The Foothills Mercantile Co is an art and gift gallery located in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. In the tradition of the Appalachian craftsmen of generations past, we specialize in handmade items. We are well know for our resident artist, William Joseph Jones, our candles, which are poured in art glass made from liquor and wine bottles, and our engraved bourbon barrel tops and staves.

The Foothills Mercantile Co is the home of the art of William Joseph Jones. William was born in St. Louis, with his youth spent in the Ozark Mountains on The Mother Road, Route 66, where his family owned a group of highway businesses. This shaped his passion for people, music, sports, classic cars and simpler times in America. With a career as an artist that spans over 40 years, he became a state, national, and international award winning portrait photographer. He has enjoyed learning various artistic techniques that encompass the traditional as well as modern-age tools. This allows him to step outside of the boundaries, crossing into a world of unlimited artistic possibilities. He has combined his skills in photography with digital illustration and oil paints to become a leading mixed media artist.