A DAINTY SILVER bracelet, a perfectly tailored dress, a scented candle that smells like home — every item at Hampton Creek Boutique carries its own unique meaning, inviting you to find a piece that speaks to your heart.
Just a mile past Lowes in Tullahoma, Hampton Creek Boutique offers a personal shopping experience where Southern hospitality is alive and well. Inside the cozy, country-style building, racks of stylish apparel, chic accessories, and distinctive home decor greet visitors, each item chosen with a sharp eye for fashion and a genuine love for making people feel good about themselves.
The boutique, much like its owner, emanates a Southern charm that connects its clients to Tullahoma’s humble beginnings. A Jack Daniel’s historic whiskey barrel at the entrance adds a touch of local flair to the overall experience.
For owner Tamela Hampton, opening the boutique was the fulfillment of a dream.
“There [are] people that are meant to be doctors, there [are] people who were meant to be bankers, and people that were meant to be race car drivers. I was meant to work retail. I have to be with the public.”
Hampton’s retail career began in 1998 at Dillard’s, where she soon realized she had a natural instinct for fashion and customer service.
She climbed the management ladder at Kirkland’s and Goody’s, learning the businesses from the inside out. But the corporate world felt limiting. There were too many rules, not enough creativity, and little room for authentic connection. Hampton wanted more.
In February 2008, she bet on herself. Without bank loans or outside investors, she opened The Silver Mine, a small shop specializing in sterling silver jewelry.
Every sale went back into growing the business. Slowly, she expanded her offerings, and over time, The Silver Mine trans- formed into Hampton Creek Boutique — a full-fledged fashion and lifestyle shop for Tullahoma’s trend-conscious and community-minded shoppers.
But, like any great story, there were twists and turns. A few years into running her boutique, Hampton made the diffi- cult decision to sell her house and move to Denver to be closer to her son.
She gave city life a shot, even opening a boutique there, but something was missing. The pace was too fast, the crime too high, and the sense of community — so strong in Tullahoma — wasn’t there.
After three years, Hampton knew it was time to return to her roots. She packed up, moved back to Tennessee, and reopened Hampton Creek Boutique in the town she calls “home.” The moment she unlocked the doors, she knew she had made the right choice.
Her return has been warmly welcomed by the community, who remembers her boutique fondly from years ago. Her customers, friends, and family embraced her homecoming with open arms.
“It makes me want to cry knowing that I can leave for three years and come back, and I’m just as welcome now as I was three years ago when I left,” she said.
Today, Hampton Creek Boutique is a go-to local shopping destination. Customers stop by to shop, of course, but they also come to chat, share stories, and check in. Hampton knows many of them by name and takes pride in offering a shopping experience that’s as much about connection as it is about fashion.
As customers browse the racks, chat with Hampton, and leave with a new favorite piece, they’re experiencing real connection, sharing in Hampton’s homecoming, and finding that sometimes, the best place to be is right where you started. GN
Address: 2338 N. Jackson St., Tullahoma. Contact: (931) 563-7042
