Marathon Village — Attraction in Nashville-Davidson

Very cool venue but horrible customer service. We booked the 3rd floor conference room for a photo shoot and paid $250 for 2 hours shoot time. I dealt with the office manager/receptionist, a lady called Donna. At the time of booking I specifically checked that the 2 hours didn't include set up and break down time and it was agreed I would have access an hour beforehand to haul all my lighting and other kit up 3 flights of the back fire escape and set everything up before the models arrived. It was also agreed that all the furniture in the space (about a dozen tables and 50 chairs) would be cleared away and the room cleaned prior to the shoot. These requirements were also discussed and agreed between Donna and my client over the phone when he made the payment for the photo license.

I arrived an hour beforehand as agreed to find the janitor still clearing the room and had to wait until 30 minutes after the shoot was scheduled to start for him to finish mopping the floors before I could even start setting up. As a result we didn't start shooting until around 1.20pm and not 12.00 as agreed, and we barely got any photos of one of the models as she had to leave a 2.00pm. I called by the office around 11.15 am to speak with Donna but it was unoccupied and the lights were out and the door was locked. Concerned we wouldn't have enough time to do the shoot I asked the janitor if he could arrange for an extension in time. He went away and spoke with Donna (I assumed on the phone as she her office had been locked up when I checked earlier) and returned and confirmed we could "take as long as we liked" as there were no further bookings for the space that day. We were still shooting when the owners wife arrived at 3.15pm to lock up early. She was obviously annoyed that we were still there so I explained that we had started late and had been given permission by Donna to keep shooting. We were told to leave immediately and so we had to pack up all the equipment and carry it back down the fire escape to load into my vehicle, which took several trips. On the final trip we were greeted by Donna, who was extremely rude and denied giving us permission to extend the shoot time as well as insisted she had advised the 2 hour slot included for set up and break down - a complete lie. She also lied that she had been in her office since 10.30am - presumably because she had got in late but didn't want her boss to find out. She continued to rant and rave while we packed up my car, all but screaming at me that she expected to be paid $200 for an additional 2 hours use of the room. I referred her to the client but needless to say we have not and will not be paying this.

We did get some great shots, though the whole experience was stressful and unpleasant for both me and the 3 models involved in the shoot. It is so sad that such a great venue is...

If you're in Nashville, carve out some time to come here. There is something for everyone. From shops and distilleries to restaurants a winery and a museum! Antique Archaeology (from American Picker's has a store here).

The building was in rough shape years ago when purchased by an individual who want to use it to store upholstery etc. He later realized the rich history of the building, where Marathon Auto used to manufacture it's cards (competed with Pierce Arrow). He restored the building, utilizing its available space for shops and hallways packed with tools of the trade from back in the manufacturing days. He also bought up every Marathon car he could find. They are on display in the old showroom (museum across the street - free to get in). There are only a handful left, in the condition in which they were found.

We had a great lunch here. Jack Daniels was cool to check out. Our whiskey samples at another distillery offered (5 mini shots) that you got to choose. They were all fantastic and we bought some to go. The samples were free!

Block out a few hours and...

This is my wedding reception venue. It is a beautiful, vintage red brick building filled with antiques of the early 1900s when it was used as a car manufacturing facility. There is a small museum of the Marathon cars inside the first floor. The third floor is our event space and it overlooks downtown.

Pros: beautiful scenery of downtown Nashville. Big event space. Allowed to bring in outside venders. Does not need many decorations due to prettiness of the building. Across the street is filled with tourist shops including American Pickers store, candy shop, jewlery stores, a brewery & Jack Daniels store. Affordable compared to other wedding reception venues in town. Refundable deposit

Negatives: they were late to open the venue by 45 minutes. Very difficult to contact the office staff by phone. HOT. air conditioning was broken. Lots of stairs to climb. No elevator for handicapped guests. Must pay extra for tables/ chairs. Require...