Shopper Blog: Historic Luttrell Avenue church offers new space for creatives
NORTH KNOXVILLE
Historic Luttrell Avenue church offers new space for creatives
Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News
Are you a professional maker, a tinkerer, a hobbyist with too little room at home? Does your spouse ask you to “move that stuff into the garage”? Is the dining room table unusable because of your ongoing macrame/jewelry/woodworking/fill-in-the-blank projects?
If so, you’re in luck. Newly revamped rental studios are now available, in one of the most beloved buildings in one of the most beloved − and artsy − neighborhoods in town.
Sunday Studios is in a building that dates to 1927 − originally a church − on the corner of Lovenia and Luttrell Streets in the Fourth and Gill neighborhood. Since 1980, it’s been the home of Charles Brooks Photography, and has a long history as an artist/creative space.
Owner David Harman says Brooks “rented it out to a few artists over the years, and I’m glad to carry on on that tradition. I love the building because of the character of the historic church and the neighborhood, and because the studios are the perfect size for artists and makers with great natural light throughout the day.”
Harman could’ve used such a space back in 2014 when he started his business, Native Maps, with his wife, Becca. The Dallas transplant earned an MFA at UT as a painter, but found his current calling when he decided to make a map in order to become more familiar with his new town.
“I started Native Maps in our 200-square-foot attic. The space was tight, and it was just enough to print maps and take care of shipping. During that time, I started to look around Knoxville to connect with other makers and small businesses. That really led to my involvement with The Maker City, and it has been great to grow within a supportive community of makers.”
Harman is one of the original trio, along with Joy O’Shell and Nanci Solomon, who went to Brooklyn, New York, in May of 2016 to attend the first-ever Etsy Maker Cities Summit. They were one of 13 teams chosen to participate out of hundreds of applicants.
At the time, Knoxville counted 150 artisans, tech entrepreneurs, brewers and other small makers among its ranks − none of whom had any kind of official recognition. By September of that same year, then-Mayor Madeline Rogero had created The Mayor’s Maker Council and declared Knoxville “The Maker City.”
In the years since, the number of artisans and makers has grown to more than 900, and Harman remains heavily involved, mentoring small-business owners through the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center. Sunday Studios is his latest attempt to offer support to that community.
“We were recently awarded a Historic Preservation Grant by the City of Knoxville, so I’m looking forward to fixing up the building while keeping it affordable for makers. I definitely wished there were studios available when I was starting out, and I hope Sunday Studios can fill that need for makers while creating a small hub within the greater Knoxville maker community.”
Info: @sundaystudios on Instagram, and nativemaps.us.
WORDS OF FAITH
Stop trying to do it all, and trust that God is working
John Tirro, Shopper News
A friend and I wrote a song recently, that I think might provide a window into something I’d like to share from scripture, that I hope will be life-giving. If I could, I’d sing it through the newspaper, but a lyric will have to do.
The Rest
Why do I run so fast, so afraid I might end up last
What do I have to prove, that I’m always, always on the move
Chorus:
The rest I only find in you
Restores my soul, pulls me through
Gives me hope, enough to do my best
And trust you with the rest
I go strong, I go hard, always on, always on my guard
When will I understand, you already love me as I am (Chorus)
You are my shelter when I’m weary
I’m so far from it all when you are near me (Chorus)
Words & Music by Kyle Matthews & John Tirro
©2022 See For Yourself Music/Mondo Zen Music
In one sense, God is the only one who can receive such a song. It’s too much pressure for anyone else. Only God has personal reserves to love so fully, to give and never run out, like the sun, but more so. The sun will give out eventually, but even then, God’s love will continue unfailingly. In one sense, only God loves like that.
But in another, it’s through each other − as people, as parts of creation, which includes sunsets, rain, dogs, cats, coffee, music, silence − that we experience God and God’s love. We see through a glass dimly (1 Corinthians 13:12) − we fail, we stray, we err − but our love is a gesture to God’s love, our music to God’s music, our silence to God’s silence, our presence to God’s presence.
In Matthew, Jesus calls his first disciples, but first we hear the troubled situation from which he calls them. His cousin John has been arrested, and he withdraws to Galilee.
The gospel then looks back to Isaiah, 800 years before, when Galilee was anything but a place of refuge. It was a region of “death shadows… a besieged land, burning heaps of ash, lines of refugees, a place haunted by the dead… into that deathscape, Isaiah draws on language of light.” (Here I’m borrowing from the First Reading podcast, Jan. 22, 2023, which I highly recommend.)
Isaiah looks back even further, to “the day of Midian,” when Gideon, facing a much larger army, winnowed his 32,000 troops down to 300, expressly so it would be clear that God brought the victory (Judges 7). Isaiah looks back, says God was at work then, and God is at work now.
Matthew looks back to Isaiah, says the same thing. And the light shining in Matthew’s darkness looks like Jesus, trusting God, calling regular people, fisherman, who in turn trust him.
What would it be like to trust, that in our situations God is at work, that God can use us, as we are, and from that trust, to shine?
John Tirro is pastor of worship at St. John’s Lutheran Chu
POWELL
It's a different world in banking, but people are the core for Norris manager
Al Lesar, Shopper News
When Inez Tackett started in the banking business, her job was to count personal checks and process a monthly statement for each customer.
Forty-seven years later, that job doesn’t even exist.
But Inez is still going strong.
The 1975 Norris High School graduate has had her life come full-circle. Stops in branches in Clinton, Norris, Oak Ridge and Powell – with the same bank, though under different names because of mergers – have brought Tackett back to the Norris branch of Regions bank as manager.
“I know (Norris) has grown since I lived here, but so much looks the same,” she said. “Norris has always been so warm and inviting, so welcoming.
“I remember walking home from school and stopping by the drugstore (the current site of Twisted Sisters Sweets and Treats),” Tackett said. “I had lunch there the other day and it really brought back memories.”
Earning trust
Tackett comes to Norris after 18 years as the Regions branch manager in Powell. She loved the community and still lives there.
“Some of my customers have followed me from one branch to the other,” said Tackett, noting it is the ultimate compliment.
While she was growing up, Tackett’s mother was a banker at Union Peoples Bank in Clinton.
“That was all I ever wanted to do,” Tackett said. “I focused on business in high school. When I was little, I had my toy cash register and calculator. Math was never my favorite subject in school.”
The evolution of the banking business over the years has been dramatic. Most of the changes have been implemented with saving time in mind, but they haven’t all been best for the way that Tackett does business.
“Online banking is great for some people, but I’m a face-to-face person,” she said. “That’s how I earn someone’s trust. Convenience is great, but it’s challenging for me to get to know someone to see how I can best help them.”
Do what's right
Through the changes and mergers and time-saving improvements, Tackett said she has not lost sight of the core premise that lured her to the business and has kept her engaged.
“I want to make a difference in someone else’s life,” she said. “I love to help people. I love to see that sigh of relief or smile come across someone’s face.”
One of the main facts of the banking business is that nothing stays the same. Adapting, while maintaining the proper mental approach, is the only way to navigate those choppy waters successfully.
“Our motto at Regions is that we value our customers and do the right thing,” Tackett said. “We take pride in our top-notch customer service. That won’t change here in Norris.”
She breaks it down to some very simple lessons.
“Do what’s right, be there for your customer, and be positive,” she said. “That’s what we can bring to the community.”
Positive attitude
When Tackett first came aboard, she was hired by Union Peoples Bank. Two weeks into her career, it became 1st American National Bank. After a quarter-century or so, it was changed to AmSouth Bank. It only took a couple years to finally land with Regions.
That’s simply the nature of the banking business.
“The main way to handle mergers is to approach it with a positive attitude,” Tackett said. “I’ve had good mentors and good guidance. You have to always be ready for constant change.”
Still, not everything about the new way of banking is easy to accept.
“I miss the personal touch,” she said. “It’s gone away. That’s what I try to bring back wherever I’m at. There’s no substitution for getting to know someone on a personal level.”
Going home again
The banking business has come a long way from teller transactions and checks.
“Most people don’t use checks anymore,” she said. “Everything is done with online banking and mobile banking.
“We used to have big machines that checked account numbers, verifying the statements, making sure the right number of checks were listed. Then, we have a proof department that ran all teller transactions through a machine to make sure everything balances. That’s all done in a branch now.
“Checks used to be mailed with the monthly statement. Now, we would have miniature copies of the checks we get on file.”
Survival in the realm of banking can be difficult, but Tackett has proven that it’s possible. While handling the peaks and valleys of the business, she’s found a way to prove that she can go home again.
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FARRAGUT
Pleasant Forest Cemetery steeped in history and tradition
Nancy Anderson, Shopper News
Pleasant Forest Cemetery in Farragut lives up to its name. Even on a foggy winter’s day it’s peaceful, pleasant, and steeped in history. There are even a few 200-year-old oak trees.
It’s reputed to be the second-oldest cemetery in Tennessee, having been the graveyard for a meeting house and church on about eight acres donated by Colonel David Campbell in 1796.
When one walks among the stones – many illegible, some repaired, some cleaned – the history of it all is in the air.
There are a number of notable markers from Civil War soldiers to Captain Thomas Boyd (1754-1814), a Revolutionary War soldier who served with George Washington at Valley Forge.
Archibald Roane probably has the most famous marker. He served as the second governor of Tennessee from 1801 to 1803. The monument, weighing about 15,000 pounds, is in excellent shape. It is a curiosity to the board members as to how the monument was originally placed.
“I have no idea how they got the monument in here,” said board member Dave Stinton. “I can imagine they rolled it in here like the ancient Romans rolling it along on logs or something. They didn’t erect the monument until 1906, nearly 100 years after his death, and nearly 1,000 people attended the ceremony.”
Notable markers not present are those of Black slaves buried in the farthest corner of the 12-acre cemetery.
“Most of their markers are gone now; they were made from wood and eventually deteriorated. We have the first names in our records, but no last names,” said Stinton. “It’s the same with the Cremation Garden. There are people buried under there, but we have no idea who they are. Urns are place in an 18-inch square hole right on top.”
Even some of the benches are steeped in history. About 100 years ago the cemetery was run by a family of stonecutters, Stinton explained. They managed to procure stone from a remodel of the Tennessee State Capitol to make a number of benches.
Board Member Mary Smith said the cemetery was not only historical, but it’s family and community oriented. Many board members have family buried at Pleasant Forest Cemetery.
“There are people here who lived in Farragut and Lenoir City their whole lives … They have family who come and decorate the graves of their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents,” Smith said. “I’m on the board, my grandfather was on the board, my dad and now me. It’s all about family.”
Info: www.pleasantforestcemetery.com
Cheri Doane, Ms. Karns, keeps her reign busy
Nancy Anderson, Shopper News
Sixty-one-year-old Cheri Doane is one busy beauty queen. She says it was a great day when she was crowned Ms. Karns last July at the Karns Fairest of the Fair Pageant at Beaver Ridge United Methodist Church.
She’s no stranger to pageants. She’s a director for the Tennessee Valley Fair pageant and was in pageants during high school. She was crowned Ms. Tourism 2021 and Ms. Senior Tennessee United States in 2018.
“Winning Ms. Karns means the world to me. I grew up in this area and Karns means a lot to me. Older ladies need to get out, get involved, be yourself, and challenge yourself.”
She lets no moss grow under her feet. She can be seen (with crown and sash) calling bingo to residents at Autumn Care Assisted Living and hugging Andy the Armadillo at the Karns Fall Festival at Karns Middle School. She was on hand for the latest Honor Air flight. She said she had the time of her life being a greeter at Fantasy of Trees last November.
“Oh, I’ll definitely do that again. It was a magical time,” said Doane. “Volunteerism and doing for others is what life is about.”
Doane wrote a children’s book in 2018, published in 2020. “Levi the Lion Cub Helps his Friends” teaches children the value of volunteerism. She said learning to self-publish was an ordeal, but well worth the effort.
“Volunteerism is important and should be learned in childhood to create a lifelong legacy of helping others,” said she said. The book was illustrated by then-Karns High senior Kendal Patty, who continues to collaborate with Doane on her new children’s book.
One of her pet projects is raising money for ovarian cancer research.
“My mother died of ovarian cancer when she was 49. She was my best friend in the world, so I’ve always looked for ways to honor her memory. I found the Belles Group. It is a support group for ladies with ovarian cancer. They give a gift basket to newly diagnosed patients and I add the bracelets to the gift baskets. I sell bracelets and give the funds to cancer research, but mostly so I can give away bracelets to the Belles.”
She has not let winter slow her down. Doane is planning a Pink Princess Party for Saturday, March 4 at the Teen Center on Kingston Pike.
“I just wanted to do something special for mothers and daughters because my mother was so special to me and I have a daughter and granddaughter. Tickets are $10 with the proceeds being donated to The Love Kitchen.
“There will be a DJ and pro photographer. The kids can decorate cookies and photo frames. They can be crowned. Princesses love crowns. Any age is welcome. I have a lady in her 60s who is bringing her mother… who is in her 80s. It’s a time to grow together and enjoy each other.” Tickets available at www.ticketleap.com.
Info: Find Cheri Doane on Facebook.
HALLS
New Beverly Park playspace will bring all ages together
Ali James, Shopper News
A new playspace is in the planning stages for Beverly Park. But it is not any old playground with swings and slides; this Intergenerational Playpace has no age cap.
Last October, Carol Evans, executive director of Legacy Parks Foundation, announced that they had received a $150,000 grant from the Trinity Health Foundation to create an Intergenerational Playspace at Beverly Park, on Tazewell Pike.
“We are honored to receive another grant from Trinity Health Foundation,” said Evans, “to create this place that is purposefully designed to create active interaction between multiple generations, especially children and seniors.”
This is a Phase II grant and the funding has allowed Legacy Parks to partner with Humana, Hillcrest Healthcare (provides nursing, rehabilitative services, Alzheimer’s and dementia care), TVA Retirees, Knox County’s Parks and Recreation, health departments, and other groups and organizations to coordinate the effort to create the Playspace.
The Playspace will feature an ellipse-shaped central activity area that will be surrounded by a walking track with handrail. Inside the ellipse will be the therapeutic zone and play area featuring equipment for both multigenerational play and physical exercise.
The goal was to design and create a place for rehabilitation and reflection, as well as a place for generations to interact through activity, according to Evans. A variety of physical, visual audible and cognitive experiences that are good for all generations will help stimulate the brain, body and senses.
The Playspace will also maximize the benefits gained from being outdoors and in nature. According to the playspace layout, it will overlook the dog park that was officially opened on June 29, 2022, and will connect to the existing paved walking loop.
The TVA Retirees Association and Bicentennial Volunteers will provide benches along the walkway to further their contribution to Legacy Parks Foundation and local parks. TVARA has also funded benches at I.C. King Park, Sharp’s Ridge and Collier Preserve.
Also planned is a walking storybook trail feature that will be the perfect intergenerational activity for all park visitors.Humana has awarded Legacy Parks an additional $20,000 to sponsor the therapeutic zone, which will feature rehabilitative physical exercise equipment and activities for low impact, body weight exercises that focus on balance, muscle tone and fall prevention. Evans said that Hillcrest and other programming partners will be able to use the outdoor space for rehabilitation exercises with seniors.
“The entire community will benefit from the activities provided – adults with mobility and physical rehabilitation issues, active adults, families and children will all enjoy the recreational experiences in this beautiful public space,” Evans said.
NORTH KNOXVILLE
Marble City Opera celebrates 10 years
Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News
In the first decade of its existence, Marble City Opera has consistently blazed new trails, presenting operas and set pieces in a variety of unexpected ways and settings.
Recently − undeterred by low temperatures and threats of precipitation − supporters, staff and artists got together at The Dogwood Center, Knoxville Botanical Gardens and Arboretum, to celebrate the company at MCO’s 10th-season gala fundraiser.
Throughout the evening 12 performers, including founding executive artistic director Kathryn Frady, presented “pop-up arias.” Such an informal format is typical of MCO, which seeks to demystify the centuries-old musical art form.
After all, this is the company that presented Puccini’s “Tosca,” part of which is set in a cathedral, in an actual cathedral − St. John’s Episcopal, in downtown Knoxville.
The fate of Violette Valery in Verdi’s “La Traviata” played itself out at Historic Westwood − an expansive, beautiful 19th century home entirely fitting to the tragic tale of a celebrated French courtesan.
Last September saw “Stalactites, Sopranos & Stilettos” at Historic Cherokee Caverns. And in “I Can’t Breathe,” an original opera with music by Leslie Savoy Burrs and libretto by Brandon Gibson, present-day despair over the deaths of George Floyd and others was presented at Knoxville’s premiere location for Black history and culture − The Beck Cultural Exchange Center.
In addition, the company often provides personable online “tutorials” for current productions so that audiences can know more before they go.
Frady was very pleased with the fundraiser. “MCO’s 10th season benefit was a big success. I was so happy that it was so well attended and enjoyed by so many people.
“One of my favorite comments from a patron was that they were excited to see so many of their friends − all from different areas of the community − in one place. That to me was a sign that MCO is meeting our mission of bringing people together and making opera accessible.
“Our event is unique. It’s not your traditional gala or benefit. It’s more interactive and social, while still really focusing and showing people what the organization is about by having flash-mob style, up close and personal performances of opera.”
Frady was publicly recognized for her leadership and ongoing work, as were others.
“There were many people to recognize throughout the event, with a tribute to Brandon Gibson, and thanks and acknowledgement to the current and former board members, staff, musicians and artists who have been a part of the last 10 years. It was very meaningful to me to have so many performers who have performed with us throughout the history of the organization perform at the event,” Frady said.
Gibson, a gifted musician and writer, died unexpectedly last November at the age of 36. He was the managing director of MCO, and his loss is keenly felt.
Upcoming productions include the short chamber opera “The Infinite Energy of Ada Lovelace,” about the daughter of poet Lord Byron who was a brilliant mathematician, and Carlisle Floyd’s beloved opera “Susannah,” set in Appalachia.
Find more info at marblecityopera.com.
SOUTH KNOXVILLE
Mood Ring Vintage on Sevier Avenue: Surprising finds around every corner
Ali James, Shopper News
Since high school, Carly Baskette has wanted to open a vintage shop. So when she was furloughed in 2020 from her corporate job at Regal, she started selling her finds at Retrospect Vintage store on Central Avenue.
Eventually she returned to her job but kept reselling vintage clothes and collectibles until she decided to leave Regal, close her booth and branch out on her own.
“One thing I wanted to do was find a spot that was pretty ready,” said Baskette of the former home to The Selfie Lab on Sevier Avenue. “I knew there would be a lot of costs building it out, so when this shop opened up and I saw that it already had walls for the booths, I knew it would be perfect.”
It was a quick turnaround. Baskette got the keys to Suite 112 at 906 Sevier Ave. next to Redbud Kitchen, and within a month Mood Ring Vintage opened on Nov. 1, 2022.
Everything was painted white, so the vendors got in there and “knocked out” their individual spaces: painting, decorating and displaying their merchandise.
21 vendors and a ‘vision’
“I did feel that even though I love a lot of the vintage stores (in Knoxville), that it would be cool to have one that has my specific vision,” said Baskette. “I wanted to give the opportunity to friends who are unable to get into a space, and I felt South Knoxville needed something that was smaller and more intimate.”
She also wanted to make sure there was something for everyone at Mood Ring Vintage.
“I do think it became very cohesive,” said Baskette. “We have people with different styles, but it meshes really well. I wanted plenty of people with clothes and smalls. There is not a ton of room, but I have a girl who does furniture.”
Mood Ring Vintage has 21 vendors. “This allowed me to get friends who had nowhere to sell locally and make new friends as well,” said Baskette. “There were several ‘pandemic dealers’, as we call them, and they were on waiting lists elsewhere.”
North Knoxville-based French Fried Vintage has a booth, as does Vagabondary. Baskette said that one vendor booth features the boyfriend’s clothing on one side and the girlfriend’s on the other. Two sisters have opened The Wild Willow Collective.
Baskette was careful to choose vendors she either knew personally or knew that they would work their booth regularly.
“I picked people that were eager,” she said. “There is a correlation between how often I see people and how much they sell. The more I see them, the more they sell.”
Unique merchandise
There will never be a shortage of unique, and often one-off, merchandise. “When I moved from my booth I had more than enough inventory,” laughed Baskette. “Before I opened my shop, I had a hard time letting go of cool finds. Now I have no problem. If it is just hanging out, I’m ready to let it go.”
Baskette has been surprised at how well Y2K clothing is selling. "We have two girls selling a ton of stuff that I would have worn in middle school,” she said. “It has changed the way I shop.”
Mood Ring Vintage has already attracted a wide range of browsers. “Not just young people due to the clothes; those do well with the college students,” she said. “But we also had an antique dealer from New York who bought things at our retail price to sell in his own NYC store.”
Future neighbors Fly by Night, a ’70s style concept by the people behind Tern Club, have already stopped by to pick out some décor for their new venture.
Mood Ring Vintage is open daily noon-6 p.m. On her social media, Baskette posts pictures of merchandise and polls to hear what customers want to see. “Sweatshirts, mushroom stuff, linens are all popular, and I’ll start posting for Valentine’s Day too,” she said. Sign up for the forthcoming email newsletter to hear about sales and other events.
“I just want people to know that we are here, and I want to say don’t count us out, we really have something for everyone,” said Baskette. “People might assume a vintage store is one thing, and then they see it is a wide variety of items.”
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Historic Luttrell Avenue church offers new space for creatives
