White House TN Treasure: Al's Food Value

When I first relocated to White House, Tennessee, about 17 years ago, there were only two small grocery stores in town: Piggly Wiggly and Al’s Food Value. Both were small stores so they mainly carried the necessities, and both closed rather early. So for any large selection of groceries, or if you wanted to shop past about 8 P.M. you had to go into Goodlettsville, Tennessee, about 15-20 minutes away.

Well, many years have passed. White House has seen a lot of growth and development. The Piggly Wiggly is long gone. Kroger and a WalMart Supercenter have moved into town. But Al’s Food Value is still holding its own, and I’m glad.

Several years ago, Al’s moved into a new building on the southeast corner of Hwy 31W and Raymond Hirsch Parkway. Their new facility allowed them the space to expand their inventory. They’ve since added a pharmacy, U.S. Post office service center, and many new products.

But the main reason Al’s is still thriving in this small town of White House is because of its renowned meat department. Most of Al’s meat is not shipped in pre-cut and pre-packaged. They bring in fresh local sides of beef and divide them up and package them right in the store. Because of the great pains they take to bring in fresh, quality USDA Choice beef, their meat looks and tastes great. There are people that come from all over this area, and outside of White House, just to buy fresh cut beef from Al’s. The White House community knows that Al’s has always been faithful to help support the local schools, sports teams, community events, etc.

And I can’t forget, their staff has always been friendly and helpful. You can tell they take pride in their store by the great service they offer.

The store doesn’t have a web site, but their contact information is:

Al’s Food Value
2910 Highway 31 West
White House, TN 37188
615-672-8892

Lake Homes on Deep Water

Looking for lake homes or waterfront property is exciting, but can be very challenging to find exactly what you need. Water depth is an important factor that is sometimes overlooked in the searching process. Here are a few thoughts on deep water lake property.

A lake is simply a body of water that is inland from an ocean. There are all shapes and sizes of lakes, and they’re usually fed by a river. Some lakes are man made, and some are naturally formed. Natural lakes are often found in mountainous regions where land elevations vary. This creates basins where water gathers along its normal drainage route.

Many of the larger lakes are created when a dam is built on a large river causing the water to form a large pool or water basin, and gradually drain out through the dam. The control of that water flow is maintained for several purposes: community water supplies, producing power, irrigation and recreational purposes. Maintenance and control is usually handled by the U.S. Corps of Engineers. They maintain many of the lakes and bodies of water in the United States.

Some lakes have property along the shore that is available for housing developments. You’ll need to consider the depth of the water when you’re shopping for a lake home or homesite. Lake homes whose shoreline accesses deep water will allow for a larger boat or water vessel. Sometimes, in the case of a lake created by a dam, the water’s edge goes into areas that are shallower than others. These are called coves or inlets. While coves and inlets can be deep, often times they are not. They can be rather shallow and murky. This type of water may require the homeowner to have their waterfront dredged to create a deep enough area to access it by boat.

While this may not be a common occurrence in all parts of the country, it’s definitely an issue in some areas. And during certain times in the year, the U.S. Corps of Engineers may need to lower the water level. This could create even shallower water in some remote coves and inlets.

To avoid purchasing a lake home or lakefront property on water that’s too shallow for your boating needs, contact the U.S. Corps of Engineers and ask them about the lake and shoreline maintenance, and water levels of the area in which you’re looking to buy. They can answer your questions about water depth, boat dock permits and requirements, boating regulations, and other pertinent information you’ll need to know before making a lake home purchase.

I hope this information helps you if you're searching for a lake home, or waterfront property. If you'd like to browse through Nashville's MLS listings of TN lake homes, or search through Nashville homes for sale, please visit my web site.

Old Hickory Lake Marina

The marina in Old Hickory, TN, is experiencing a new look. Bart and Angela Bagsby are renovating the old marina and have many new ideas which will make their dream, Blackjack Cove, a great place for community recreation. Over the next few years they plan to add many new features to the marina that's been formerly known as Old Hickory Marina.

They've already opened The Black Pearl, a steak and seafood restaurant that serves both lunch and dinner.

Their plans also include adding 160 new wet boat slips, some of which have already been added. This would total over 300 boat slips when all are finished. They also plan to open a retail store that sells fishing bait and tackle, as well as basic boating safety equipment.

You can contact them at:

Black Jack Cove-Old Hickory Marina
2001 Riverside Dr.
Old Hickory, TN 37138
Phone: (615) 847-4022

Or visit their web site at Blackjack Cove-Old Hickory Marina