CORNERSVILLE, Tenn.—Dolly Parton served up a new place for road trippers and tireless truck drivers to get a cup of ambition.
Parton’s Tennessean Travel Stop officially opened on June 24 in the town of Cornersville.
“I’m sure some of you wonderin’ why I wanted a truck stop. Well, I couldn’t leave it to beavers,” Parton quipped at the grand opening on Wednesday afternoon.
The Queen of Country Music’s newest venture eyes to compete with Buc-ee’s, a Texas-based mega travel center, as insiders told The Epoch Times that talks have begun to open dozens of locations across the south and beyond.
“I had to throw my scrawny little self in there. So anyway, we’re not trying to compete with anybody. We don’t think we’ll have to,” Parton told fans. “We think we’re going to have everything that you want or need.”
The bedazzled country music-themed truck stop, located around 65 miles south of Nashville, featured a full-service restaurant, upstairs bar, two stages, cafe, dog park, outdoor seating area, and a trucker’s lounge.
The 10-time Grammy winner cut the ribbon to the first of many truck stops with her Chicago-raised business partner Gregory H. Sachs on Wednesday afternoon.
“He’s had this place for a while and he said ‘Well, why don’t we just go into business together.’ I said, ‘I think that’s a great idea because I’ve spent my whole life traveling on the road.’”
Country music fans lined up under the shade of truck stop pumps over two hours before the ribbon-cutting event just to get a peek of their idol in person, despite the sweltering temperatures.
“It’s kind of surreal, you know, because we used to go to Dollywood and ride the rides but now this is close to home,” Lewisburg resident Tammie B told The Epoch Times. “Now we can just come down the road if we want to feel close to Dolly.”
Workers distributed paper fans for the heat, as representatives from Pepsi Co. handed out free water, Propel, and Gatorade to excited but hot attendees. Some even took lumps of ice from coolers and pressed them against their face and body to cool off as they awaited Dolly’s speech.
“It’s worth it,” one fan said.
The songbird, who launched her first album “Hello, I’m Dolly” 59 years ago, teamed up with Sachs to transform the old truck stop near the Tennessee and Alabama state line by draping it with bright colors, jeweled vibes, and a guitar chandelier.
Sachs first bought the stop in 2017 from a family that owned it for 40 years and reached out to the “Jolene” singer to elevate the business.
“Who is better in the world to personify kindness and southern hospitality than Dolly Parton?” Sachs asked.
“Dolly grew up in Tennessee and has spent much of her life bringing joy, kindness, and love to anybody she can touch, so I will tell you, I’m extremely proud and blessed to call her my friend and my partner, and I hope you really enjoy Dolly’s Tennessean.”
The “I Will Always Love You” songstress added her own flavor to the business with “Good Lookin’ Cookin”-inspired recipes from herself and sister Rachel Parton George.
She has also partnered with Community Coffee to craft her own premium roasted brand called Cup of Ambition, which insiders hinted could expand outside of the truck stop.
