Since 2021, Marion has continued reshaping Tower Square Plaza into a more active downtown district with restaurants, shops, galleries and entertainment venues. Among those businesses is Little Nashville, a restaurant and live music venue at 1200 Tower Square Plaza owned by Aaron Smith, chairman of the John A. Logan College Board of Trustees.
Smith said the venue grew out of his longtime interest in music and songwriting.
“I’ve always had a passion for music and for songwriting,” Smith said. “When I bought an old building in downtown Marion before all the development started, I was able to kind of open up a dream place for myself to invite the local community of artists, songwriters and performers into an environment that suits them.”
Smith opened Little Nashville in June 2023. Since then, the venue has hosted regular live performances and open mic nights in downtown Marion.
Music has long been part of Smith’s life, according to his father, Denny Smith.
“Being the son of a band director, Aaron was always playing music with me,” Denny Smith said. “I would play in bands and the family would come hear me play. I took all of my kids out to sing Southern Gospel music. They were performing at a very, very young age.”
That background later carried into Smith’s own work as a songwriter and performer and into the venue’s emphasis on live music. Little Nashville regularly features local musicians, including original artists.
Edwin Linson, a singer-songwriter and member of Backline 5 who frequently performs solo at the venue, said that support for original music keeps him coming back.
“Honestly, it’s the best place for live music in Southern Illinois, in my opinion,” Linson said. “The whole place is dedicated to live music. They love having people play original music, which I love as a songwriter.”
Patron Sheila Dillman said the venue serves a wider role for local artists and audiences.
“It’s a kind of safe space for artists and people to have fun,” Dillman said. “It brings live music out of just wineries, and includes younger people too.”
Little Nashville has also been involved in community fundraising. Smith said the venue helped raise $50,000 in May 2025 for people affected by the tornado.
As Marion continues investing in the Tower Square area, Little Nashville has become one of several businesses contributing to downtown activity through food, entertainment and live performances.
Story correction: Sheila Dillman was incorrectly identified as Sheila Dellman in an earlier version of this story. The Volunteer regrets the error.
