The owners of iconic Memphis honky-tonk Hernando's Hide-A-Way bought the home in 2017, and embraced its 1950s-style honoring Elvis Presley.
Just a stone's throw from the iconic Graceland in Memphis, TN, sits Little Graceland—a vacation rental and homage to Elvis Presley.
The home, which has two rooms modeled off the Memphis landmark, has gone under contract after being listed for $175,000. It also brings in about $30,000 a year as a vacation rental.
"It's about a half a mile from Graceland, which is Elvis Presley's last home," says listing agent Jennifer "Bird" Williams with Hobson Realtors.
Graceland is one of the most-visited homes in America. Only the White House gets more visitors.
"There are a few rooms that are decorated just like Elvis' rooms at Graceland," explains Williams.
"One of them is living room, right down to the peacocks that adorn the glass divider in the living room and then the jungle room, right down to the curtains on the wall. Those two rooms are decorated just like Graceland and the rest of the rooms are time capsules.”
The home, which operates as a vacation rental, is about a half-mile from the real Graceland in Memphis, TN. (George Hancock)
The Jungle Room in "Little Graceland" is decorated similarly to the room in the home once owned by the King of Rock 'n' Roll. (George Hancock)
The peacock accents in the living room also mimic the room in the original Graceland. (George Hancock) The home was built in 1964 and the sellers are only the second owners, purchasing it in 2017.
"I guess the original owner had just never done anything to the house, and so the current owners embraced it," she says.
Those owners, Dale Watson and his wife, Celine Lee, are both musicians who also own Memphis honky-tonk Hernando's Hide-A-Way. Elvis played there in 1953.
They've moved away and are selling the 2,177-square-foot home with three bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms, all of it in 1950s-style, honoring Elvis.
“It's definitely kitschy and really cool,” Williams says, noting that the basement is a recording studio. “The recording equipment in it is from the late '50s, early '60s, so [the recordings] are done in tracks instead of computers, so it's all old school.”
The 1950s kitchen in the Little Graceland home listed for $175,000. (George Hancock)
The insides of the televisions are new, but the outsides are old. (George Hancock) The kitchen has a new but made-to-look old refrigerator and other vintage appliances.
“There's what you would have called a fancy dishwasher back in in the late '50s early '60s, which has this little transfer pump on the faucet, and it makes the water go into this brush, and that's how ladies used to wash their dishes,” Williams explains.
The kitchen flooring is new but is something appropriate for the time period the home represents.
“I thought [the house] was cool. I like when people embrace the vibe. Not everything has to be painted white and white marble and stainless steel appliances,” she says. “Things with character are a whole lot cooler than things that are current.”
Even the televisions in the house are vintage, sort of.
“They took out the innards of the television sets and they replaced them with new flat screens,” Williams explains. “But the outsides of the televisions still look like the old TVs, but they're modern inside.”
There's something else that caught Willams’ eye, though.
“My favorite thing about that house is probably the telephone hanging on the wall. It really works. I couldn't believe it,” she says with a laugh. “It's not a punch pad. It's one where you stick your finger in and rotary.”
The bedrooms honor Elvis. (George Hancock)
The Pink Poodle bathroom (George Hancock)
There are two campers in the yard for glamping. (George Hancock) All of the furnishings are part of the sale, including the two campers in the backyard where visitors can enjoy glamping.
“[The sellers] are not interested in trying to sell the furniture or move it or whatever. It goes with that house, so the buyer needs to like the furniture or sell the furniture themselves,” she says.
The home sits on almost a third of an acre and, being so close to Graceland, it has been a popular vacation rental.
“[The perfect buyer is] somebody who loves old music, somebody who loves Elvis, and has an entrepreneurial spirit—somebody who’s got a little hustle in their muscle.”