The space Raven & Lily Restaurant once occupied in Collierville — a spot owned for decades by the Brooks family — was sold this week to a local veterinarian. 

Hank Wright, founder of The Pet Hospitals, bought the space on the north side of Collierville’s Town Square. He prefers not to lease it for office use.

“I think the best thing for the square is retail or restaurant. However, you have to take the tenants you can get,” Wright said.

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The family of Watty Brooks Hall, owner of The Brooks Collection on the square, has owned the former Raven & Lily property at 120 E. Mulberry St., since at least 1951. It’s unclear if relatives had it before then, she said. Her great-uncle James Watson “Wat” Kelsey left it to Hall’s mother. Her father, Tom Brooks, a former alderman, opened his first brick-and-mortar pharmacy there “with that fabulous soda fountain in it.” 

“Growing up in that drug store, I could walk you in there right now and tell you, ‘This is where this was. This was the pharmacy department. This was the soda fountain,’ ” Hall said. “Just great, great memories for me. ... I’ve relived them a good bit the last couple weeks.”

In the 1960s, Brooks moved to Poplar with his Walgreens store, and the Mulberry location transformed into a restaurant. Cafe Grille, Brooks’ Pharm2Fork — the name was a nod to her father’s business — and Raven & Lily all called the space home. Hall has owned the property for the last 13 years.

Raven & Lily’s closure was effective immediately. When they notified Hall, she knew it was time to step away.

“If this restaurant fails, I need to consider selling the building,” she told herself. “Being the landlord to a building that’s over 120 years old — it’s tough because there’s always something.”

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Chad Kelsey, Hall’s cousin and a real estate agent at John Green & Company, said several people expressed interest in the storefront.

“Within 24 hours, (the sale) was a commitment,” Hall said. “Property on the square goes pretty fast.”

With the building owned by her family for so long, she was sad about the sale “for a fleeting moment,” but she’s happy that Wright bought it.

“Daddy (Tom Brooks) thought so much of you,” she told Wright. “It makes me feel good to know you will be taking over.”

She recalls conversations her father had with Wright about his profession as a veterinarian.

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“I think he realized what strong character he had,” Hall said. “Daddy could sense things like that pretty quickly.”

Wright paid list price, according to Kelsey. Wright declined to share the amount, but realized he would have to pay the asking price if he wanted to own it.

Although Hall has walked away from one space on the square, she has no plans to close The Brooks Collection, her shop a few doors down.

“All this is doing is lightening my load of things I have to take care of,” Hall said. “I’ve got a lot of responsibilities, and when this opportunity became available, I thought it was the right move.”