From cars to cart
Tomlinson bringing luxury experiences in new venture
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In her new business, Priscilla Tomlinson has gone from the cars she sold for different dealerships in Knoxville to the small wooden cart she uses to create meaningful, memorable experiences for gatherings across the area. - Car photo by Jake Nichols / Where Magpies Gather photo submitted
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Tomlinson smiles for a photo at an event she worked as part of her new business, Where Magpies Gather. - Car photo by Jake Nichols / Where Magpies Gather photo submitted
For more than two decades, Priscilla Tomlinson worked at car dealerships across Knoxville.
She worked her way up from a receptionist, ultimately running both sides of the Grayson BMW dealership.
Now, after continuing her career with Christian Brothers Automotive and Matlock Tire Service & Auto Repair, the Farragut High School graduate has steered her career in an entirely new direction.
And she’s doing it on four wheels that are a bit smaller than that to which she became accustomed.
Having retired from her previous positions, Tomlinson runs “Where Magpies Gather,” a luxury cart experience using a wooden cart made by local woodworker Jim Bixler.
“I woke up one day and was like, ‘I want to go back to food,’” Tomlinson said. “People keep telling me to come work for them, but I’m not going back to that industry unless it’s something community-wise.”
The Magpies name stems from her husband’s Irish background and her Thai background, as magpie birds live in Europe and Asia.
“For his culture, it means death. For mine, it means life,” Tomlinson said. “So two different cultures take the same bird and it means two different things.”
“I’d been in the restaurant industry my whole life, and my family is from Thailand,” she added. “So if you notice, Thai food is beautifully presented. I was taught culinary arts from Thailand, how to cut food and paid to go to those royal academies just to make that great-looking food. But when I came to the South, it wasn’t about the presentation; it was about whether it was cheap.”
“You eat with your eyes, and that ties into Thai culture. Everything is about the presentation of food and how beautiful it is. Everything is about hospitality and how you interact.”
Her new venture is focused on that interaction, bringing unique experiences for people at weddings, corporate gatherings and other events.
She offers carts with charcuterie and cannoli selections, the latter of which was featured at the Knoxville Museum of Art earlier this summer. But it doesn’t stop there.
Tomlinson has curated a cigar cart known as “Smoke & Mirrors,” as well as a charm display for wedding favors, flower arrangements and displays, candy carts — even one where people can write personalized notes with melted wax seals.
“My whole life has been in the kitchen. So I wanted to represent myself in that way, and I want to help other women. I’m so happy with what I’ve done, but I want to give back.”
The prices vary based on location and experience chosen, though Tomlinson has already traveled across the region to share her new business. “I’m not just a charcuterie and cannoli cart,” she said. “I want to use the cart as something to bring into your home, then provide an experience. I put out tables, flowers, water containers with lemon and lime.”
Those desires stemmed from a manifestation board Tomlinson made, checking off her goals as they have come true.
Now, she has paired those lessons with her business acumen in this new realm.
“Being from this area, it means more that the people here know my heart and know who I am,” she added. “When they go home, at the end of the day, I want this to be something people talk about. I promise it will be something they remember.”
