Haircuts and coffee: Two new shops opening side-by-side in the Old City

As the Old City redevelopment continues, two new shops are set to open on West Magnolia Avenue, just north of the Marble City Market.

Get ready for new coffee and barbering options.

After a few delays, Loyal's Barbershop will open its doors July 15. Five & Hoek Coffee shop is planning to open this fall. They will both be located in the new building at 200 W. Magnolia Ave.

The site was bought by the Courtland Group in 2016, where developers built a three-story building. It has one remaining open commercial business spot once these new shops open, and condominiums above them.

Here's a preview of what's to come.

Loyal to your barber

Loyal's Barbershop is sharpening its razors for its grand opening.

It's Nick Kitsos' first solo barbershop. After cutting hair for almost four years, Kitsos nearly started his own shop in Columbus, Ohio, but decided to wait and start fresh in Knoxville.

He has decorated the store according to his interests and values, with a variety of commissioned art and signs, including one called "Praying for Tips" with a pair of hands in a prayer position and the word "tips" tattooed onto them. A panther's head will be mounted onto the wall alongside a "Lord of the Rings" inspired map of Knoxville.

This all comes alongside six barber stations where the services will be a little more traditional in nature.

"I want to have some like cool stuff, but like old school tip of the hat to like … we're going to be using straight razors, we're going to be doing hot towels," Kitsos said. "We are going to be making sure that you're getting that high-end men's grooming experience, but still in an environment where you can relax and it doesn't feel sterile."

The name of the barbershop reflects this notion. He began doing research for a name, as he liked the idea of using an actual name for the store but didn't want to call it Nick's Barbershop.

"I like the idea of having an old school name. And I found this this article, and it mentioned this dude way back whose name was Loyal, and I was like, 'That's a dope old name,'" Kitsos said.

Best bar: At the intersection of 'hillbilly and highfalutin,' Brother Wolf builds on Esquire's honor

Coming soon: With HenHoc now closed in Old City, the butcher shop owner is 'swirling' with new ideas

It also fit along with one of his core pillars as a barber, which is to "be loyal to your barber, and they'll be loyal to you."

He initially envisioned that he'd work at an established barbershop, but was dissuaded by the rates some shops in town were charging.

"I'm hoping to acquire barbers that are skilled, and that have a good clientele base that are tired of paying the commission that they're at and can come work for me and pay me a fraction, but still enough for me to justify having a business," Kitsos said.

He hopes clients will come out to his barbershop to talk, hang out and get a haircut in the process.

"I'd tell people like, just give me a shot. And I think if you give me a shot, you'll at least get a really good haircut. I can guarantee you that," Kitsos said. "And you may love the vibe, and you may not and that's OK. If you don't, then I'm not your barber."

Hoeked on coffee

Five & Hoek Coffee is brewing up plans for opening its second location this fall.

Based in Illinois, Five & Hoek Coffee is a family-owned coffee shop that's been open in Wheaton since 2013. It changed names in 2017 and is currently run by Erich Goepel with Beth and Tyler Fivecoat.

Tyler Fivecoat said the team picked Knoxville for a few reasons, including proximity to family and an overall appreciation for the city.

Five & Hoek Coffee primarily serves coffee. They directly trade with farmers all over the world and paying above the fair-trade minimum, according to Fivecoat. They roast the coffee beans themselves with light and medium roasts to ensure they don't burn the beans and the flavors stay intact.

"We treat coffee a lot like wine where we're tasting different varietals and seeing which coffees we want to bring in each season and bringing a lot of coffees back over and over and over," Fivecoat said.

The shop serves additional drinks as well like organic smoothies. They have partnered with Sugar Queen Creamery for milkshakes, which include chocolate, espresso and chai flavors. They plan to operate a coffee cart at the creamery a few days each week.

As they prepare to open, Fivecoat wants the shop to be a place for people to gather and enjoy one of their drinks as they relax with "their five or 10 minutes of peace before they go about their day."

"We're a family owned and operated business, like me and Beth or one of us is there every day and we take a lot of pride in what we do and what we serve. And we have fun doing it," Fivecoat said.

Five & Hoek will open this fall, probably in September. They had a few delays in getting the shop open, but Fivecoat said he thinks what they are going to be bringing Knoxville will be worth it.

"We think we're bringing a great addition," Fivecoat said. "We roast our own coffee and we have been for years. So we think we're bringing the best coffee that you can find to the city."

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Loyal's Barbershop, Five & Hoek Coffee opening in Knoxville's Old City