construction to end.
A Two-Block Project Taking Shape Around Them
The Margin District itself is a sprawling undertaking situated on a two-block site in downtown Franklin. The developer describes the site as located at the corner of Margin Street, spanning the 700–800 blocks along Columbia Avenue, according to a release from The Margin District. When finished, the project is designed to bring luxury living to walkable downtown Franklin, combining residences with retail and office space.
Per the developer's own figures, the project will include 50,000 square feet of street-level retail alongside another 50,000 square feet of office space, for a total of 180,000 square feet at completion. The development includes roughly two dozen condos, according to NewsChannel 5's reporting, with the same report placing prices between $2 million and $6.7 million. The Margin District's own materials put the condo layouts between 2,000 and just over 3,000 square feet, with prices beginning just over $2 million. As of June 11, 2025, 13 of the 25 condos had already been presold, per the developer.
An Old Hardware Store Stays Put
Not everything on the block is being wiped away. The Williamson Herald reported that the Handy Hardware building will be incorporated into the development rather than torn down, preserving at least one piece of the block's older character even as construction reshapes everything around it.
Timelines for when the dust will settle vary depending on the source. The Herald's initial report said the project was scheduled for completion in 2027, while a June 2026 Herald update described the project team as expecting residents to move in before the end of 2027. The project team also expected a 30-month construction process. Separately, NewsChannel 5 reported that cranes are expected to remain active around the two-block site for another year — a forward-looking estimate rather than a confirmed finish date.
Pricing a New Kind of Downtown Living
Leah Crutchfield, who is associated with the Margin District project, told NewsChannel 5 the development is meant to offer an alternative lifestyle rather than a radical price shift for the area. “We're just giving them a different lifestyle option, and the key is walkable downtown Franklin,” Crutchfield said, framing the condos as sitting at a price point already present in the local market. A luxury real estate agent cited by the station said Williamson County home prices have already peaked above $1.16 million, underscoring just how high-end the broader local housing market has become.
The scale of the investment has drawn attention beyond Franklin. The Nashville Post described the Margin District as a $165 million downtown Franklin project, reporting that Brentwood-based NAI Nashville Stanton Group is developing the site in partnership with Arlington Family Offices. The Post had reported the team could break ground as early as year's end and could deliver some residences by 2027.
Weathering the Disruption, One Visit at a Time
Despite the ongoing construction noise and detours, Dobias and Krizon say they intend to hold onto what makes Franklin special as the neighborhood transforms around them. Krizon said the sisters value every visitor who stops in, along with the acts of encouragement, kindness, and support that have carried them through the disruption. She added that the Margin District will be a major addition to downtown Franklin whether people like it or not — a reality the sisters are learning to live alongside, one cement truck at a time.
