photo by Chrissy Alspaugh courtesy photo photo by Cindy Steele
His father, Andrew Jackson“ Jack” Rogers, helped establish the Nashville House hotel and restaurant in 1927.
The fabric of Andi’ s childhood was the inner workings of Nashville business— tagging along with her dad checking his hotels and restaurants before school, learning to count change and bus tables at the Nashville House, securing her first job at age 14 at Abe Martin Lodge.
“ It was our way of life, every single day. It was just part of this long history of my family giving to this community and creating jobs,” she said.
The day of her father’ s estate auction was“ extremely hard,” Andi said.
“ I was sobbing most of the auction, watching everything I’ d known my whole life being auctioned off,” she said. Her husband, Lance Bartels, conducted their bidding that day, keeping the Antique Alley properties and her childhood home with the surrounding acreage in the family. Then an even bigger challenge began. Much of the maintenance of the properties had been deferred the last years of her dad’ s life. Air conditioners needed replaced, wiring needed repaired, one cabin was literally sinking into the ground, and pretty much everything needed a facelift.
The couple attacked the to-do list as fast as finances would allow, completing most of the repairs themselves. Their children, Nolan and Ella, and other family members helped check off projects during the COVID shutdown.
Andi said she and her husband, who is a pilot, travel frequently and came into the renovations with all kinds of ideas about the touches that make a space feel inviting: vibrant colors, landscaping, outdoor games, seating, music, food and drinks, and even water bowls for four-legged friends.
“ It feels like an environment that we would seek out, but it also still feels like home,” said Andi.
Chainsaw artist Chris Trotter, who owns Wooden Wonders, appreciates all that the couple has poured into the complex that he’ s called home for 16 years.
Trotter said he felt incredibly supported as an artist by Andy Rogers, and his daughter has been“ the perfect new owner.”
“ Andi definitely has Nashville in her blood and wants to keep the arts thriving. If they hadn’ t taken over the alley, we could’ ve ended up being turned into a putt-putt course or really anything,” Trotter said.
Continued on 20 Sept./ Oct. 2023 • Our Brown County 17