Shopper Blog: Zack Hawkins has Knoxville smelling good with Knox Perfumery

POWELL

Zack Hawkins has Knoxville smelling good with Knox Perfumery

Al Lesar, Shopper News

When Zack Hawkins lost his sense of smell for a while after a case of COVID, it was devastating.

Growing up, Hawkins, who lives in Powell, considered himself a “fragrance guy.”

“My dad and my stepdad were both guys who wore cologne,” he said. “I always liked how it smelled.”

Five months into his “smell-less” streak post-COVID, Hawkins did his research and ordered the top 10 fragrances he could find online. Little by little, he went from nothing to little twinges of a scent here and there.

Finally, after six months, his sense of smell was restored.

An electrician by trade, who has been a professional photographer (shooting 50-60 weddings a year) for six years, Hawkins won an online raffle. His prize for the $20 entry was a small bottle of Creed Aventus.

“It’s a mix of pineapple, birch and oak moss,” Hawkins said. “It’s one of the most popular fragrances.”

Knox Perfumery born

Hawkins did more than just win a raffle. He planted a seed that, two years later, is blooming into a fragrant third job.

When he wore Creed Aventus, Hawkins was greeted with many compliments. He thought about those positive reactions and how they could drive a product.

Creed Aventus is a high-end fragrance. In an upscale retail outlet, a 3.4-ounce bottle of it will sell for $495. Hawkins was sure he could do better.

While doing his research for the best fragrances, he learned his way around the suppliers. That’s when he decided to start Knox Perfumery.

There are two types of fragrances available − designer (the popular labels that are for sale in most stores) and niche (high-end products that use more raw materials).

Because he buys in bulk and has no brick-and-mortar location, Hawkins’ overhead is low. What sells for $495 at an upscale store is priced between $275-$300 from Hawkins.

“I can beat retail prices by 25%-50%,” he said. “It’s amazing what their markup is.”

Knox Perfumery scents are '100% authentic'

The way Hawkins is able to find those discounts is by buying in bulk then decanting into smaller bottles. However, he is starting to get more orders for full-presentation bottles.

“(Everything in this business) has been trial and error,” he said. “There’s probably someone somewhere else doing this same thing, but not around here.

“I realize that this is a luxury and not a need. There’s a lot of the economy to factor in.”

Prices have gone up since COVID, and are just now starting to come down a little. He sees, in the future, having beard balm with a favorite fragrance as an offering.

Hawkins said one unique part of his service is that he’s mobile. He will bring the product to the customer.

“The most important thing with my products is that they are guaranteed to be 100% authentic,” Hawkins said. “There are so many fakes out there. I don’t want people to get ripped off.”

For more information, or to place an order, go to: www.knoxperfumeryshop.com, Knox Perfumery on Facebook or Instagram, or call or text 865-599-0393.

KARNS

Karns Fall Festival and Chili Cookoff: a day of winners

Nancy Anderson, Shopper News

The third annual Karns Fall Festival and Chili Cookoff is in the books. The event, held at Karns Middle School Oct. 28, saw a steady stream of visitors throughout the day.

There were noticeably fewer chili contestants this year because of space restrictions. The gym floor was recently refurbished, so no food was allowed in the gym. Eight chili contestants lined the hallway with the delicious aroma wafting through the building.

It was a day of winners! The Beaver Creek Kayak Club raffled off a brand-new Lifetime Charger kayak with paddle, won by Doug Melton, an avid kayaker and active member of the kayak club.

Perhaps the most fun of the day was the awarding of the Golden Throne (a tiny gold toilet) to School Resource Officer Don Spears and his daughter Meghan Spears for presenting the worst chili. Don said he’s been wanting to win the little trophy for three years.

The duo also won a trophy for the best decorated booth. Meghan decked out the booth with a dragon skeleton along with other spooky items and candy for the kinds.

Other winners include Terri Austin, first place. Jason Galloway won second place. Third place went to Commissioner Terry Hill and her husband, Steve Hill.

“It’s a great day for community,” said Fair Board chair Julie Muse. “We wanted to bring more spirit to the community and bring back some of the old traditions.

“We’re trying to involve all the Karns schools in community events, so we hold the festival at Karns Middle School rather than the high school. For years we had everything at Karns High School, but this is an opportunity to showcase the middle school getting students and staff involved in the festival.”

The event featured about 40 vendors; most were handcrafters.

The booth with the biggest draw featured Shannon Bird from Dynamic Faces drawing caricatures. Her portrait chair was full, with smiling faces most of the day.

Kona Ice was on hand outside the entrance with shaved ice to beat the heat on the unseasonably warm day. There was a line at the truck most of the day.

Next on the agenda for Karns is the Christmas Parade, scheduled for Dec. 2. Lineup is at 9 a.m. (come early) in the Ingles parking lot. Remember, portions of Oak Ridge Highway will be closed from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Info: Find Karns Fair and Beaver Creek Kayak Club on Facebook.

POWELL

Taylor Davis is empowering women at Winged Out Beauty

Al Lesar, Shopper News

Throughout her time at the University of Tennessee, Taylor Davis helped make ends meet by working as a makeup artist.

Allowing women to feel special was something she loved to do.

“Makeup was just a side job, but I really loved it,” Davis said. “I’m a big people person, a girl’s girl. I like making women feel good, empowered and beautiful. That’s what had me keep going.”

With a public relations degree in hand (along with a minor in business management), the Powell resident (who graduated from Karns High School in 2015 because of rezoning) was unsure what direction her life might take.

She spent some time as a full-time makeup artist. When her clientele increased and she became a go-to vendor for wedding parties, Davis came to the conclusion there could be a future if she went out on her own.

So she did. Winged Out Beauty was born in 2020.

Winged Out Beauty needed the perfect location

Davis, though, was far from done. It took time to satisfy all the health code stipulations for a business that applied permanent makeup. It was considered a body art business, which didn’t allow for regular makeup to be applied in the same area.

This past June, Davis found the perfect location in Le Coop Salon (2508 W. Emory Road). With two separate areas, each closed off by a door, it met all the criteria for operation.

Davis said her business is about evenly split between regular makeup and permanent.

In order to do permanent makeup, she had to be a licensed tattoo artist. That meant she had to apprentice under a licensed artist for a year.

“Permanent makeup has become more artistic than it was before,” Davis said. “There are more color options.”

She said lip blushing, eyeliner and eyebrows are all popular techniques.

“We’re able to add hair strokes that make it look natural,” Davis said. “Whatever we do will look soft and natural. It’s not like it used to be years ago.”

Davis said the word “permanent” can be a bit misleading.

“Usually people will come back once a year for a touch-up,” she said. “Without that, after about three years it could fade.”

Bureaucracy is tough

It didn’t take Davis long to learn a lot about the business world.

“When you own your own business, only about 15% is being good at the service you provide,” she said.

The rest are things like insurance, licenses, inspections and other bureaucratic aspects that weren’t taught in many college classes. Davis said that her mother (a real estate agent) and stepfather (custom homes builder) both own their own businesses. They helped her navigate the waters.

“I’m an artsy person,” she said. “The other part was not as fun.”

Davis said her October weekends were filled with weddings, but she did have openings for November and December.

Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday and Thursday; 10-4 Friday; 10-3 Sunday. She is closed Tuesday and Wednesday, and Saturday is by appointment.

For more information, contact her at: wingedoutbeauty@gmail.com, www.wingedoutbeauty.glossgenius.com, or Instagram or Facebook.

HALLS

Girl Scout Troop 20094 makes Sam's Closet at Halls High their latest community cause

Joeleen Hubbard, Shopper News

Halls Girl Scout Troop 20094 is no stranger to volunteer work. The troop itself is made up of four Halls High School students who participate in various events, volunteer work, and team building exercises to earn badges.

“In Girl Scouts as a whole, there are many different events happening like selling cookies, going to summer camps, and earning badges, but at the center of that, Girl Scouts strive to change the world,” troop member Ella Wolfe said. “In short, community outreach is the core of our troop and the most important part of being a Girl Scout.”

Troop 20094 has previously partnered with volunteer organizations such as Young-Williams Animal Center, Knoxville Children’s Hospital, the Salvation Army’s Joy Baker Center, PJ Parkinson’s Support Group, Big Ridge State Park, KARM, Stand Down for Veterans, Keep Knoxville Beautiful, and the annual Luttrell Christmas parade.

“We really like to do projects with local community members and clubs,” Wolfe said. “One of the Girl Scout goals is to make the world a better place, and one of the best places to start is our local community.”

Recently, they’ve decided to partner with Sam’s Closet, a clothing and food drive created by Halls High School students in honor of Sam Smith, a Halls High School student who died in a car accident in November 2018. The program began as a small donation area in the guidance counselor’s office, but has continued to grow since then.

“At first, the amount was small,” said Emily Roark, a close friend of Sam Smith. “We were able to place a cart in a guidance office closet with items. Then, in November of 2018, Sam Smith died in a car accident… After that we decided as a club that we would grow from the cart to a closet and dedicate it to Sam's memory. We cleaned out the National Honor Society closet, bought clothing racks, and painted the closet purple.”

Until this year, the closet has been fully funded and supplied by the National Honor Society, school staff, and Sam's family in Sam's memory.

“Our troop brainstormed many different problems in our community, but we thought that food insecurity/shortage in our school was something that we could help with,” Wolfe said. “We reached out to the staff to ask if there was a food pantry in place already and that’s how we became connected with Sam’s Closet.”

Troop 20094 hosted a donation drive in partnership with Sam’s Closet at the Halls Food City this past weekend. Along with this event, they’re hoping to continue spreading awareness about the organization and its mission.

“We want to bring awareness to the issue of food insecurity in our community, especially in our school,” Wolfe said. “Of course, another goal is for people to donate to the closet and help keep it supported so the students who need food, clothing, or hygiene products will be able to have them.”

The troop hopes to collaborate with Sam’s Closet in the future and is encouraging community members to donate items to KARM stores or make monetarily donations directly to the organization at Halls High School.

“When given an opportunity to help, community members often donate what they can and do their best to support those in need,” Wolfe said. “We hope that more people will learn about Sam’s Closet and support it.”

Troop 20094 believes that volunteering and supporting organizations like Sam’s Closet are necessary in order to bring community members together and support each other. They also believe their volunteering process leads to positive outcomes.

“The girls in our troop have developed lifelong skills like becoming a better communicator,” Wolfe said. “These events also broaden our horizons. For example, we did a project aimed at educating people on Parkinson’s Disease. Most of us didn’t realize how greatly this affected our community, so it was an eye-opening experience… In our experience, when the community works together, we accomplish way more than we could have ever accomplished on our own.”

If you would like to support Sam’s Closet in the future, here are ways to help:

1. You can send a check directly to Halls High School and make it out to "Halls High School Sam's Closet." The National Honor Society will use the money to buy new underwear, shoes, and anything that the closet needs.

2. You can donate items to KARM. When dropping items off, tell the attendant that you’d like to donate on behalf of Halls High School.

Joeleen Hubbard; joeleenhubbard@gmail.com; (865) 591-8893

Dogwood Arts' Bazillion Blooms hoping to sell 2,000 trees

Al Lesar, Shopper News

Seeds were planted more than seven decades ago when John Gunther, a newspaper writer from New York, wrote that Knoxville was the ugliest city he ever saw.

Since then, residents have made every effort to continue to prove that assessment wrong.

And they’ve done it with one native dogwood tree at a time.

Out of the idea of having a dogwood trail to enhance the city’s beauty came the birth of Dogwood Arts, which is committed to environmental stewardship.

“Ever since the beginning, the idea (of environmental stewardship) has been embraced by the community,” said Vicki Baumgartner, trails & gardens program manager for Dogwood Arts. “We’ve been making positive strides.”

As the original dogwoods that were planted age, there comes a need for them to be replaced. Filling that need for the past 14 years has been the Bazillion Blooms program.

The program runs through Nov. 16, allowing anyone to order dogwoods (either blooming pink or white) through Dogwood Arts ($25 per tree or $20 per tree for orders of five or more). They will be picked up Dec. 8-9 at the Dogwood Arts office (123 W. Jackson in the Old City).

Fall is dogwood planting time

The average lifespan of a dogwood in an urban setting is 25-30 years, according to Baumgartner. In a field setting, it could be 75 or more.

The trees that will be available in the Bazillion Blooms program are about 2 years old, bare-root and between 2 and 4 feet tall.

“We get them from a grower in Middle Tennessee,” Baumgartner said. “Once we get them, about two days before we distribute them, we dip them all in a hydro-gel solution, so the roots don’t dry out. People will have a couple days to get them in the ground.

“Fall is the perfect time for planting in East Tennessee. The roots have time to get established without being stressed by heat or drought.”

The goal for this year’s fundraising sale is 2,000 trees. It was helped along by East Tennessee Realtors, who are taking part in a national initiative to purchase trees. They placed an order for 500 trees before the campaign began.

Dogwood trees planted all over the Knoxville area

The scientific name of the dogwood is cornus florida, which is a native species to East Tennessee. They have been developed for disease resistance. Baumgartner said they’re either the Appalachian Series or the Cherokee Series.

“People don’t have to worry about any of that,” she said. “They just need to tell us whether they want pink or white.”

There are 85 miles of dogwood trails in Knoxville. Baumgartner said orders have come from all over the area.

“What I’ve done with my own personal trees has been to plant new ones near the older ones,” she said. “That way, when it’s time for the older one to come down, there’s already one ready to take it place.”

Baumgartner said the first year is likely to go by with just sparse blooms or no blooms at all. By the second year, it should be ready to burst.

The Knoxville Utility Board is a presenting sponsor of the event.

For more information and to place an order go to www.dogwoodarts.com.

FARRAGUT

Concord UMC brings 1,000 to annual Trunk-or-Treat

Nancy Anderson, Shopper News

It was a boo-tiful day at the annual Trunk-or-Treat Oct. 29 at Concord United Methodist Church.

One of the largest church events for Halloween welcomed about 1,000 visitors both young and old, many dressed in spook-tacular fashion.

“It’s been a labor of love for the church family for many years,” said Children’s Director Victoria Shackelford.

She joined the staff about 18 months ago, making this her second Trunk-or-Treat.

“It rained last year so we moved inside. This year is beautiful, and we have about 40 trunks for the kids to visit. We’ve got about 20 youth volunteers, and most of the staff have wonderfully decorated trunks.

“Our Trunk-or-Treat is a great way for people to come see our church and meet our staff. People who haven’t visited our church before find that we have many fun family events. I have found that when you invite the whole family, they are more likely to come. Hopefully, when they visit they’ll like what they see and want to come back.”

“Most of all Trunk-or-Treat is a safe, family friendly event. Many people bring neighbors and friends, so it’s also a great way to meet other people in the Farragut community,” Shackelford said.

Shackelford awarded the top three best decorated trunks a Chick-fil-A gift card.

Winners include a group underwater ocean scene by Layla Marshal, Katie Segraves and Rebecca Thompson. Second place was the Magic School Bus from Ms. Frizzle by Aaron Young and Courtney Young. Third place winner was Taylor Swift by Dawn McGehee, who sang and handed out friendship bracelets in true Swiftie fashion.

Members of Concord Brass were on hand entertaining the crowd with polka music. The group has been together for about 22 years. They can be seen all over town as well as Concord United Methodist Church. They will be performing downtown for the annual tree lighting on Nov. 24.

Older kids tossed a Frisbee on the front lawn as littles worked off some of their sugar energy on three bounce houses.

The next event at the church will be a free Community Care Dinner and Advent Craft Night on Nov. 15. The evening starts with dinner at 5:45. A short worship service is at 6:30 p.m. and Craft Night begins at 7. Participants will take home an Advent Calendar filled with fun family activities such as “take treats to an animal shelter” and “bake cookies as a family.”

Info: Find Concord United on Facebook.

OPINION

There's comfort in the ordinary

Leslie Snow, Shopper News

My impulse is to retreat. When the news of the day is too heavy to carry, I disappear inside my house. I hide behind my walls and my doors. I crawl under the covers. I wrap myself in the safety of an oversized sweatshirt and lose myself in a fantasy novel where evil is destroyed by the power of good.

But the world won’t wait for me to gather myself. Not on a Tuesday. Not when my to-do list is long, and my grandchildren need to be picked up from school. Not when Buttercup cries for a walk and my mother is coming over for dinner. There is no hiding behind closed doors on a Tuesday.

So I throw off my covers and start the day. I take Buttercup for a hike in the woods. I get myself dressed and take care of the people who need me. I am a person who does what needs to be done.

While I’m driving to pick up Clara and Elliott, I’m careful not to turn on the news. I listen to a song about coping with life’s changes and sing along to brighten my mood. Ethan calls a few minutes later, and I know, after just a few seconds, that he’s struggling too. We talk about war and suffering until I change the subject with a spontaneous invitation.

“I know you don’t like to make plans during the work week, but grandma is coming over for dinner and your dad’s making Mediterranean chicken stew. Why don’t you and Amanda join us? We can all use a little family time, I think.”

And just like that, I’m having people over for dinner. Not guests as much as family, but there is still salad to be made, dessert to buy, and a table to set. I come home after dropping off the grandkids, eager to see everyone and get dinner on the table.

By the time Ethan, Amanda, and my mother walk through the front door, the stew has been simmering for a couple of hours and the house smells of rich, warm spices. I pour wine for those who want it, and a few minutes later, we’re eating dinner together and sharing stories about the day.

Ethan makes us laugh recounting antics from his high school days. Amanda talks about the demands of her job and trying to find balance in her life. I watch my mother’s face brighten while her youngest grandson and his wife share pieces of their lives. I know she’s happy to be with us, in Tennessee, in our home, near her family.

We linger over dinner longer than I expected. Then I break out the bakery cookies I bought earlier and laugh while we fight over the best flavors.

Later, after the dinner dishes are done and everyone has gone home, I think about my day. I wanted to hide from it. I wanted to flee from the world and the tragedy playing out on the evening news. But there is something powerful and necessary about connecting with people, even when life is hard. Especially when life is hard.

There is comfort in the mundane activities of everyday life. There is beauty to be found on an ordinary Tuesday, when nothing more exciting happens than waiting in a carpool line or having your adult children pop over for dinner.

It makes me wonder about my need to retreat. Maybe it’s a misguided impulse. Maybe there’s more healing to be found in an open door than a closed one.

Leslie Snow may be reached at snow column@aol.com.

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