Shopper Blog: Madi Grace Boutique in Powell features a special 'Confetti Closet'
POWELL
Madi Grace Boutique in Powell features a special 'Confetti Closet'
Al Lesar, Shopper News
Even at 6 years old, Ashley Abbott’s daughter Madi Grace is a shrewd business person.
When Abbott opened Madi Grace Boutique (906 Callahan Drive) in Powell, the business’ namesake thought it would be important to carry jewelry that would suit a little girl’s fancy.
Abbott agreed and positioned the display of the trinkets in a very visible area near the window.
The idea has turned out to be popular, and the 6-year-old is hoping for a commission.
“She thinks she should be paid, but we’ll have to talk about that,” Abbott said. “She also wants a computer in her office. Maybe one of her play computers from home.”
A dream Abbott had since 2019 came to fruition Sept. 1 when Madi Grace Boutique opened its doors at 3 p.m.
Maybe a little before 3 p.m.
“I tried to get the word out about our grand opening,” Abbott said. “I didn’t know what the response would be. We had people waiting outside the store at 2:30, so we opened early. It was so exciting.”
Her own boss
An event coordinator by trade, Abbott grew up in Cherokee, North Carolina, and came to the Knoxville area to attend the University of Tennessee.
She grew up around the world of boutiques when her mother owned one for several years.
“She mainly did Avon products and gift baskets,” Abbott said. “She’d use me to help around the holidays.”
While working in the realm of event planning, the itch to run her own business was always there.
“I wanted to be my own boss,” she said. “I wanted to set up things the way I wanted.”
She had purchased the inventory from a baby boutique that had gone out of business. Abbott used several pop-ups or rental spaces to sell. But, it wasn’t the same as her own.
She got a head’s up that Orange Poppy was ready to leave its storefront and focus its business on online sales. It needed more of a warehouse than what it currently had.
“It was a perfect situation for us,” Abbott said.
‘Confetti closet’
Abbott said her boutique features women’s and children’s clothes and accessories under the same roof.
“We have bright colors in here,” she said. “People say they just like being here. Just hearing how much people enjoy it warms my heart.”
She has no idea why, but for some reason Abbott said she has loaded up on headbands to go along with the strategically placed “little girl” jewelry.
“We have a lot of prayer and devotional journals that you don’t normally see in a boutique,” said Abbott.
Something else that’s unique to this retail space is a large back area that Abbott calls the “Confetti Closet.” It gives her an opportunity to put her event-planning skills to use by setting it up for occasions like birthday parties or holiday festivities.
“I’ve come to realize that your blood, sweat and tears really do get poured into something like this,” she said.
The boutique is closed Sundays and Mondays. Hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Wednesdays 10-5:30 and Saturdays 9-2.
For more information, visit its social media pages on Facebook or Instagram.
FARRAGUT
West Towne Christian Church opens fall festival season with annual Family Fest
Nancy Anderson, Shopper News
West Towne Christian Church kicked off the Fall Festival season with a well-attended Family Festival held at the church on 9300 Middlebrook Pike.
More than 550 people attended the annual event and were treated to hotdogs, S’mores, popcorn, snow cones and a plethora of fun activities.
Bluegrass music filled the air giving the area an old timey feel while keeping toes tapping and little ones dancing.
The lower parking lot was filled with activities including a hayride loading up about 20 folks at a time, who were all smiles, perched on haybales on an open trailer being pulled by a sparkling clean tractor driven by Adrienne and Bill Toro.
A parachute caught the attention of several festival goers and their kids. The kids were all giggles as they ran under the floating fabric being tossed high into the air. The game was to run under making it to the other side before the parachute touched their heads.
As much fun as it was outside, inside held twice the surprises. The gym was filled with two giant inflatable castles, crafts, and coloring.
One of the largest attractions was a game room equipped with five video games from Captain America to PAC-Man, to Car Racing.
The video game room was second only in popularity to a zipline. The line to ride was long but moved quickly as kids climbed aboard and zipped their way down to a church member who safely caught each child. It wasn’t a fast game nor high off the ground, but it seemed so to the little ones who squealed with delight on their way down.
Family Minister David Springer said the festival gets bigger every year. This year, he gathered about 30 to 35 volunteers from the church to help run the activities, making the day a labor of love for the church.
“We’ve done this about five years now. It gives us an opportunity to love on the community and get to know them a little better. We just wanted to have a fun … free … event. It’s a kickoff for a new season that everyone is excited about," Springer said.
“For us, we get to work with each other and get to know each other better. We don’t always get to work with each other, so this is a fun event that pulls everyone together and gives us the chance to serve the community."
Info: www.followjesus.org
BEARDEN
New to Knoxville - and the Vols - First United Methodist minister is enjoying the view
John Shearer, Shopper News
After nearly 10 years in fulltime ministry, the Rev. Caleb Pitkin is comfortably settling in as the new pastor at First United Methodist Church on Kingston Pike by Sequoyah Hills.
He is also admittedly feeling at home in the larger Knoxville area since moving here over the summer. That is, despite never having lived here before and despite not possessing a deep love for sports or, as recommended for most locals, a passionate interest in Tennessee Vols football or the other university sports teams that play just a mile away.
“I am really enjoying it,” he said of the overall city during a recent interview at the church. “There are a lot of good restaurants and a lot of good food. And I am enjoying getting to know the university culture. But I am still learning about the Vols.”
Pitkin has quickly caught on to the fact, though, that UT football means a lot here, including after his and wife Samantha’s son, Lazarus, learned about the UT-Florida football rivalry in his Rocky Hill Elementary first-grade class a few weeks ago.
Despite often wearing a black clerical shirt instead of an orange-tinted one, Pitkin said he has been touched at how welcoming the congregation at First United Methodist has been.
“I’m enjoying being here,” he said, adding that the church averages about 120 worshipers on Sunday. “It’s a really nice and welcoming congregation. It’s got a good children’s ministry. And I like the style of worship. It is traditional but in a fun and inviting atmosphere.”
He describes as beautiful the unique church campus, which features a large old home for offices and a riverside pavilion behind the main sanctuary and classroom building.
While the regular sanctuary has a service at 10:45 a.m. every Sunday year-round, the church also has an 8:30 a.m. service during the now-past warmer months at the pavilion.
“It has got the best view ever. If the sermon is bad, there is still something pretty to look at,” Pitkin quipped.
His own view about his call to fulltime ministry was not initially as proverbially clear as the view of Fort Loudoun Lake, despite having been raised as a multigenerational member of Red Bank United Methodist in Chattanooga. After graduating from the Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences in 2005 and later East Tennessee State University, he and his wife went to teach English in Japan.
While there, they became involved in a Christian church that seemed strikingly similar to church in America. They had some opportunities to participate in mission work when the major earthquake and tsunami struck Japan in 2011, and they went with their church to do some coastal cleanup.
A woman Pitkin was helping there realized that he was not a Japanese native, but a church member assured her that he was OK, that he was part of their church and one of them. Somehow amid the work following that tsunami and earthquake devastation, he felt a soft inner call to become a minister.
“I went all the way to Japan to receive a call to do ministry in East Tennessee,” Pitkin recalled in his joking style.
He later enrolled in Methodist Theological School near Columbus, Ohio, while his wife received a master’s in social work at The Ohio State University before becoming a mental health professional.
After eight years at Signal Mountain United Methodist in Chattanooga, he was appointed at First United Methodist beginning July 1, which he jokingly calls the Methodist New Year.
This traditional blacksmith hobbyist who also enjoys nature walks said he is trying to get a good lay of the congregational landscape before trying to gently forge any new path for the church. “It’s important to know a place before deciding what you want to do,” he added.
But he is excited about some upcoming events there, including its Fifth Sunday kid- and family-friendly service this Oct. 29. And on Wednesday, Oct. 25, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., the church will have its fall festival, with trunk-or-treat activities, music, a food truck, face painting and possibly some craft vendors. Excess parking and trolley service will be available from the nearby Laurel Church of Christ.
He added that he is looking forward to continue serving at his new church in a new city.
“Knoxville is really beautiful,” Pitkin said in summation.
NORTH KNOXVILLE
James Harrison is racing to show 'One Dad Can' help those with sickle cell disease
Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News
Last spring, James Harrison made a decision that changed his life, and has the potential to change many others.
Harrison, the human resources manager for Arconic Inc. - formerly Alcoa Inc. - has been on the board of MEDIC Regional Blood Center for about a year and half. With his wife MeShawn, he’s raised three children, now grown, two of whom have sickle cell disease (SCD), the blood disorder that largely affects the African American population. And the Sunday before last Memorial Day, both of them were in trouble.
“My daughter was having a SCD pain crisis and she was in a hospital in Knoxville,” Harrison said. “My son was having a SCD pain crisis and he was in a hospital in Nashville.” Such attacks, he said, are caused when the blood cells actually clump together because of their abnormal shape, restricting blood flow.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, such an event - also called a vaso-occlusive episode or VOE - can start suddenly, be mild to severe, and can last for any length of time.
Harrison said, “I’m always trying to take care of my kids and my family but when they’re going through that I feel powerless.” Though both Harrison parents carry the trait for the condition, neither is a victim of it. But, he thought, perhaps he could do something to bring focus to the disease. “I was talking to my wife. I said, ‘I’m going to run the Knoxville Marathon; I’m going to put my body through something.’”
The Harrisons have been married 29 years. "If ‘Are you kidding me?’ was a look, that’s the look she gave me," he said. Does the term “dad bod” apply? Harrison, whose granddaughter will turn 3 in January, admits, “I’ve actually got a granddad bod.” He and his wife eventually agreed upon a half marathon, or 13.1 miles. His kids were all in favor. “Once they said that there was no backing down.”
Under the heading of “One Dad Can,” Harrison is training with his coach, Phil Tucker of the Knoxville chapter of Black Men Run, to run the half marathon in order to raise awareness of SCD, and to get 10,000 blood donors for MEDIC between now and April. Blood transfusion is a first-line therapy for many complications associated with SCD and can be life-saving.
Kristi Altman is MEDIC’s vice president of communications and public relations and one of Harrison’s biggest cheerleaders. She says, “James is a great supporter for MEDIC as a loyal donor and board member. He has been a huge asset to our SCD outreach and education in the community and we are thrilled to help him promote his current efforts. We are thankful for James and his ongoing eagerness to educate our community on both SCD and the importance of blood donation with ‘One Dad Can.’”
“The one dad is me,” Harrison said. “And ‘can’ stands for commitment, action, network. One dad can do anything, and once he’s committed, he relies on his network.”
Daughter Jaleece, one of Harrison’s “sickle cell warriors,” hopes to see the network grow. “It is important to donate blood for patients in need. Your blood will save a life.”
To donate blood, go to medicblood.org/onedadcan/. And people can support Harrison's effort with the tag #onedadcan on social media accounts.
40 years in Knoxville: It's been a strange, sad but mostly wonderful time
POWELL
This Powell computer business wants to be your company's Chief Information Officer
Al Lesar, Shopper News
When Hugh and Deanna Goulding moved from the Chicago suburbs to East Tennessee three years ago, they had their eye on a computer business to purchase.
The deal fell apart during closing.
Not to be discouraged, the transplants moved on.
Then, a couple months ago, Advanced Computers of Knoxville was up for sale again — this time with a new owner. The Gouldings landed the Powell business (6914 Clinton Highway) and have created a plan for it to grow.
“We want to start to move into the small and medium business space,” said Hugh Goulding. “There are so many possibilities.”
Goulding said his lead technician Jacob Cagle will handle the bulk of the work on individual computers that clients may bring in, as well as servicing the needs of business clients.
“It’s all tied up with professionalism,” Goulding said. “There’s an opportunity for a fix the first time. You need to do it correctly the first time.”
Packages available
Identifying needs and locating gaps in service has been the challenge for Goulding as his computer business gets off the ground.
Along with the normal computer issues the general public will bring through the door, finding a reliable model for continued service and support of businesses is a goal.
“Some small business owners have their cousin as the person who will help with their computers,” he said. “Some have someone in the business who knows a little bit about those things. We want to solve that and be there for them whenever they need us.”
Goulding said they will also be offering Chief Information Officer packages for businesses. The CIO will oversee the complete computer operation and take care of any updates that may be needed.
Goulding said virtualization has become a popular offering in the realm of current computers.
There are businesses that have much older machines in use that are integral to the operation. When a part on one of those older machines goes bad, there likely aren’t going to be replacements readily available.
Through virtualization, a machine can be built that is able to simulate what the older machine was doing.
Finding computers
While living around Chicago, Goulding worked in different construction areas. At the same time, he called himself a “hobbyist” when it came to computers.
He was 35 in 1998 when he realized construction was a physically taxing occupation. He got the computer training he needed and went to work for IBM in the Chicago area in 2001.
Serving in several roles with IBM and other large computer companies gave Goulding the background he needs now to make a computer business function.
The business will likely evolve into something with a sales component. Goulding said business class machines are much more robust than the consumer grade.
The current location is 1,000 square feet with a reception area, shop and small office. There is not a lot of inventory on hand, but whatever is needed can be ordered.
“We will design services that, we hope, can take computer issues off the plate of business owners,” Goulding said.
NORTH KNOXVILLE
The MUSE Knoxville: STEAM fun during an extraordinary month
Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News
October is in full swing, and the Muse Knoxville is offering extraordinary ways to celebrate an extraordinary month during the FALLing for STEAM weekly programming takeover.
With the Muse Knoxville’s focus on science, technology, engineering, arts and math, its planetarium and hands-on learning opportunities ‒ not to mention just plain fun, inside and out, for children aged 6 months to 10 years ‒ it’s the perfect place to party this month, considering there’s a solar eclipse on the 14th. Honestly, how often does that happen? Plus, of course, Halloween is one of the best kid-friendly holidays of the whole year.
This week some Muse Knoxville kids are attending Fall Break Construction Camp, where they’re using cardboard, colorful paper, scissors and their creativity to make a collection of miniature origami petting zoos and captivating dioramas. But there’s plenty more in store.
The Robotics Festival starts at 4 p.m. this Friday. “Last year was our first year with this event, part of the Tennessee STEAM Festival,” said Malena Pierce, the Muse Knoxville’s marketing and communications manager. There’s no registration required.
However, if you’d like to head on over to the Spooktacular Silent Disco ‒ a family-friendly fundraising event from 4:30-7:30 p.m. that same day ‒ you’ll need to buy a ticket online or at the door.
Described as “an unforgettable sensory-friendly Halloween celebration,” the music is contained within individual headphones. Activities include silent disco dancing, pumpkin decorating for all ages, custom trick-or-treat bag making, a costume contest and open museum floor play. There will be food available from onsite food trucks.
The Family Science Fair, now in its second year, happens from 9:30-11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, and is open to whose who have paid admission to the museum. Then, from noon to 4 p.m., you and your gang can enjoy Solar Eclipse Day Activities.
The solar eclipse is caused by the moon passing in front of the sun, obscuring much of it but leaving behind a brilliant “ring of fire.” For safe viewing, Muse Knoxville will have eclipse glasses for sale for $1. This rare type of solar eclipse will not be seen again in the contiguous U.S. until 2039.
Regular events continuing throughout the month, such as Mess Makers and Steam Sprouts, will all be fall-themed.
The Muse Knoxville is located at 516 N. Beaman St. in East Knoxville. For info/tickets, visit themuseknoxville.org/event-directory/
‘Spirits of Old Gray’ Oct. 22
Speaking of Spooktacular, don’t miss “Spirits of Old Gray” at Old Gray Cemetery, Tennessee’s first garden cemetery, established in 1850.
There will be reenactors, walking tours led by historians Jack Neely and Laura Still, bagpipes, face painting, food trucks, wine and beer. Author and historian Judy Loest will be onsite signing her latest book, “Old Gray Cemetery - Knoxville.” The book will be for sale with proceeds to benefit Old Gray.
“Spirits of Old Gray” runs from 3-6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22, at Old Gray Cemetery, 543 N. Broadway St. Admission is $5 for ages 10 and above, under 10 admitted free. Parking will be at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Volunteer Ministry Center, and neighboring parking lots. For more info, visit oldgraycemetery.org/spirits-of-old-gray, facebook.com/oldgraycemeteryor email info@oldgraycemetery.org.
OPINION
Technology make kids seem amazing
Leslie Snow, Shopper News
I don’t know if I’ve always been amazing or if it’s a more recent development. All I know is my mother thinks I’m remarkable for doing all sorts of ordinary things. Though I’m not sure her opinion can be trusted, I’m willing to accept her assessment of me. No matter how small my accomplishments really are.
Several years ago, during one of my more amazing days, my mom couldn’t stop gushing. I tried to explain that putting a chuck roast in the crockpot with some potatoes and carrots isn’t really a noteworthy achievement, but she disagreed.
“You got three kids off to school and put a meal together that was ready by dinner time. That’s pretty remarkable in my book.” I told her the crockpot did most of the heavy lifting, but she insisted on giving me the credit.
And since that extraordinary day when I conquered both my children’s morning routine and an evening meal, I’ve accomplished many, far more impressive feats. Just ask my mother.
She’s amazed by my ability to sign into her Netflix account, to scan a QR code, and to deposit a check using my mobile phone. But that’s not all. Lately, she’s come to believe I’m omniscient too.
“No matter what question I throw at you,” she said over dinner the other night, “you know the answer.” I tried to tell her there’s a middle-man (or middle-computer) that deserves most of the credit, but she believes in the power of my keen mind. So even when I say, “Hey, Alexa, how old is Judy Dench?” I still get the credit for the answer. By the way, according to my good friend, Alexa, Judy Dench is 88.
I’ve always loved my mother’s faith in my abilities and her sincere belief that I can do anything I set my mind to, even when I’m not doing anything at all. But I think she’s confusing technology for skill and trial-and-error for knowledge. And, because she’s uncomfortable with technology herself, she assumes it takes a genius to do something as simple as order cat food online.
My mother’s biased appraisal of me has always seemed pretty adorable, until the other day when I asked Jordan where I could sell some bar stools. She seemed perplexed by the question. “Facebook Marketplace,” she said matter-of-factly.
She went on to explain how to post photos and receive payment, and even suggested pricing. But the more she talked, the more my anxiety grew. “It’s really simple,” she promised when she saw my furrowed brow. “You can do it.”
Then her face brightened. “Mom, do you want me to do it for you?”
I jumped at her offer.
Just a few hours after Jordan posted my bar stools, a nice lady drove up to the house in a minivan, paid me through a mobile app, and took my stools away. Easy peasy.
It wasn’t until I heard myself say, “Jordan, you are spectacular! Is there anything you can’t do?” that I realized the torch had been passed.
Technology is now developing faster than my ability to learn how to use it. And, in turn, my children are becoming more and more remarkable every day.
If I were a better person, I would call my mom and confess that I’m no different than her. I would tell her that I need my kids to help me navigate new advances in technology too. But why ruin a good thing. Because right now, I’m amazing. And it feels pretty good.
Leslie Snow may be reached at snowcolumn@aol.com
Tennessee representatives all over the board on aid to Ukraine | Ashe
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