teacher to Tyra’ s son) led regular crafts nights with customers, where a favorite activity was having customers cut out paper snowflakes which were then displayed in the dining room, a custom which carries over today at the Bird’ s Nest Cafe.
Tyra left Muddy Boots after the birth of her daughter, while Lance was still teaching, and the business got to be difficult for the couple to comfortably handle.
“ It was just too much for us at that time in our lives,” Lance said.
The Millers opened the Bird’ s Nest Café in 2012 in a building owned by Marilyn Rudd, building a unique menu which includes vegan dishes and featuring tables and booths built by Lance, who also did graphic design and decoration for the café.
The Millers also own a gift shop at 84 S. Van Buren St. called The Wood Fairy Apothecary, which specializes in herbal products, including body care salves and balms, soaps and medicinal herb products, essential oils, and locally handmade items. •
Lance and Tyra Miller at Bird’ s Nest.( Below) Muddy Boots. courtesy photos study arts education at Indiana University. Living in Bloomington, he had a friend who had a connection to Brown County schools, which led to him being hired as the high school arts teacher, a position he held from 2001 to 2020.
Meanwhile, Tyra partnered with Roberta Chirko to open Muddy Boots Café in a building in downtown Nashville which formerly housed the Brown County Democrat newspaper.
“ It was real fun,” Tyra said of her experience at Muddy Boots. The café featured live music, and Lance( who was art
May / June 2026 Our Brown County 19