The Wilson Post
LEBANON WEATHER

Wrestling fan Chad Flatt runs collectibles shop in Watertown




Comic-book action figures can be found by the score in Chad Flatt’s shop, which is open Friday-Sundays.KEN BECK

Comic-book action figures can be found by the score in Chad Flatt’s shop, which is open Friday-Sundays.KEN BECK

How did Chad Flatt wind up with a flourishing toys and collectibles shop in Watertown, a place where he has welcomed a number of celebrities from the entertainment and sports worlds?

It all began with baseball cards and a Nintendo game.

“My first memory of collecting anything was when I was about 11 or 12, and my friends had all gotten into collecting baseball cards. I decided to collect them too and ended up trading one of my Nintendo games for some baseball cards. It started there,” said Flatt, 45, a Putnam County native who has lived in Lebanon the past six years and has worked in commercial transportation for 22½ years.

He opened Music City Toys & Collectibles on May 1, 2021, right off the Watertown square at 101 W. Main St. The store is open Friday-Sunday.

In describing his shop, he said, “We always use the tag line ‘rediscover your childhood at Music City Toys.’ It’s all about nostalgia, seeing the things we had as kids. We try to help you recapture something special, an ‘Oh, I had that,’ kind of reaction.”

A wall of celebrity-signed photos, record albums and action figure packs await collectors at Music City Toys & Collectibles. Among the autographs there are those of Hulk Hogan, Burt Reynolds, Catherine Bach, William Shatner, the Undertaker, Ozzy Osbourne and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.KEN BECK

A wall of celebrity-signed photos, record albums and action figure packs await collectors at Music City Toys & Collectibles. Among the autographs there are those of Hulk Hogan, Burt Reynolds, Catherine Bach, William Shatner, the Undertaker, Ozzy Osbourne and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.KEN BECK

A quick glance around Flatt’s shop reveals vintage model kits, hundreds of celebrity autographs and thousands of action figures that range from Elvis, G.I. Joe and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Marvel and DC Comics heroes and villains and Masters of the Universe characters. One of the coolest wrestling-related items is an autographed replica of the boxing robe Rowdy Roddy Piper wore for WrestleMania 2 when he fought Mr. T. It can be yours for $450.

Action figures and Funko Pop vinyl figurines are at the top of his best-selling items, and the autographed memorabilia has been hot. These include William Shatner, Burt Reynolds, John Travolta, Terry Bradshaw, Pat Summitt and a slew of pro wrestlers. Prices on these John Hancocks range from $10 into the hundreds.

Flatt has built friendships and business relationships with some of the wrestling world’s famous grapplers. That means the weekend of July 29-31, he will be selling his merchandise as a vendor at StarrcastV at the Nashville Fairgrounds, an event that has been nicknamed “the Woodstock of Wrestling” and that will headline 73-year-old wrestler Ric Flair’s last match.

Standing near the entrance to Music City Toys & Collectibles in Watertown, store owner Chad Flatt hoists his Music City Toys Undisputed Champion belt over his shoulder. Flatt opened his shop here May 1, 2021. The store is packed with action figures, pop-culture collectibles, vintage and new toys and photographs and memorabilia autographed by a wide range of celebrities and pro athletes with an emphasis on pro wrestlers.KEN BECK

Standing near the entrance to Music City Toys & Collectibles in Watertown, store owner Chad Flatt hoists his Music City Toys Undisputed Champion belt over his shoulder. Flatt opened his shop here May 1, 2021. The store is packed with action figures, pop-culture collectibles, vintage and new toys and photographs and memorabilia autographed by a wide range of celebrities and pro athletes with an emphasis on pro wrestlers.KEN BECK

That same weekend WWE Summer Slam will take place at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Nissan Stadium. Thus, Flatt truthfully can boast, “Nashville will be the center of the wrestling world that weekend.”

Branching out from Cookeville

The entrepreneur was raised on a farm by his great-grandparents and graduated from Upperman High School before earning a business administration degree from Tennessee Tech University in 2000.

His predecessor to Music City Toys was Heroes & Legends, a weekend gig he began in 2002 at the Highway 111 Mini Mall in Rickman, north of Cookeville, where the focus was on sports cards and sports memorabilia. Inside his 100-square-foot booth he packed more than 100,000 baseball, football and basketball cards and collectibles.

Chad Flatt holds one of his most precious mementos, a photograph of wrestler Macho Man Randy Savage. Savage signed the back of the picture for Flatt at a pro wrestling event in Cookeville when Flatt was a child.KEN BECK

Chad Flatt holds one of his most precious mementos, a photograph of wrestler Macho Man Randy Savage. Savage signed the back of the picture for Flatt at a pro wrestling event in Cookeville when Flatt was a child.KEN BECK

“It was kind of a byproduct as a collector to generate more income, so I was wheeling and dealing and trading. I knew that eventually I wanted to move into retail, and over the years I branched more into toy-related items and comic books,” he recalled.

In 2012 he relocated to the Cookeville Mall, which he described as being “like an indoor flea market open on weekends. I went from a 10X10 to a 600-square-feet space and had one of the biggest spots in there. That’s when I made began to focus more and more on toys and pro wrestling and was making contacts and considering going to conventions.

“We closed the location at Cookeville in fall of 2013, and I started doing the conventions exclusively. I went all over: Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky and ended up doing WrestleCon events and went to WrestleMania in Orlando, Fla.,” said Flatt.

Wrestling’s popularity? Oh, yeah

What attracted him to professional wrestling venues and events?

This autographed replica of the boxing robe Rowdy Roddy Piper wore for WrestleMania 2 when he fought Mr. T is for sale at Music City Toys & Collectibles for $450.KEN BECK

This autographed replica of the boxing robe Rowdy Roddy Piper wore for WrestleMania 2 when he fought Mr. T is for sale at Music City Toys & Collectibles for $450.KEN BECK

“I started watching wrestling in 1983 and grew up a fan and met some local guys who worked in the business. I noticed when I got wrestling-related items that they would sell immediately. I thought about going more and more in that direction because nobody else was doing that,” he said.

“Also, at comic cons (pop-culture conventions), a lot of wrestlers were there as guests and the light bulb went on. The wrestlers had longer lines of fans, and nobody there was selling wrestling merchandise. There was a segment of the market that wasn’t getting served.”

While selling his wrestling-related toys and memorabilia at these events, Flatt got to know a number of the wrestlers and built working relationships as well as friendships with them. Since he opened his shop in Watertown, he has had wrestlers Demolition, Tatanka, Ted DiBiase (“the Million Dollar Man”), Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Dan Severn in his store or at his booth at conventions.

Flatt’s goal from the start was to have a retail location. When the pandemic struck in early 2020, the conventions and festivals shut down. So, he began pushing hard online and turned to social media. “It really paid off and let us move back into the retail world a little earlier than I planned,” he said.

As for locating in Watertown, Flatt noted, “I wanted to stay in Wilson County where I live. I wanted to find somewhere where traffic was not really an issue and where I could create a destination location for (autograph) signings. We had customers from 12 states attend the grand opening.

“My realtor showed me this really cool old building. Once I saw it, I could envision what I could do, and Watertown reminded me of the community where I grew up and where everybody knows everybody else. Plus, Watertown has the train ride, the jazz festival and other things. It’s a unique slice of America that’s fading away. It was a pretty easy decision.”

People continue to ask Flatt if they could see his own personal collection of memorabilia. His response is a bit of a downer.

“Honestly, I don’t really have that much stuff. When I became a dealer, I had to make a decision to go that route or to be a collector. I mostly have autographed pictures of wrestlers and a several lunch boxes from when I was a kid,” said Flatt, who dropped out of the sports card world six years ago.

However, as for great memories to share, he’s got a sentimental treasure chest full. Here’s his favorite.

“The very first wrestling event I went to as a child was in the spring of 1985 at the Cookeville Junior High School gym. The late ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage was there. They had a table and were selling photos for a dollar, and I bought one of him. I saw him in a dressing room and there were some other kids taking their pictures to him to have them signed. So, I took my picture over there, and he said, ‘What’s your name?’ and I told him, and he turned around to the whole gym and said, ‘That’s my buddy, oh, yeah!’ That made an impression. He signed that picture and I still have it. Later I met his brother, and he let me hold Savage’s hall of fame ring.”

Location: 101 W. Main Street, Watertown

Hours: Friday, 2-6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, noon-6 p.m.

Phone: (931) 260-6578

Website: musiccitytoys.biz

StarrcastV, known as “the Woodstock of professional wrestling,” takes place Friday-Sunday, July 29-31, at the Nashville Fairgrounds. The highlight will be Ric Flair’s last match with pre-show beginning at 5:05 p.m. Sunday, July 31, and the match at 6 p.m. This wrestling convention offers wrestling merchandise, memorabilia, photo ops, autographs and presents dozens of “stage shows” including live podcasts, roasts, panel discussions on major moments in history, Q&A sessions and debates. For tickets and details, online to starrcast.com.

WWE Summer Slam starts at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 30, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. Tickets start at $25 and are available via Ticketmaster. The main event features Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing Match. The event also will be streamed on Peacock.

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