Elizabethton Workspaces for Businesses

History of Eden

Every new chapter is rooted in the story that came before it.

It all started with the Slagles. Mercantile had been a Slagle family tradition since the 1840s and, in 1912, Hugh Murphy “H. M.” Slagle, Sr., remained true to his heritage by opening a men’s tailoring shop on what is now Elk Avenue’s 600 block in downtown Elizabethton.  

H. M. Slagle, Sr. in front of his new tailoring parlor circa 1912.

Elizabethton – Site of New Co-operative Town circa 1910.

Originally founded in 1799, Elizabethton, under its newly formed charter, in 1905, began expanding west across Doe River with H. M.’s tailor shop being one of the first buildings to be constructed. 

Downtown growth continued and with the completion of Wilbur Dam, one of the region’s first hydroelectric plants to bring electricity to the area, Elizabethton was proclaimed, “The City of Power,” and the enterprise boon was on!
Elizabethton’s “The City of Power” sign circa 1913.

Steeped in Heritage & Legacy

The Slagle brand equaled style like no other. Want to look your sartorial best? For nearly three decades H.M. Slagle excelled as the premier bespoke tailor of his generation. The family tradition continued in 1935, when H.M.’s young, equally enterprising son, H. M. Slagle, Jr., became a partner with his father. Not only was the operation – now named H.M. Slagle & Son – expanding, so too was the need for more physical space. In the spring of 1937 construction began on a new 10,000-square-foot building, two blocks west of the original location.

E.L. and wife Margaret Shell Edens

Frank Edens

Longtime friends of the Slagle family E. L. “Ed” Edens and his son, Frank, prolific masons who built many of the early era buildings in downtown Elizabethton, were on hand to assure the new facility would be ready for a grand opening later that fall.

A Place in Time

Timed to take advantage of the holiday shopping season, “H. M. Slagle & Son – The Man’s Store” opened the doors of its new location with a formal grand opening on Monday, November 29, 1937.

Original Promotion from Elizabethton Star.

Just a few years later, H. M.’s youngest son Jimmy joined his father and brother while other family members, including H. M. Jr’s wife Reba Keyes Slagle, were also employed.

H.M., Sr., H.M., Jr., and James P. Slagle.
Reba Keyes Slagle with children Buddy and Shirlene.
The Slagle legacy grew steadily over the decades adding women’s fashions, children’s clothing, and in the late 1950s opened the tremendously popular “Slagle’s Toyland.” At its peak, “H. M. Slagle & Son’s” carried the finest selection of men’s fashion in East Tennessee. Yet, beyond the foundations of quality, selection, and value all retailers strive for, patrons felt the genuine care, friendship, and nurturing atmosphere from each member of the Slagle family.
H.M., Jr. and H.M. “Buddy” Slagle.

In 1956, the elder Mr. Slagle unexpectedly died and his younger son Jimmy decided to make a career change. Waiting in the wings was H. M. “Buddy” Slagle, III having just completed his military service. For 35 years Buddy along with his father were the faces of the Slagle brand.

Its final three decades saw distinct changes including the closing of the toyshop, turning the clothiers operation into vintage apparel, and rebranding their name as simply “Slagle’s.” In the coming decades, Slagle’s would become a nationally popular source of wardrobe and apparel for theater and film productions.

As the 20th century was drawing to an end, so too did the Slagle’s family legacy. H.M. Jr. died in 1989 and five years later, in the fall of 1994, Buddy decided it was time to close the shop permanently. On average, less than 25 percent of small businesses last more than 15 years, yet Slagle’s – in all its varied incarnations – had spanned nearly a century and a half.

In The Current Day & Age

The following spring, after the building was sold, its new owners, John and Pam Huber of Santa Barbara, California, began a full-scale restoration that would span two years.

Generations of the entrepreneurial Slagle spirit still seemed to infuse the old building’s walls. In 1997, as John Huber opened his chronometer shop upstairs, a new chapter in the building’s history began on the main floor. There, John and Lise Bunn opened what would become a beloved staple of downtown Elizabethton to this very day: The Coffee Company, now under the ownership of yet another up-and-coming entrepreneur, Frankie Bailey.