When Elvis Presley superfan Claire Starring heard musicians Dale Watson and Celine Lee were selling a Graceland-inspired home in Memphis, TN, it was only a matter of hours before she would find herself visiting the property and placing an offer.
At the time, the Woodstock, GA, resident was enjoying a trip to the real Graceland—the historic estate of the late legendary musician, a destination she frequents often.
“I have to have this place. I don’t care how I do it, I have to have this place,” Starring recalls thinking in conversation with Realtor.com®.
“The minute I stepped foot on the shag green carpet, I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh. I love it. We have to have this house.'”
Starring “immediately” put an offer on the property, despite her husband’s advice.
“My husband just rolled his eyes and said, ‘You know, when you’re buying something, Claire, you’re supposed to act as if you’re not interested, so you can get a better price,’” she says with a laugh. “I’m like, ‘No, you pay asking price, because I want this place.’ And he was like, ‘I’m going to go wait in the car.’”
According to property records, Starring snapped up the three-bedroom, 1.5-bathroom home for $150,000, a dip from the original asking price of $175,000. Watson and Lee purchased the property from the original owners in 2017 for $55,000.
Considering she’s a former set designer turned home renovator, Starring surprisingly plans to leave “Lil’ Graceland” largely untouched.
While she wasted no time painting the exterior of the brick-red home a bright turquoise on the day she closed on the property, the retro-themed abode came fully furnished, and Starring’s “doing absolutely nothing to the inside.”
There are two caravans located in the backyard, and the superfan will “glamp them out” to serve as an additional source of income.
In the right hands, Lil’ Graceland can be a lucrative combination of businesses. It currently serves as a short-term rental on Airbnb, a film and photo set location, and a recording studio. Eventually, betrothed fans of the singer can exchange vows here, too.
The location can be booked by the day, or visitors can “get the whole experience” and stay overnight.
The basement is stocked with original equipment from Sun Studio, a recording service founded in the 1950s by Sam Phillips, a producer credited with launching the careers of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and many other icons.
The gear was acquired by Watson, the previous owner, who will record another album there in October. It’s also been used recently by bands such as The Black Keys and Reverend Horton Heat.
Starring plans to pass the keys to allow fans and industry professionals to enjoy the home, but a few dates are blocked off for her own family’s use. Residing about a five-hour drive from Lil’ Graceland, she maintains the property with the help of “a good group of people in Memphis” and stays close to the previous owners.
“We’ll be going for Thanksgiving. We’re going to have a 1950s Thanksgiving at the house,” she explains. “And then, we’ll be back for Elvis’ birthday.”
Starring is mom to a daughter, Presley Grace, and was recently married at Graceland. Her husband isn’t quite as big a fan of the rock star as she is, but he’s a “lovely guy” who understands what the fandom means to her.
Upon meeting her new beau, Starring explained that her daughter comes first, rescue animals come second, and Elvis comes next.
“Elvis is massive in my life. So if you can deal with that, then we’re good to go. If not, then you can jog on,” she says. “He accepts my crazy, and he loves it.”
Starring became a fan of Elvis as a child, growing up “in a little tiny island called the Isle of Man” in the Irish Sea between Ireland and Great Britain.
“My mum and dad just busted their butts all the time. They were always working,” she remembers. “My mum would put on Elvis for me as, like, a babysitter.
“Sometimes, people don’t have something to believe in. I believe in God, and I’d never think that Elvis is a god … but he was everything when I was growing up,” she shares. “He was the person I talked to about everything. His music really helped me.”
Starring cites the musician’s rags-to-riches story as her inspiration.
“The way he came from nothing and never changed who he was … That, to me, is massive,” she says.
Although it is clear that owning Lil’ Graceland brings Starring lots of joy, it’s not one she revels in alone.
“I didn’t buy it for me,” Starring explains. “I bought it for every Elvis fan. Every fan of music. Every fan of Memphis. You know, it’s a really special place.”
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