Nashville, TN Lionel Store Since 1946

During the seventies, I purchased my Lionel MPC sets, engines, rolling stock and track from Phillips. In later years, the 8th Avenue location was closed. In the late eighties and early nineties, I purchased several Lionel Classics standard gauge sets and rolling stock. Later in the nineties, and after the death of Mr. Phillips, Sr., his son, Powell and daughter, Cynthia would build a new modern store at the 5207 Harding location to better serve a growing Nashville.

The present store has a very nice interactive Lionel display layout custom built by a longtime TCA member and collector. They stock mainly Lionel and some limited MTH items, including rolling stock and the Z-4000 transformer.

My daughter has been employed by Phillips for more than a half dozen years, and is currently their shipping and receiving clerk. Their service and toy selection  are without parallel. Their train dept. has a huge wall mural of a Hudson locomotive as a backdrop to the display layout. Phillips is worth a visit when in Nashville, TN.

Sounds like a fantastic store. Definitely a place I would want to go to.

Tinplate Art, thank you for mentioning our local Lionel dealer, Phillips Toy Mart, one of my favorite train stores and actually the closest one to me, from Clarksville, Tennessee. Ive been buying from Phillips since August 1967…. Powell and Cynthia have one, if not the best Family Owned toy stores in the USA. They’ve out lived “Toys R Us”, and “The Great American Train Stores”, and are located in one of the richest areas of Nashville, “ Bellemeade “ Yes, Kent Cooper built Powell a beautiful layout. We are blessed to have them, and they give us great early order prices. Happy Railroading Everyone     (Pictured is our buddy Owen Fox, one of Powell’s favorite customers)

Larry and I should also mention that the 2022 TCA National Convention will be held here in Nashville next year. Phillips has many unique toy items (other than Lionel trains) not usually found in toy departments of other well known stores. Plan to visit Phillips if you will be attending the TCA convention here next year. You will not be disappointed!

Atlas will be producing two 36 foot beer reefers commemorating two famous Nashville breweries for the TCA for 2022: The historic William Gerst Brewing Company and the current Nashville Brewing Company.

Tinplate Art, and the LCCA is coming to Nashville  in July 2022, special Lionel cars to be announced, and lots of Tours, as well as the TCA tours in June 2022…. There’s a lot of fun coming to Tennessee next year… TCA In JUNE, LCCA In JULY,   Happy Railroading Everyone

I visit Nashville often, wish I knew about this store then but will definitely check it out my next visit.  Thanks for the info

Nashville is also the home of the Tennesse Central Railway Museum where the NC&StL Dixie class 4-8-4 #576 is undergoing restoration for eventual excursion service on the Nashville and Eastern Railroad.

Their website doesn't hardly mention trains at all other than a video.  Seems they are missing the boast (or the train) by not having a website with at minimal a better train presence.

@MartyE posted:

Their website doesn't hardly mention trains at all other than a video.  Seems they are missing the boast (or the train) by not having a website with at minimal a better train presence.

A common mistake by many hobby stores in the age of the digital market place.

Phillips already has a large Lionel customer base both local and mail order over several decades. This base is loyal and has been very supportive over the years.

@Tinplate Art posted:

Phillips already has a large Lionel customer base both local and mail order over several decades. This base is loyal and has been very supportive over the years.

It never hurts to add to your customer base.  Even if you don't do a full ordering website, some more information about trains would be a plus.  I don't even see a Lionel Logo on the website.

Of course, Phillips never aspired to be a Charles Ro or a Trainworld.

Phillips toy Mart is a local owned store that is noted for quality. They also have a Bunny Area around Easter that is also built by Kent Cooper. It is a great store for children of all ages. Powell and Cynthia also have a large Doll section that many train collector wives are interested in. Looking forward to the TWO CONVENTIONS next year. The 576 locomotive is being restored now and they just sent the wheels to Chattanooga to be cleaned and made ready. I am hoping that Lionel or one of the other dealers will produce a model of the 576 so visitors can purchase a model. The train has already received two million dollars for restoration and will need about one million more to complete the process. I am 99% sure that I rode a train pulled by the 576 while going back and forth to Memphis.  I think all visitors will enjoy MUSIC CITY . Come say HOWDY.

Phillips is a true "mom 'n pop" toy store worthy of supporting, and I am proud to say I have done exactly that for 51 years!

Looks like an awesome store from the pics.

I discovered Phillips while working in Nashville. It’s a wonderful store with a fascinating stock of traditional toys including Lionel, MTH and Williams trains. I found some nice items, mostly trains but also dolls and games for my daughter. They had a large selection of 1/43 vehicles. I found a 1957 Chevy sky blue station wagon that matched our family car. Got a nice reaction from my dad and brothers when they saw it on the Christmas layout.

Yesterday, another visit to Phillips Toy Mart to pick up the all new Lionel 2021 volume 2 wish book, the fun to review Lionel catalog. You will see this store carries many great items, fun toys, Dolls, games, trinkets, art supplies,  Trains and related, and believe me, it’s a fun store to simply browse each row, every crook and nanny…. It’s the Christmas Store everyone loves, friendly people helping people. Happy Railroading Everyone.

The above photos generously supplied by my longtime good friend, Larry Levin, do not really show the depth and completeness of this extraordinary store.

When my kids were little guys, they used to love pushing all of the accessory buttons around the layout and going up in the little control tower for a bird's-eye view. 

The Easter Bunny event is a famous annual occurence at the store where young rabbits interact with a creatively themed display where the children and parents can view and pet several dozen of the cute critters! It is a wonderful happy and well attended event!

Our longtime fellow TCA member and good friend, Kent Cooper, created both the store layout and all the annual Easter Bunny displays, each with a different theme.

40 Min. N.W. from my house near Nissan.

Went there once and bought 1 or 2 Lionel Blue B&O, Chessie I-12 bay window cabooses. Couldn't find them anywhere else.