Shopper Blog: Small businesses, big personalities made news in 2022
BEARDEN
Small businesses, big personalities made news in 2022
John Shearer, Shopper News
From downtown and the University of Tennessee campus out to Cedar Bluff and beyond, numerous places, people and groups in West Knoxville made news in 2022 and were chronicled in the Bearden Shopper News.
Among the new area businesses highlighted were Rock Steady Boxing Knoxville gym for those battling Parkinson’s Disease, the DQ/Dairy Queen by West Hills, Bearden High student Rachel Stewart’s cookie business, the Performance Training Inc. facility, Jessie Tyree Jenness’ Root & Branch Paper Co., and the Balloon Garden.
Others included the Three60fit gym, Apricot Lane boutique, Bear Den Books, Dogtopia, Athletic Republic Knoxville, Famous Milkshake Bar, Courtney’s Cakes and Sweet Treats, Jaboni’s pizzeria, the Artisan’s Club studio, ORVIS in Western Plaza, and Pedego Electric Bikes. Also, CAVA eatery opened on Bearden Hill where sister chain Zoe’s Kitchen had been.
White Realty Co., which had started as the White Stores grocery chain in 1922, was highlighted on its 100th anniversary. Also hitting the century mark and profiled was the Coffin Shoe Co. The 50th anniversary of West Town Mall was also celebrated.
Some Kingston Pike churches, including First United Methodist, were highlighted as part of the “Love Your Neighbor” campaign, and the James A. Dick Mighty Musical Monday programs resumed at the Tennessee Theatre in February after being halted for nearly two years during the pandemic.
In late March, a section of West Hills became an official Dogwood Arts dogwood trail and was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, while a Tennessee Music Pathways sign was installed at the Everly Brothers Park in September.
A video documentary of the Battle of Fort Sanders was released during the year, a Garden Conservancy tour was held at a home at 3024 Kingston Pike in October, and a landmark home at 1209 Scenic Drive in Sequoyah Hills was sold in the fall. In late September, a marker was dedicated downtown to the late former Knoxville resident Adolph Ochs of The New York Times.
Pieces of history going away
The landscape was also changing in West Knoxville. The Tennessee Highway Patrol headquarters, which had been at Kingston Pike near West Town Mall since the mid-1960s, closed after a new facility opened in Strawberry Plains. Buildings razed in the West Hills area included the former Shakey’s/Alley building and another nearby pair of structures at the intersection of Kingston Pike and Wesley Road.
Also torn down was the historic former Euclid Avenue Baptist Church near the Alcoa Highway/Interstate 40 interchange, and a visible midcentury home at Cherokee Boulevard and Kingston Pike.
Stories also ran about plans to replace the Carousel Theatre at UT along with Dunford, Greve, and Henson halls. Stories on the latter three buildings’ namesakes were also published.
Also, ground-breaking ceremonies were held for the addition of some ballfields and other amenities at Lakeshore Park.
The 40th anniversary of the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville was remembered. The Bearden Shopper News ran stories on former site development director Charlie Smith and his successful efforts at getting prized artifacts from China to display, the Heinz ketchup robot, the mementos at the McClung Historical Collection and East Tennessee History Center, and the memories of Diane Crook and her summer of family season passes.
Profiles and personalities
Those who were profiled included former UT football star Bobby Majors, 99-year-old longtime Sutherland Avenue resident W.C. Thornton, longtime McClung Historical Collection director Steve Cotham on his retirement, Pond Gap Neighborhood Association leader David Williams on his efforts to remember the old Pond Gap baseball field where early integrated games were held, custom drapery maker Roberta Houston on her retirement, the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Edward Terry Sanford of Knoxville, 93-year-old former Los Angeles deejay Al Fiori, and UT Torchbearer recipient and L&N STEM Academy graduate Aruha Khan.
Others included the late TV sports announcer Lindsey Nelson, the late accomplished music director Donald Pippin, retiring teachers Lori Montgomery from Ball Camp Elementary and Leslie Smenner at Cedar Bluff Elementary, Doug White for his “Kiss the Magnolia Tree” book, and UT journalism professor Dr. Mark Littmann on his distinguished professorship award.
School sports and activities
School sports stories focused on state championships by the Bearden High girls’ basketball team, the Catholic girls’ tennis team, the Webb girls’ track team, the CAK boys’ golf team, the West football team and the Bearden girls’ soccer team, who were also named No. 1 in the nation. Other teams highlighted were the state runner-up Bearden boys’ basketball team and Webb girls’ cross country team, and the Bearden football team, which improved to 7-5 this fall.
Other school-related stories focused on some Bearden High students’ opportunity to participate in an ABBA-themed show at the Bijou Theatre, the old-fashioned sign at Bearden Elementary and the clever messages put on it, a new scholarship in honor of Bearden Elementary principal Susan Dunlap, top UT baton twirler Laney Puhalla, new West High band director Cody Foster and new West Hills Elementary principal Kristen Jackson.
The Bearden and West High classes of 1972 were also profiled on their 50th anniversaries.
SOUTH KNOXVILLE
We turn the pages on 2022, and flip to plenty that's new
Ali James, Shopper News
In a year filled with yet more ups and downs, it is no surprise that our year in review is a real mixed bag. Plus, there was plenty of pivoting.
Sam Duff Dog Park gets finishing touches
The groundbreaking for the Sam Duff Memorial Park’s dog park was held on March 21, the first of five city parks to be funded by the Boyd Foundation.
Then on Nov. 4, a joint event was held to celebrate Arbor Day and the opening of the dog park. To celebrate Knoxville’s Tree City USA Status, four new trees were planted and dogs were invited to come and explore.
“For everyone close to downtown, the location was a popular suggestion, according to Aaron Browning, deputy director of city Parks and Recreation. “The first phase of the process was submitting ideas for ZIP codes and areas that need a dog park. The second phase was generating enough social media engagement, and that was how it came to be,” said Browning.
“It is a pretty small dog park square footage-wise, but the only other one in the area is at Charter E. Doyle Park.” There are defined spaces for big and small dogs.
Recent improvements made the park’s restrooms ADHA compliant. “We opened the dog park and six weeks later the trash cans and benches came in,” said Browning. “We didn’t see any point in keeping the park locked until there was somewhere to sit.”
Sugar Queen Creamery overwhelmed by support
Suvilla Gingerich and her daughters, Staci Meyer, Lauri and Allison Gingerich, completed the painstaking renovation of the former McLemore Florist building on East Young High Pike and opened The Sugar Queen Creamery in late June. “It has been amazing. We have had a great six months,” said Staci Meyer, who also owns the Sugar Queen Doughnutry with her siblings and mom. “We have been so supported by the community and overwhelmed at how well it has gone, we could not have asked for it to have gone better.”
Meyer said seasonal ice cream flavors, banana pudding and oatmeal cream pie proved so popular they kept them around. “We have expanded the type of soft pretzels we make, adding the parmesan garlic and cinnamon sugar,” she added.
For the colder months they have added Affogato (a shot of espresso poured over ice cream), salted caramel hot chocolate, homemade apple crumb pie sundaes and s’mores kits that can be purchased and roasted over the firepits right outside.
Plenty of customers have asked after the Sugar Queen Doughnuts, and Meyer promised they are still hoping for a brick-and-mortar in the next 18 months.
A big year for Frog Juice Kombucha
About a month after the Shopper News spoke with Frog Greishaw about Frog Juice Kombucha and the expansions of her artisanal small batch kombucha in April, she announced plans to start a sober bar called The Boocherie on Sutherland Avenue.
“We are doing a lot for the community there; it is definitely a LGBTQ and recovery safe space for people that are worried about the triggers from whatever they are recovering from,” said the South Knoxville resident. “We have had a couple of pop-up markets and Pints for Purpose to raise money for Nourish Knoxville, and Bryant’s Bridge, we are going to continue doing them on Mondays and work with different organizations. We have Helen Ross McNabb, Young-Williams Animal Center and Hispanic Centro all so close.”
Winter is the slow season for Frog Juice Kombucha and cold drink sales in general. “There are only four of us that do the wholesale, but we have a girl in Nashville that is crushing it and we are self-delivering it to Asheville,” said Greishaw. “We are working on some things for 2023.”
Richy Kreme purchases The Donut Theory and expands
Dustin Cochran, owner of Richy Kreme Do-Nuts and Myrtle’s Bakehouse, purchased The Donut Theory at Marble City Market in late March. Then, on July 29 he opened the second Richy Kreme (RK2) location in Rocky Hill when he purchased Pop’s Original Donuts.
“We have been fairly fortunate with our staffing; we have had some tough times, but we have had three-quarters of a good year,” said Cochran, who still takes the original Donut Theory truck out for events. “It is not uncommon to do six or seven things a week, at the Farmer’s Market, out in Farragut, down in Townsend.”
Cochran said he has purchased a food truck to serve Knoxville’s celiac-friendly gluten free fried chicken, doughnuts and mac-n-cheese and it will be pink and rebranded with the new Donut Theory and Chicken logo featuring a chicken on a sprinkled doughnut.
“We have also acquired a purple Volkswagen to sell Myrtle’s Bakehouse cookies around town,” said Cochran. While Myrtle’s giant cookies can be seen as a luxury item, Cochran said they have a lot of fans and have been inundated with pre-orders for Christmas.
Thai Time opens on Chapman Highway
“Business has been good,” said Juthinart (Jay) Pomanee, who helped his family open their new eatery in October in the former Kay's ice cream shop at 6200 Chapman Highway. “It has been quite busy thanks in large part to the article you wrote about us (majority of folks mentioned discovering us after reading it).”
Srichan (Gina) and Samarn (Sam) Chakpuang started Jai Dee Thai and Japanese in October 2012. “A lot of customers have gotten a chance to try some new Thai food they never had before and of course the ice cream,” continued Pomanee.
Thai Time is now available on three major delivery platforms, and they launched a new website recently. Look out for more changes and menu additions after the new year.
Archer’s BBQ and Bullseye Pizza open in Seymour
In April, Archer Bagley leased an old Citizens National Bank at 10225 Chapman Highway in Seymour, shuttered his Fountain City store and set up his food truck. It was an instant hit.
Initially his business was primarily pickup orders, with some limited picnic tables. He has since added indoor seating.
On July 1 he opened Bullseye Pizza downstairs. “We are adding wings to the menu and we are redoing the menu to keep it simple,” said Bagley, who has taken the last six months to see what kinds of toppings the locals like most.
“We are in the middle of installing a big 30-inch disco ball in the bell tower so you can see the disco lights on Chapman Highway,” he added.
Lad N Lass Motorcycle Co relocating Danger bar and venue
Founder Josh Moore relocated Lad N Lass Motorcycle Co into a remodeled space at 605 Sevier Ave. and was all set to host his first live show for Danger Company on July 10 when the building owner hit the brakes. Long story short, Lad N Lass Motorcycle Co will continue to operate out of the building, but Moore was forced to look for an alternative location for his neighborhood bar and live music venue.
“The gift in the garbage is that we found a new building and are pushing full steam ahead,” he said. The new venue is close to the Old City and is a good, mid-sized 350-capacity music venue. Danger Company will move after Jan. 1, and after extensive renovations Moore hopes to open for business by June 2023.
Honeybee Coffee & Brewery introduces beer
On April 23, Honeybee Coffee & Brewery finally started serving their own beer. “Since then, things are progressing; the tap room business is building slowly,” said head brewer Steve Dedman. “Distribution is going well and generally it is as good a year as I could have hoped for.”
Honeybee Coffee & Brewery is now on tap at 32 locations around Knoxville. “The South Knoxville shop is the only other location with a beer license, but we are working on licenses for the other two locations at West Town Mall and in Sevierville,” Dedman said.
“We are eyeing different expansion ideas in terms of a satellite tap room, but we are growing as fast as is judicious,” he continued. Last weekend they released a Coffeehouse Maibock, and in a short span of a week distributed all of their half barrel kegs. Salute to the Hill, an IPA, remains one of the biggest sellers.
“Sometime in the new year we are releasing a Girl Scouts cookie-inspired stout and a Smash Beers series of single malt and hop beers, simple recipes that show off a particular hop or malt or both,” said Dedman. “The biggest obstacle is that still after eight or nine months people will drive by and not realize there is a brewery and they can come in whenever they like.”
Mina’s North African Cuisine changes name
When Tarik Becha started Mina’s North African Cuisine, he was proud to name his pop-up restaurant and catering business after his sister. However, after the Shopper News article, a Philadelphia-based company selling Moroccan harissa paste and olives noticed the name and sent letters demanding that he cease serving food under the trademarked name.
“I posted on Instagram and people loved the idea of Tarik’s North African Cuisine,” said Becha, of the name change. In addition to his scheduled pop-up dinners at Alliance Brewing and Crafty Bastard Brewery, Becha has found himself in demand catering birthday parties, rehearsal dinners, baby showers and weddings. “I am focusing more on dinners at the breweries, because I like to be with my food, see and talk to people and not just send it,” he said. Recently Becha added January dates at Next Level Brewing Co. and new Ebony and Ivory Brewing.
Mama C’s Gluten Free Café merges with first location on Chapman
Mama C’s Gluten Free Goodies owner Lynette Casazza opened a second café location inside the Health Factory on Alcoa Highway on June 13. “We had to close, but we moved as much of the menu as we can into the bakery, and now serve breakfast and lunch here,” said Casazza. “Some of our favorites are our meatball subs for lunch and the breakfast sandwich with eggs, cheese and bacon or sausage for breakfast.” A rotating weekly soup special has also been added to the original gluten free bakery menu.
“We picked up a lot of followers that come over here now and it is much easier to get to,” said Casazza.
POWELL
Top 10 stories: People who make Powell special
Al Lesar, Shopper News
It’s the personalities involved that make a story special.
Here are the Top 10 Powell stories of this year.
Collier Preserve taking off
Knox County’s newest park is just starting to realize its possibilities.
When Dr. Robert Collier gifted 12 acres behind the Powell Library to Legacy Parks Foundation a couple years ago, he had a dream. Last week, Collier Preserve took a significant step.
“On the personal side, talking with Dr. Collier (in 2019, he has since passed away), so much of the conversation was about what was important to him,” said Carol Evans, executive director of Legacy Parks Foundation.
Keeping the area a preserve, with limited additions or structures, was a big part of Collier’s vision. Also, developing the area into an arboretum was important. An arboretum is a botanical collection composed exclusively or very largely of trees.
Six groups came together to make that arboretum possible at the park that was officially given to the county last month. Collier Preserve joins the Knoxville Botanical Gardens, Zoo Knoxville and Dogwood Elementary School as the arboretums in the city.
Mushroom 'farm' thriving
While dealing with a health issue, Josiah Patterson was fascinated with the healing powers of the Lion’s Mane mushroom.
Not only did it make him feel better, but it appears to have changed his life significantly.
Josiah, 33, and his 35-year-old wife, Erin, have been living in Powell for the past 10 years. She was an accountant by trade, while Josiah bounced from unsatisfying job to unsatisfying job.
“My last job, I was learning to drive a forklift,” Josiah said. “I just wasn’t happy.”
Josiah happened to watch a YouTube video from Mossy Creek Mushrooms in Jefferson City. He was hooked with this mushroom farm operation. Once he exhausted all the videos, he got in contact with owners Andrew and Samantha Reed and floated the idea of him spending time at the site learning in a mentorship program.
He meticulously studied the process from incubation to harvest and was able to equip the 2,000-square-foot basement area of his home as a replication of the Mossy Creek operation.
Thus was born Extraterrestrial Fungi.
A romantic backdrop
Forgive the south Florida couple for not factoring a snowstorm into their Great Smoky Mountains National Park engagement plans on Christmas, 2020.
Stephanie Richer, though, had it covered.
A resident of Powell since 2011, Richer has evolved into the go-to unofficial proposal photographer of the Smokies. She’s 83-0 (83 “yes” responses) since 2014, but the south Florida couple still stands out in her mind.
“All our children are grown, so nobody’s doing the ‘Santa’ thing on Christmas morning,” Richer said. “I had no problem getting up early and doing the proposal.”
Richer said she had one question for the groom-to-be before the couple left the hotel room that morning: “Have you ever driven in snow before?” she said. As expected, the answer was “No.”
They went on with the plan. Richer directed the groom-to-be to her reliable spot, Greenbrier. She figured the roads out of Gatlinburg would be open, and they were.
When the couple arrived, Richer had her tripod set up, looking like a typical nature photographer enjoying the vista.“It’s a decoy,” she said. The plan was for the groom-to-be to hand Richer his phone and ask to take their picture. Richer sprung into action with her equipment, the groom-to-be did his proposal and the moment was captured.
“It was like a Hallmark Christmas movie,” Richer recalled. “She had a white, puffy jacket. He had a red jacket. Great colors. The snow was falling. It was perfect.”
Richer will be in the Fort Lauderdale area in June to shoot the couple’s wedding.
Faith maintains focus
February was as bad a month as anyone should have to endure: It started with a fire and ended with a flood.
Yet Faith Sadiku never lost her focus as a medical professional or an advocate for animal rights.
Sadiku, a Powell resident, is a nurse practitioner who had an office in Powell up until Jan. 31-Feb. 1, when a member of the homeless population started a fire with toxic material that destroyed her office.
It took a while, but she was finally able to relocate to Halls in April.
She’s also the founder of Faith N Friends in the Powell area, a working farm that is a horse rescue. With about 30 horses in its care, the nonprofit experienced a flood on Feb. 21 that took out fencing and some buildings totaling about $8,000. The rebuilding process is only partially done.
“I keep going because I know it’s the right thing to do,” Sadiku said. “I realize this is a lonely, hard path, but it’s where I’m supposed to be.”
New life for Pizza Hoss
Consistency is the key to the successful pizza dough flip. Spin and toss, all in the same motion – and hope like heck that it doesn’t end up on the floor.
That’s one of the lessons Amanda Jablonski and her partner Brandon Chancey have learned as they prepare to give Pizza Hoss in Powell a new life.
A staple in the Powell community for a decade, it suffered staffing shortages and other issues that convinced Justin Holmes it was time to shut down the 2,400-square-foot facility and concentrate on his Karns location that was nearly twice the size.
It pained Holmes because it was the “baby” that he and his wife, Sarah, started together. When Sarah died in 2018, even walking through the door was tough for Holmes.
Then came Chancey, who went to high school with Sarah at Farragut, and his partner Jablonski, to take on the challenge to bring the Powell location (7215 Clinton Highway) back to life.
“Justin and Sarah put so much into this,” Jablonski said. “It was hard for him to go in the door after Sarah passed away. He put so much sweat equity into making it a success.”
Creekside Sno recipe for success
Nearly three years of back-breaking work clearing cluttered land, theft of equipment, a pandemic and zoning issues came down to one test. And Tracy Heard passed with flying colors.
“My dad grew up in New Orleans,” Heard said. “He knows what real sno balls are supposed to taste like. He had his favorite – chocolate with sweetened cream – and said it was just right; just like the ones he had as a kid.”
That was the motivation Heard needed in the final weeks before she opened CreekSide Sno, on Emory Road just west of the railroad tracks heading into Powell.
Tracy and her husband, Dan, bought the property in November, 2019. Since then, they have been revamping the building in front – new roof, siding, flooring, deck and everything else that could be imagined. That will house the sno ball shop.
Down the road, the back part of the property will be finished. That will allow a food truck park and farmer’s market to get started.
“Our community needed somewhere where people can gather,” Heard said. “That’s what we’re trying to do with this.”
More than pizza at Marco's
On an ordinary day, with ordinary deadlines, and ordinary pressures, the extraordinary smacked Nicole Clemmons right between the eyes.
Clemmons, the 25-year-old general manager at Marco’s Pizza (7327 Clinton Highway) in Powell, was in the middle of an interview when the police pulled up with flashing lights. She had reported a young woman who walked by her store and settled in a car by herself behind it.
After the police came a fire truck and medical unit. A little later, word got to Clemmons that despite a valiant effort with Narcan and a resuscitation try, the young woman didn’t make it.
The emotion couldn’t be hidden.
She could see herself in the blank look of that woman and many customers and employees she sees who are battling demons. While trying to maintain a happy face, it was obvious that Clemmons blamed herself for the first responders getting to the woman too late.
“This just shows you should always do something,” she said. “I should have called the police as soon as she walked past (the store window). I saw the look she had. I knew she was hurting.”
Trey serious about business
Who gets free food at Trey’s Snack Shack?
“No one!” said Trey Evans, the business owner and founder.
Business Lesson No. 1 stayed with Evans through the first couple months in operation. The 21-year-old unofficial mayor of Powell, who knows just about everyone and has never met a stranger, might be tempted to dish out a bag of chips or a drink to a friend.
Even his stepdad Tim Dugger, who came up with the concept and the mobile container that houses the snacks, put a buck in the money box when he grabbed a bottle of water.
Business is business, you know.
Evans, who has Down syndrome, graduated last spring from Powell High School. He was a staple in the Special Olympics program, a regular in cooking class EVERY year, and last year’s Homecoming King.
“Happy to be free,” is Evans’ response to not going back to school this year.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do (after graduation),” he said. “I like to sell.”
Mike Thomas sings his life
Spend an evening listening to Mike Thomas make his music and it’ll be a road map through the journey of his life.
The 2000 Powell High School graduate is the front man for The Mike Thomas Band, a collection of six family men on a mission to satisfy their passion for the country genre.
There’s the song that explained the homesickness he felt after moving to Nashville in 2004. He said he bought a hedge trimmer for his wife, Sarah, on one wedding anniversary. He made up for the goof by writing “Die Trying” for her on their 15th. “Before We Say Goodnight” is about him turning 40 last year.
“I’ve been writing songs ever since I was in high school,” said Thomas, who has a journalism degree from the University of Tennessee. “A lot of my inspiration is from my own experience. A lot of it comes from the people who touch my life. I write about real-life stuff, what I experience and what others are going through.”
Thomas counted R.B. Morris, Knoxville’s first poet laureate, as his mentor. Morris’ advice was simple: Write, write, write.
Smith got on the field
For Powell High band director Andrew Smith, getting out onto the football field was always a dream. His route, though, was a bit more unconventional than most.
Andrew was born into a football family. His dad, Rusty, was an assistant coach at Powell High School. His brother Austin was an all-stater for the Panthers.
Problem was, Andrew has a birth defect. Part of his brain is in his neck. The condition eliminated his participation in contact sports throughout his life.
“I was always the ball boy; always hanging around (Powell head football coach) Matt Lowe’s office,” Andrew said. “I really wanted to be on the field. I noticed that the band had its time on the field. That was how it was going to happen.”
Andrew spent his time at Powell Middle School finding an instrument that worked for him. He settled on the trombone and devoted himself to it.
“I had some success in high school and was drum major my junior year,” he said.
He was also a member of the leadership team junior and senior years. He didn’t try out for drum major his senior year.
“The low brass section needed a leader,” Andrew said. “That was what I did. It was the best decision I made, because it got me ready for college.”
FARRAGUT
Here are five of our favorite local people of 2022
Nancy Anderson, Shopper News
County Commissioner At-Large Kim Frazier starts this year’s countdown. She’s a Hardin Valley community activist who is no stranger to serving others. She’s affectionately known as the unofficial Mayor of Hardin Valley.
Frazier belongs to a long list of organizations that seek to serve the community and was elected by a large margin to the commission At-Large Seat 11.
She says of her time on the commission, “It’s very much what I expected. You have days that leave you feeling like you will never be able to make a difference, then a citizen hugs you and thanks you for listening and your hope is restored. Those are the moments that keep me pressing in and working hard … the people. At the end of the day, they are all that truly matter.”
She is part of a dynamic family with her husband, Dr. Russ Frazier, who is a notable Hardin Valley hero retired from Chief of Knox County Rescue. He passed the baton to pursue a new passion, the Air National Guard Critical Care Air Transport Team, CCATT.
Their two sons, Jackson and Maddox, are founders of Solstice, a band gaining popularity in Knoxville’s music scene.
Ella Pinchok
Farragut High School senior Ella Pinchok is a dynamo of creativity. The teenager does it all. She even started a small business to sell her artwork. Pinchok sings, writes music, paints watercolor, draws, dances, plays flute in the band, and anything else creative that strikes her fancy.
Pinchok doesn’t do anything halfway, she goes all out to do her best, as her 4.4 weighted GPA will attest.
She received a real feather in her cap this year. She made drum major/field conductor for the award-winning Marching Admirals and was invited to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville’s VIP Experience for the School of Music.
Pinchok helped lead the Marching Admirals to sweep the categories earning “1” at several notable band competitions.
She has a talented hand with pet portraits. They gained popularity on her Etsy page – making for special Christmas gifts.
Pinchok plans to attend UTK, studying music upon graduation from high school in a few short months.
Nikki Estridge
Nikki Estridge of Farragut is the daughter of Karns notable actor Cylk Cozart and is an award-winning actor in her own right, having appeared on such TV shows as “Law and Order SVU” and “Queen Sugar.” She has a full-time job, in addition to acting, owns three companies with her husband, Matt, and is mother to two rambunctious boys.
Like everyone else who was housebound during the height of the pandemic, Estridge needed something to do. She used that time to connect with her inner creative self. The result is a charming children’s book, “Hoo’s Driving the Bus,” which debuted No. 1 on the bestseller’s list on Amazon.
“The book is about Gigi the Giraffe, who goes on an adventure to find a bus driver to take her and teammates to the biggest ballgame of the season. They are in danger of missing the game with no driver to take them,” Estridge said.
Estridge celebrated the book with a successful book signing at the Frothy Monkey in downtown Knoxville two weeks ago. The book remains among the top-ranked on Amazon’s list of new releases. It is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Christina Deguimera
Last April was Autism Awareness month, but for Christina Deguimera and her 8-year-old son, Roger Ethan, it is business as usual. Roger Ethan is on the autism spectrum and Christina is his fiercest advocate.
“Roger Ethan and other children like him have every right to be treated with respect and offered the exact same opportunities as every other student. They may be a little different, but they are not broken,” said Christina.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that impairs the ability to communicate and interact. The CDC reports that 1 in 44 kids is diagnosed with an ASD each year; 40 percent of those are nonverbal.
Deguimera is on the board of Peer Academy, a school specializing in the needs of children with autism. She is currently learning about art therapy. She started a support group for parents of ASD children and started a scouting program at Peer Academy.
She helped her son more than double his vocabulary on his Augmented and Alternative speech device.
She continues her outreach work at Peer Academy and doing art therapy with autistic children. She started a coffee lunch group for special needs families so they might unite to share their journey and resources with each other.
Joshua Wilson
Woodworking artist Joshua Wilson of Tito Wilson Designs opened his own coffee company, Sunago Coffee Company, during the pandemic.
Wilson named his coffee business “Sunago” because it’s the Greek word for “bring together” or “gather.”
On Aug. 1, he opened a coffee shop under the same name which has become a hub in Hardin Valley. Wilson wanted to design a place where patrons can enjoy a delicious cup of coffee and connect with one another. His wish came true. The Sunago Coffee Shop (10736 Hardin Valley Road) is now home to gatherings of all kinds. He sponsored several gatherings after Hardin Valley football games.
It is now part of the cultural fabric of Hardin Valley, offering live music and art shows. Wilson, an avid woodworker, has several pieces of his own artwork at the shop. He made several art pieces and most of the tabletops.
HALLS
2022 saw openings and closings in North Knox
Ali James, Shopper News
Some brand new businesses flourished, while others closed. Here is a look at what has been happening in Fountain City, Hills and Gibbs this past year.
MiMa's Thai Food Truck builds a strong base
“It’s been a challenging, fun, rewarding, and a litany of other adjectives, but we are still here and looking forward to year two,” said Arisa Pavlis, owner of MiMa’s Thai food truck. “Our level of support in North Knox and Fountain City is off the charts. It’s really where our base is.”
Since launching her food truck on Jan. 2, 2022, Pavlis has juggled a busy schedule, and been forced to fine tune her operation, working only on weekends if it is a private event.
Launching online ordering has been another game changer. “It’s very often the majority of our sales, especially when it’s bad weather,” she said. “People can schedule their order up to 24 hours in advance and pick it up at a time of their choosing.”
Aunt Tina’s BBQ opens, closes, changes hands
In May, Aunt Tina’s BBQ made the transition from food truck to brick and mortar, taking over the former Peppers Grill & Pizzeria restaurant. But it did not last.
“I saw a post that asked if any of her food truck people would want to be in a brick and mortar,” said Derek Orbeson, who started his food truck Crazy D’s about four years ago. “I reached out in August and when I took my Mom back to it, she said I would be a fool if I didn’t take it.”
Since then Orbeson changed his business name to Crazy D’s BBQ and Southern Grill and completely changed up the interior, repainting inside and building a wall to separate the kitchen.
“I hope my quality brings in more people. I’ve seen an increase in clientele due to word of mouth,” said Orbeson. “I would rather have this than the trailer. I’m a people person, so this is perfect.”
The menu has expanded well beyond BBQ, to include specials, including burgers, sausage and sauerkraut, meatloaf and smoked turkey. “We are fixing to change the menu to make people more aware of the stuff that is available,” he added.
Adrian Burnett Elementary says farewell to old building
Adrian Burnett Elementary School hosted a walk down memory lane Oct. 1 to say farewell to the original “temporary” building. Many alumni showed up to reminisce. “We are not in the new building yet; we are moving over winter break. The first day we will be having school in the new building will be Jan. 9, 2023,” said principal Stephanie Prince, adding that everyone will be moving in all at once.
Students did get a sneak peek at their new school in November when their encore teachers took them around to check out the cafeteria, library, technology room, music, art, and new gym.
Karnes Drive closure in Gibbs shot down
Members of the Gibbs Planning Advocate group invited commissioners Larsen Jay and Richie Beeler, along with Jim Snowden, Chief Engineer of Knox County Engineering and Public Works, to meet with community members at the Gibbs Middle School auditorium Oct. 27.
The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss the potential closure of a portion of Karnes Drive.
On Nov. 13 the Gibbs Planning Advocates (GPA) posted on Facebook that due to community input, Knox County Engineering has pulled their recommendation with County Commission to partially close Karnes Drive. “While there are still concerns which will only continue to worsen, it was determined the impact to residents in that corridor would be too significant to close the road,” said Phillip Graves on the GPA Facebook page. “Hopefully, residents, Engineering and Commissioner Beeler can work together to find a better option in the future.”
Central High wins $15,000 runner-up prize in Vans contest
In April, Central High School submitted their entries into the Vans Custom Culture Contest. While they did not win the grand prize of $50,000, they did secure the runner-up prize of $15,000. “It was just enough to take care of the two big goals that we mentioned in our application,” said art teacher Cheryl Burchett, “creating a wheel thrown pottery program at Central and transforming a hallway into an art gallery. We have now purchased four pottery wheels and professional quality art display panels.”
The new display panels not only cover up walls of disused lockers, but have made a huge impact for her students viewing their artwork in a professional display, according to Burchett. “The other wonderful thing that came out of winning runner-up in the contest is that the shoes and trophy are on display in a trophy case and visitors to the school are always interested in hearing about the art program and the prize-winning shoes,” she said.
Thanks to the publicity surrounding the contest, a former CHS art teacher who taught at the school in the 1960s donated two pottery wheels and ceramics supplies he no longer needed. “Meeting the person who did my job almost 60 years ago was a wonderful experience and a further illustration of the wonderful Central High School community support that helped us succeed in the Vans contest in the first place,” said Burchett.
Signature Home Market shifts online before closing
Sisters Terri Onks and Pam Armstrong opened Signature Home Market in the former Regal Cinema corporate complex in Halls at the end of 2021. The concept was to offer luxury home décor and furniture at affordable prices, opening the doors just once a month for a unique shopping experience. Inventory was sold on a first come, first served basis.
“We closed the store because each of our lives have changed over the past year,” they said via email on Dec. 20. “One of us is going to be traveling more and the other, their husband has opened a home inspection business in the Johnson City area, so I will be helping him with that business. Plus with the economy the way it is right now, it didn't make sense to continue our lease for another year.”
The online store www.signaturehomemarket.com is currently open and everything is priced at what the sisters paid for it. “This is a huge savings for our customers,” they said. “All of the inventory left from the store is available and we are offering free delivery options in Cedar Bluff, East Knoxville, Halls, Powell and Strawberry Plains with home delivery for larger furniture pieces for an additional fee.”
Archer’s BBQ closes in Fountain City and Powell, prepares new Emory Road store
“We closed Fountain City in April and Central Avenue in September and moved the trailer up to Emory Road,” said Archer Bagley, owner of Archer’s BBQ. “It has quietened down, but when it got cold that is what you would expect.”
Finding tradespeople has slowed progress on the buildout of the bigger Emory Road location, said Bagley, who has been hard at work on a new sit-down restaurant concept called Fire and Smoke on Northshore Drive. “Emory Road should be open in the spring of 2023,” said Bagley, who is in the process of getting all of his permits through.
Milk+Honey Ice Cream still waiting on the Kerns building
The Milk+Honey Ice Cream trike is now officially hibernating for the winter, according to owner Trent Sanders. “We sold 300 ice creams at Padea, which was really fun in December,” he said. “Today I’m dropping off ice cream for the Ijams Nature Center Christmas Party.”
Other than that Sanders said he is still working feverishly on the Kerns Development location for Milk+Honey. “I just finished up a three-day ice cream course and came away with so many ideas to implement into the shop,” he said. “I’ve been told that Kerns isn’t due to open until about August, so I’m seeing what my options are for the summer. I like the idea of setting up some pop-ups in the evenings and running those during the summertime.”
Participation as a vendor at the Knox Food Fest, Hola Festival and at the first OneKnoxville soccer season’s games proved to be really successful for the Fountain City entrepreneur.
Cultivate Coffee & Flowers blooms
Savannah Pannell, owner of Flourish Flower Truck, and her husband, Isaac, reinvented the former Fifth Third bank building at 5221 N. Broadway Street to open Cultivate Coffee & Flowers. Partnering with Katie and Will Boggs, who own Likewise Coffee on Magnolia, they opened the new Fountain City gathering space in the midst of a snowstorm on Jan. 8 and the parking lot has been packed ever since.
“The Fountain City community specifically has been so grateful to have a space like this nearby,” said Pannell. “As a resident myself, I knew this was a missing part of our community.”
Cultivate has served as a retail space and a production space for weddings and deliveries and allowed Flourish to grow both of those departments in a new way this year.
Then on March 24, the unthinkable happened and one of Pannell’s vintage flower trucks spontaneously caught fire. A Go Fund Me campaign was launched to help with the cost of a new truck, a custom canopy, the truck wrap and all of the equipment they lost.
Fortunately, within 24 hours Pannell managed to track down a man whose grandfather had owned an Econoline in Indiana. During the winter months the truck is relocated inside West Town Mall and allows Flourish Flowers to employ staff year-round.
$950,000 grant for new Halls Greenway connections
In March, the county voted to pay the $50,000 match for TDOT’s $950,000 Multimodal Access Grant, a state-funded program to support the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and transit users through infrastructure projects that address gaps along state routes.
“It is really more of a connection to an existing greenway,” said Joseph Mack, senior director of Knox County Parks and Recreation, of the forthcoming project at the time. “There is going to be a sidewalk that will allow people to walk from the Halls Greenway Park (near the Halls branch library) through to the existing Halls Greenway (at Halls Elementary).
“The Halls Greenway Connector project has not started as far as construction,” Mack said last week. “However, that project is being managed for us by PBA (Public Building Authority) and they have been steadily working with TDOT and recently completed and submitted the ... document to TDOT, which they accepted. Now we wait for them to reply.”
WORDS OF FAITH
Now the work of Christmas begins; we see it in Joseph
John Tirro, Shopper News
Here as we’ve passed Christmas Day and most minds turn toward the secular holiday of New Year, I’d like to focus a little longer on the holy family, to see if we might open a bit to become more like them and less like the world around them at the time. In particular, I’d like to look at Joseph, because he’s notably in a supporting role, almost a walk-on part.
In this story, Jesus is God, more specifically the image or Word or self-expression of God; Mary is the mother of God, the one through whom God comes into the world, often likened to the church, which is also one through whom God comes into the world. (Side note, by the way, Luther made a distinction between the hidden, true church, that gathering of believers responding in faith to the gospel and administering the sacraments of baptism and communion on the one hand, and the visible, institutional church on the other, which is a worldly organization prone to failure like every other worldly thing; one is the in-breaking of heaven into the world, while the other is often hell on earth, especially when it aligns with empire, nation, power, pride, greed, etc.)
And Joseph is one called alongside Mary, to love and support her, to commit to the care of the one who bears the image of God and then, in due time, to care for Jesus, the image of God.
Jesus was born in a tumultuous time, to a people − Israel − who’d lived through near-constant tumultuous times and held their identity together through scripture, which is largely stories and poems about God bringing people through tumultuous times: the violence pre-flood, the violent flood, and the ark carrying people and animals forward (Genesis 4-9); the violence of Egypt, the threatening waters of the Nile, and the little ark carrying baby Moses forward (Exodus 1-2); the violence of the world generally, the wilderness, and the ark carrying scripture forward (Exodus 19-37); and now, the violence of the Roman empire, the same landscape of waters and wilderness, and Mary carrying the Word, the image of God, within her (Luke 2, Matthew 1).
In all this, people are experiencing God as a saving force and a caring, mysterious, powerful persona, raising life and love, teaching and guiding us, through each other, to abundance. And it’s hard, really hard. The threats come from without and within, and Joseph − like all of us, moment to moment − faces a turning point.
Mary is pregnant with a child not his (Matthew 1:18). An angel comes to him in a dream and says, “Joseph… do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit… you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins… When Joseph awoke… he did as the angel… commanded…” (vv20-24).
In the midst of a tumultuous world, whom might God be asking you to love and support?
John Tirro is pastor of worship at St. John’s Lutheran Church. Info: sjlcknox.org.
NORTH KNOXVILLE
Carol Cart brings musical holiday celebration, community
Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News
On Dec. 21, the night of the Winter Solstice, visitors to and residents of downtown Knoxville were treated to a unique holiday event by the Carol Cart, the annual mobile musical celebration presented by Make Music Knoxville.
Kicking off from the parking lot of O.P. Jenkins Furniture Store, the festively dressed, colorful band of merry musicians made its way through the heart of the Old City and downtown, stopping at local businesses such as Merchants of Beer, Jacks of Knoxville, Mast General Store and Status Dough, offering original and familiar songs, singalongs and laughter to holiday shoppers and revelers.
Begun by Pennsylvania-and-New-York-City transplant Nick Horner with help from the Arts & Culture Alliance and the Downtown Knoxville Alliance, the Carol Cart includes well-known local musicians as well as hobbyists, newcomers, and everyone in between. The lineup is ever-changing.
For this, their biggest event of the year, they pull out all the stops, hitching a ride courtesy of the KISS Caboose − the Knoxville Information Shuttle Service that offers free, but tip-encouraged, rides all over downtown Knoxville.
The parent organization of the Carol Cart, Make Music Knoxville, was founded in 2020 by Horner with help from producer and performer Travis Tench of Oak Hill Studio and Chris Lamb of Real Knoxville Music Inc. With its roots in Make Music Day, an initiative promoted and supported by the National Association of Music Merchants, Make Music Knoxville is one of many chapters internationally.
“‘One hundred countries, a thousand cities,’” recites Horner. “It’s outdoor free participatory music.”
Horner is no stranger to getting people out and about for some melodious fun; he also founded Porch Stomp, New York’s biggest free folk festival, now in its 10th year.
Horner says he fell in love with East Tennessee, and Knoxville in particular, when he visited the city in 2017 to perform on WDVX’s Blue Plate Special. Further visits convinced him − and Kate, his partner − that he might like to live here.
“The topography and geography is stunning. I spent a lot of years doing northern winters. It is nice to be down here.” He also says he loves the community feel and the historic downtown of Knoxville.
With a background in both rural and urban cultures, and in classical, popular, jazz and old-time music, Horner wants to include everyone in Make Music Knoxville’s adventures. He has been pleased with the Carol Cart’s successes so far.
“It’s just this great, cool, weird, wonderful thing that moves people out of their comfort zone a little bit − for the artists and for the people who aren’t used to having music brought to them this way and engaging them this way. It’s about the spirit and it’s about people coming together.
“In a really beautiful, powerful way, Knoxville loves Knoxville. There’s a lot of hometown pride here. We try to work with that to create this thing. No matter how many people you have − five or 500 − it’s a success in that people are finding a way to come together and make music, and finding a way to connect in a way that they otherwise wouldn’t have.”
Visit makemusicknox.com.
NORTH KNOXVILLE
KCDC's newest resident advisor overcomes 'rough life' to become first-time homebuyer
Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News
During the holidays, North Knoxville resident Kathy Hill is enjoying the love of her children and grandchildren, whom she sees frequently. She’s reveling in a wholesome, spiritually centered way of life that she didn’t always know was possible. She’s adjusting to her new role as KCDC’s resident ambassador.
And she’s thrilled with her home. “It’s a dream come true. It’s my home, it’s nice, I love it and I’m just trying to take care of it the best I can.”
Hill is a first-time homeowner and a true American success story. With the help of Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation, she was able to purchase her home, and will celebrate three years of homeownership this coming February.
Hill says, “I grew up in the Lonsdale projects. I kind of had a rough life.” Her mother was ill and unable to care properly for her. After Hill graduated from Rule High School in 1984, she says, “I was meeting people, hanging around, and I ended up using drugs.” She had four children, including a set of twins.
She says she did her best to be there for her children, but the years of drug use took their toll. Her son Jamarcus − then a young adult, now deceased − made a call to Serenity, Knox Area Rescue Ministries’ residential rehabilitation program, and Hill was accepted. “I thank God for that place every day; I feel like it saved my life.”
With help from Serenity, she began applying for apartments and became a participant in KCDC’s voucher program. After her first apartment, she moved to a rental house, where she lived for five years. “I heard people talking about they had bought a home. I never thought about that. I had to go to be certified one day, and one of the workers asked me, did I want to buy a house?”
KCDC’s Housing Choice Voucher Homebuyer Program allows participants to use Section 8 vouchers to work toward owning their home. The program supplements payments towards a 15- to 20-year mortgage. First-time homebuyer participants must meet a list of qualifications, complete home education training, have a good credit score and adequate savings. Hill met all the requirements. She credits realtor Jennifer Bell and KCDC’s Jim Swink with helping her find the home of her dreams.
Now, she’s been appointed by Mayor Indya Kincannon as KCDC’s newest resident commissioner. Her term runs through July 31, 2024.
“We welcome Kathy to the board,” KCDC Executive Director and CEO Ben Bentley said. “As a lifelong Knoxvillian and participant in the Section 8 program, her insight will be vital.”
Bob Whetsel, chair of KCDC’s Board of Commissioners, agrees. “Resident commissioners benefit our board and our residents because of their firsthand experience. I look forward to working with Kathy and welcome her commitment and service on the board.” Hill, who is disabled, also serves as an advocate for accessible housing.
She says that, initially, “I didn’t want to be on the news, but my kids said, ‘Mama, you never know who you can help.’ I hope that I will be able to inspire somebody and just keep going on and on. I’m thankful and blessed at the same time.”
Those interested in KCDC’s Homebuyer Program should visit https://www.kcd
The best Tennessee football bowl performances? Start with Chuck Webb's 250-yard day | Mike Strange
OPINION
Mind and cupboards decluttered, bring on the new year
Leslie Snow, Shopper News
At first, I didn’t know what to make of my sudden burst of energy or my need to fix all the little broken things around the house. But after months of pushing a button and running under the garage door while it was closing, I finally bought a new remote control and paired it to my garage door. And when I was done with that, I went on to the next task.
I cleaned out the terrible cupboard where all the lidless plastic containers go to hide. And this time, when I found a container that didn’t have a lid, I put it in the recycling bin instead of shoving it back in the cupboard like I normally do.
Next, I cleaned out my pantry and got rid of all the expired condiments in my refrigerator. I organized the shoes in my closet and threw out the old receipts in my purse. I put my favorite recipes in a spiral notebook and changed the battery in my ignition key-fob, even before I got stranded somewhere.
But it wasn’t until I started doing internet searches for “the best short haircuts for 2023” that I realized why I was crossing off all the items on my never-ending to-do list. I was preparing for the new year. I was throwing out the old, fixing the broken, and refreshing the mundane, all before I even made my New Year’s resolutions.
When I was younger, New Year’s Eve was about getting dressed up and staying out late. The holiday called for fancy dresses and high heeled dancing shoes. Once, I even talked my friend Anita into having a big party, just so I could ring in the new year with good friends and cold champagne at someone else’s house. Back then, I could even stay up past midnight.
But now the new year seems more about righting my ship than going to a party. And the dress code for the evening will probably be cozy pajamas and fuzzy slippers instead of a little black dress, but that’s OK. This year, I want to celebrate by putting my old, nagging worries to bed to make room for some new ones. I want to simplify my cluttered life and focus on the things that really matter, like family, friends, and making memories. In addition to my hair.
Because I don’t know what the new year will bring. I don’t know what’s coming down the pike, but I know I’ll need to be ready to face it. And somehow, getting my cupboards cleaned and my garage door fixed comforts me. Arranging my shoes into tidy rows and emptying my purse helps me feel more prepared for all the things I don’t see coming.
My lovely neighbor, Terry, sent me a card the other day and she signed it, “I hope the new year is kind to you.” That’s my wish for all of us. That the new year is gentle and kind and that it keeps us safe. But if something unexpected or hard comes my way, I’ll be ready. I’ll stand armed with a tidy purse, storage containers with matching lids, and a sassy new haircut. Hopefully, it will be enough to see me through the tough times.
Happy New Year, Knoxville!
Leslie Snow may be reached at snow column@aol.com.
Ashe: Biden's controversial U.S. Attorney nominee may not get vote | Victor Ashe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Shopper News brings you the latest happenings in your community
