Islamic Building Christmas Store

Sevierville, Tennessee

The origins of this odd, old building are obscure. It stands along the main drag connecting Sevierville, hometown of Dolly Parton, to Pigeon Forge, former home of the Elvis Museum, so it's about as out-of-place as can be.

For years it was identified as "Antique Castle" even though it was clearly patterned on a mosque, although guarded by two gold-painted Medieval knights. The commercial-style entrance and windows suggest it might have been a Persian rug store (or a gift shop with the word "bazaar" in its name?). The owners didn't know and didn't particularly care; they thought it was a castle. Their only gripe was with vaping, which was banned from their store with a big sign inside the front door.

After those owners sold the business, it became the even more weird "Christmas Done Bright" store, selling Christmas decorations year-round in a building resembling a mosque.

Phil Pasquini, author of "Domes, Arches and Minarets" (2012), helped track down a little more info on the castle: "This structure was built in 1975, is 4,200 ft., and oddly enough, zoned as a single-family dwelling. It is a mosque-style building with two minarets. There is no particular style per se for an Oriental or Persian carpet store. However, some of these stores do take on an exterior Islamic style. This building has operated under many names of various businesses, including as a Christmas business."