Shopper Blog: City marks 'Home Run Alley' on Sutherland; signs honor site of historic baseball field
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BEARDEN
City marks 'Home Run Alley' on Sutherland; signs honor site of historic baseball field
John Shearer, Shopper News
Numerous teams had once played competitive and leisure baseball on the old Pond Gap field off Sutherland Avenue.
But on June 26, Knoxville city officials and local Pond Gap representatives were all one team in saluting the history of the field with the unveiling of honorary street signs dubbing a section of Sutherland there as “Home Run Alley.”
It was not just the athleticism remembered on the field that was a popular gathering place from the 1930s through the ‘50s, but also the goodwill. The field was known as an early site for integrated baseball games in Knoxville, according to David Williams of the Pond Gap Neighborhood Association.
As Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon said in her dedication remarks later forwarded to the Shopper News, “More than a decade before Jackie Robinson courageously integrated baseball at the professional level, you could find pickup baseball games here in Pond Gap that routinely included white and African-American players playing side by side.”
The sign recognition − where the University of Tennessee RecSports fields are today − came after several years of efforts by Williams and his association to remember the field and its historical significance not only in the neighborhood but also in the larger Knoxville community. He had initially dreamed of creating a small park around the sidewalk by the former field, but easement issues with UT stalled those plans.
Williams, who has also placed banners and old photos in places along Sutherland to remember the field, said after the ceremony that he had thanked Mayor Kincannon, the Knoxville City Council, and the Public Property Naming Committee.
He also told those gathered for the afternoon dedication how the “home run alley” moniker had come because some players hit home runs across Sutherland. And one ball once landed in a resident’s laundry basket sitting outside.
Williams was also reflective in a serious way, saying, “I wish my Uncle Bill was alive to see this day,” adding that his uncle had passed along stories about all the games played there.
In her remarks, Kincannon told the gathered group that they were celebrating more than just baseball and its history there.
“Pond Gap is a welcoming, wonderfully diverse neighborhood. Here you’ll find restaurants, stores and services that reflect African, Asian, Indian, Mexican, Middle Eastern and other cultures,” she said, adding that the area is also home to West High School. “We’re also celebrating love of neighborhood – and pride in one’s community.”
POWELL
Powell grad's song, album take prize in Walgreens contest
Al Lesar, Shopper News
Nearly 5,000 high school students entered the Expressions Challenge sponsored by Walgreens.
Azariah Mills didn’t give winning much of a thought.
“I didn’t really know what to expect,” said Mills. “My mom (a teacher in the Knox County Schools) hooked me up in the contest.”
Mills officially graduated from Powell High School in May. He came to the area from Chattanooga more than two years ago when his father became the pastor at churches in Greeneville and Knoxville.
“I started at Powell sophomore year when we had classes virtually (because of the pandemic),” Mills said. “That was tough because I didn’t know many people. It also was a challenge to do things on your own.”
Mills graduated with a 3.4 GPA, along with an honors rope for excellence in art.
He used that artistic talent in the project he submitted. It was called “Corrupted World.” It consisted of an album cover as well as a 2½-minute rap/hip-hop song that focused on problems in the world.
After more than 46,000 online votes were cast, Mills won the People’s Champ Award in the Media Arts category.
Album artwork
The total project took Mills about a week to complete. The album cover artwork featured a globe on fire being drowned by water. The lyrics, which were put to music that was available on a phone app, centered around COVID, inequality, police brutality and inflation.
“Revising and proofreading everything probably took the most time,” said Mills. “It was hard to get the cadence and the flow so that it’s not choppy. I went through several beats to make sure the rhythm was just right.”
Mills said he used his iPhone and a $20 microphone to get the job done. It wasn’t the first time he recorded a song. He has several saved that he has been doing for fun.
“I was stoked and excited when I found out I was a finalist,” Mills said. “When I found out I won, it was great. I’m happy all the work paid off. I thought it was going to be slim pickin’s.”
Confidence boost
Besides having his project displayed on Walgreens’ social media site, Mills won a $1,000 cash prize. He said it will go in the bank to help with college costs.
Mills actually graduated from Powell High School after the first semester. Since then, he has been working to make money for school. Right now he’s in the deli department at Ingles Market.
In August, he will follow the family tradition and attend Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, and study graphic design. His father and two of his sisters have graduated from Oakwood.
“Winning this award gives me a boost of confidence heading to college,” Mills said. “It was one lucky win, but shows what could happen when I work hard doing what I love.”
Mills said the favorite art projects he did at school were self-portraits, along with other things that are important in his life.
“It’s important to work hard if you really want something,” he said.
WEST KNOXVILLE
14-year-old wins Apple’s Swift Student Challenge
Nancy Anderson, Shopper News
Every year, Apple holds a Worldwide Developers Conference at Apple Park. As part of the festivities, Apple set forth a challenge to young developers to create a game using Swift coding language.
To 14-year-old Dominick Pelaia, Swift is the language of all things fun. He received his challenge invitation from Apple and has written not one, but two impressive games. One of them won the prestigious Apple Swift Student Challenge.
Pelaia said he’s been coding with Swift since he was 9 and went to the Apple Bar summer program and learned a thing or two about coding for robots. He’s been coding ever since. He said it’s his favorite thing to do.
“Winning is so exciting it makes me feel good to know that all my hard work paid off,” said Pelaia. “I saw the previews of several apps and I knew the bar was set very high. I just did my best.”
Pelaia managed to win with his “Egg Drop” game even though he had only a short time to complete the creation while taking scholastic tests.
He spent all his spare time, which was about one week, coding and tweaking the game.
The Swift Apple Challenge is by invitation only. Student developers have three weeks to create a three-minute experience using Swift. It has to show technical and creative capabilities. For the Challenge, Pelaia’s game is an arcade style game featuring a fire-breathing chicken. The aim of the game is to destroy as many eggs as possible to get points.
Out of the many thousands of applicants worldwide, Pelaia is one of only 375 students to create a winning app. Most student developers to participate are college age. Pelaia is among – if not the – youngest to win, according to his dad, Thomas Pelaia.
Last year he created “Chicking Rumble,” another arcade style game, so he had a leg up on the competition, having a firm handle on his creative goals and knowing many tips and traps of Swift. The game qualified him for Apple’s Developer Program.
Pelaia created both games from top to bottom using a number of Apple products including the Apple Pencil and Apple Pages to create the graphics and Garage Band to produce the music and sound effects.
Along with his award, Pelaia received a box filled with Apple swag including AirPods Pro, a sweatshirt and pins.
Dominick said he was most excited about the swag box filled with goodies.
“I can’t believe Apple included a set of AirPods Pro, that’s cool. There’s a sweatshirt and a few swag pins. I don’t know what I’m going to do with those yet.”
He graduated from Karns Middle School and is bound for L&N STEM Academy in the fall.
Dominick is a humble young man. He said he couldn’t have done it without the support of his family, Karns Elementary and Karns Middle School teachers.
Pelaia plans on writing a program to help the community with match tutoring. He found during his experience with coding that algebra and geometry are very important tools to learn.
Info: Find “Chicking Rumble” in the Apple App Store. “Egg Drop” is not yet available but will be shortly.
NORTH KNOXVILLE
Art In Public Places gets Knoxville noticed
Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News
The public spaces in and around Knoxville – parks, gardens, town squares and others – just got even more beautiful.
Over a weekend in June, Dogwood Arts began installing the 2023-24 Art In Public Places sculpture exhibition.
“I think my favorite part of the whole program is that it provides accessibility to everyone,” says Shannon Herron, marketing and creative director for Dogwood Arts. “You don’t have to go to an art museum; you can experience art while you’re just going to dinner or walking around downtown. And it exposes people to new art forms.
“We have artists from all over the country who participate; there’s such an amazing array of talent here in Knoxville, but it’s nice to bring in those outside artists, too. In the art world there aren’t a ton of programs like this. To have them know about it and spread the word is great.”
They must be spreading the word pretty well. USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice announced June 23 that Knoxville ranks No. 4 nationwide for “Best Arts District,” ranking ahead of such major cities as Houston, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Milwaukee, Baltimore and Denver.
“Art in Public Places is a huge part of that,” says Herron. “From a visitor’s perspective they’re seeing art on every corner, and other places outside of downtown like Zoo Knoxville and the airport. Right when they get off the plane, they know what Knoxville’s about! Wherever you’re going, you’re experiencing art.”
The exhibition includes 26 new sculptures selected by jurors Andrea Bailey and Desmond Lewis.
Bailey is a nonprofit professional with over 20 years of experience. She is executive director of the Aslan Foundation, which supports 501(c)(3) organizations serving the greater Knoxville area. Priorities for grantmaking include arts and culture, animal welfare, land conservation, historic preservation, parks and advancing livability in Knoxville.
Bailey oversees the day-to-day management of 175 acres of foundation property, park land and buildings, and seeks to build sustainability and nurture innovation within the creative community. She also currently serves as the chair of the City of Knoxville Public Art Committee.
Nashville native Desmond Lewis divides his time between New Haven, Connecticut, and Memphis. He earned his B.S. from Tennessee State University, an MFA in sculpture from the University of Memphis and an MBA from the University of Tennessee at Martin. His work can be found in public and private collections around the U.S.
Currently a lecturer in sculpture and the Fabrication Shops Coordinator in the School of Art at Yale University, he is also on the board of directors at Memphis’ Metal Museum.
Part of the larger Art in Public Places program, which includes murals and other public art, the sculpture exhibition is an annually rotating, outdoor collection on display in prominent locations throughout Knoxville, Oak Ridge, and Alcoa.
The 2023-24 exhibition includes sculptors from 13 states: Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
BEARDEN
Not even close: Catholic High girls tennis topped state and nation
John Shearer, Shopper News
Maeve Thornton’s first name comes from the land of green, and she will be wearing the purple of Furman next year collegiately. But the color she and her Catholic girls’ tennis team have been most associated with the last few years has been gold.
That is because the Catholic girls won a state tennis team title in Division II-AA for the third straight year in late May, defeating Baylor, 4-1, at the Adams Tennis Complex in Murfreesboro.
Not only that, but Thornton won the singles state title for the third straight year with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Memphis Hutchison’s Melanie Woodbury. And Lillie Murphy and Eleni Liakonis won a second straight doubles title with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over a team from Chattanooga Baylor.
And by the way, the Lady Irish were also ranked No. 1 in the nation by the Universal Tennis high school ranking. They have been so dominating that they did not need any luck of the Irish to be successful.
“To be No. 1 in the nation and have all those expectations on them and to get through all that and win the championship again was a big deal,” said coach Rusty Morris over the phone June 26.
He added that Thornton did not lose a match in singles or doubles her entire high school career, and that Murphy and Liakonis have swept everything the past two years. The latter two also won the girls 18s Southern title a couple of weeks later, he said.
The dream team also featured Gigi Sompayrac, the niece of Catholic principal Dickie Sompayrac, at No. 4 singles, Payton Carroll at No. 5 after her family moved to Knoxville from Utah, and Karenna Thurman and Pauline Schneiter alternating at No. 6.
Of those, only Thornton and Anderson University signee Sompayrac were graduating seniors. But Morris said they were important not just for their stellar play but also as team leaders by example and words.
The team consists mostly of players who have come out of the Knoxville Racquet Club and the Cedar Bluff Racquet Club, and there is a good reason why both clubs are represented. Catholic coach Morris is the pro at Cedar Bluff, while No. 1 player Thornton’s father, Dave Thornton, is the pro at KRC. Also, Thornton’s mother, Michelle, grew up in Athens, Tennessee, with coach Morris.
Several of the players came out of Catholic feeder schools, while Thornton – whose father is her personal coach when not playing school matches – arrived as a freshman from West Valley Middle School, in part due to her familiarity with Sompayrac.
She called the past three years a great experience after her freshman year was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. “We were all super proud of one another,” she said. “The past three years the team never lost a match. There was a lot of pressure on our team, and we handled it well.”
She added that the teammates enjoyed competing against each other in practice but also had a supportive environment.
Although Thornton obviously grew up around tennis, she still enjoys the sport. “I just enjoy competing. It is an individual sport, and it teaches you a lot about your personality and teaches you lots of life lessons. You can learn a lot about yourself. And it has allowed me to travel across the country and meet a lot of neat people.”
Thornton, who received her first name of Maeve (rhymes with wave) because it is a popular name in Ireland where her father is from, is looking forward to playing next year at Furman. She enjoyed meeting the coaches during the recruitment, likes the campus that is considered attractive and found the city of Greenville in South Carolina appealing.
She also admittedly is a fan of the color purple, which is Furman’s color.
But she has enjoyed wearing the green of Catholic as well and is proud of the accomplishments she and her teammates have made, even if it has made other teams feel a little blue.
“I am excited to see the program keep building from what we started,” she said.
Coach Morris has also enjoyed the experience of the last few years. “They are so talented but are such a great group of girls who love competing together,” he said.
Of course, he knows other teams are ready to knock off the Lady Irish, and that winning in the future is never a given. But he is still hopeful the program can continue its strong path.
“We will be competitive, that’s for sure,” he said. “But all those other teams are hungry, too.”
WEST KNOXVILLE
Annual Dragon Boat Festival brings fun to the Cove and funds to KARM
Nancy Anderson, Shopper News
Dozens of colorful Dragon Boats hit the water for the 19th annual KARM Dragon Boat Festival at the Cove at Concord Park on June 17.
The goal was to raise $150,000 to fund the many beneficial programs sponsored by Knox Area Rescue Mission.
“It’s our largest fundraiser. It’s a ‘Race with a Mission’ that attracted thousands to The Cove at Concord Park for fun, high-intensity dragon boat races, children’s activities, music and delicious food,” said Karen Bowdle, KARM director of communications and public relations.
“This event is East Tennessee’s oldest and largest dragon boat event. Teams made up of 20 paddlers (and a drummer) will race 41-foot Hong Kong-style boats across the water.
“For weeks, these paddlers have been raising vital funds to help KARM provide the food, shelter, care and life-changing programs for men, women and children struggling with homelessness in our community.”
The festival did not raise $150K, but by the end of team fundraising, the total was a respectable $98,770.
“While the Dragon Boat Festival does help KARM take care of our neighbors struggling with homelessness, it also brings together corporate, church, civic and community teams for a fun, action-packed, team-building day on and off the water,” said Mark Roberts, KARM’s director of community engagement.
Each team had an interesting name, but none so much as the Serenity Team, which was made up of women who have been current and past residents at KARM’s Serenity Ministries long-term residential restoration program.
“It’s a big deal for these ladies to come full circle and work together for the good of others. There was nothing but smiling faces,” said Bowdle.
There were a number of awards, including Best Drummer Costume, which went to Danielle Hughes of Haines Structural Group.
First Place Top Individual Fundraiser was Todd Whelan of Haines Structural Group.
Haines Structural Group – Eat Our Wake was the winningest team with Christy Tipton, Danielle Hughes, Todd Whelan and Bobby Haines giving it their all. The group won 1st Place Team Fundraising Champion in addition to Best Drummer Costume and First and Third Place Top Individual Fundraiser.
Presenting festival sponsors were Pilot Company, Rick Cox Construction and FontSpace.
To donate to KARM, visit www.karm.org/donate.
SOUTH KNOXVILLE
Kitchen makeover specialist finds new success with Nest
Ali James, Shopper News
At the height of the pandemic, Ashley Adair Garner was refreshing up to 70 kitchens a year. That is two kitchens on average a week.
“The money was great, but the tradeoff was that it was very labor intensive,” said Garner. “For so long I had struggled to be successful and had seen dollar signs exclusively as success.”
Garner’s business model for Nest went from flipping pieces of furniture and painting the occasional kitchen to painting kitchens all of the time and only occasionally flipping furniture.
Last fall, it took a physical toll on Garner and led to some hard reflection. She wanted to get back to her roots and have more balance.
“I’m restoring furniture pieces again and doing a little bit of design. Nest is a one-stop shop for home-centric things,” she said. “I envisioned a business that allows me to travel and be with my kids when I want to, and it took six to eight months of nosediving and really starting again. Nest in 2020 is not Nest in 2023.”
Garner has built Nest into a lifestyle renovation company focusing on client customs and furniture restoration. Painting kitchens was lonely and isolating for her.
“Doing markets and participating in the Mayor’s Maker City Council and Maker City Summit planning committee allows me to interact with people and get brand recognition for Nest out there,” she said. “I have also started doing some staging, interior design, furniture rentals and event design. I have an eye for how to do this and I want to utilize it.”
Garner has had two retail spaces fall through. “I started amassing products with the idea of doing a South Knoxville storefront,” she said. “As that got pushed further back, I have done markets and craft shows.”
After schlepping her larger furniture flips to each pop-up event, Garner realized something.
“People don’t go to these events to get a dresser; they want something they can put in a bag and take with them,” she said. So Nest specializes in unique vintage, primarily midcentury brass and candles. Garner now anchors her vendor booth with just one or two larger pieces of furniture for sale.
“I wish I had been enamored with marshmallows and feathers. Brass is heavier,” she said.
Candles bring Garner comfort. “Some people love blankets and quilts, I love candles,” she said. “I collaborated with 865 Candle Company to create three scents. I thought instead of mass producing a candle, I wanted to marry my love of vintage and scent and we would pour it into whatever vintage or antique vessels I had for a one-of-a-kind candle.”
The three scents:
“Nest,” a mix of sea salt and jasmine that evokes memories of Charleston, South Carolina;
“SoKno,” a blend of roses, hyacinth, lily of the valley, tulips, orchids and grass scents that remind Garner of her two grandmothers, who were avid gardeners and growing up in South Knoxville;
“Sevier,” where Garner hopes to one day open a shop, is a subtle mix of jasmine, brown sugar, musk and patchouli.
A fourth scent is in the works. When Nest launched the candles, all but three of the 28 candles sold out within a week.
In her Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/bestnesthome and on her website thebestnesthome.com, Garner sells her unique vintage items and made-to-order apparel: T-shirts, sweatshirts and tank tops printed with her most popular phrases – such as Paint Slinger, I’d Like to Pet Your Dog, Can I Touch Your Brass and Estate Sales are My Cardio – in a variety of colors.
“I wanted something kitschy and funny that people could wear or give as a gift,” she said. “They are not such an inside joke that you couldn’t buy one.”
POWELL
Ex-PHS pitcher chases big-league dreams
Al Lesar, Shopper News
Adversity had a significant impact on Coltin Reynolds’ life.
More than he might have expected.
Two years ago, as he was preparing to begin his freshman baseball season at Walters State Community College, it never happened. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound left-handed pitcher was sidelined with an elbow injury.
Solution: Tommy John surgery − and a long, long grind of rehab.
“I kept telling myself I was going to get back to pitching, and be even better,” the 2021 Powell High School graduate said. “It was tough on me mentally. I didn’t know what to expect.”
Before he was injured, Reynolds had a fastball that topped out in the mid-to-high-80s. Getting back to that level for his sophomore season seemed to be a realistic expectation.
“My second outing (in relief) this season is when I realized that I was back,” Reynolds said. “The adrenaline was flowing. I said, ‘I can do this.’”
His speed has returned, even creeping up to the low-90s in bullpen sessions. It was good enough for him to find a new home with the Carson-Newman University baseball team starting next fall. Of course, his 3.85 GPA in business didn’t hurt either.
Tankless job
In the meantime, that Name, Image and Likeness money that’s been available to college athletes the past couple years won’t go very far with Reynolds.
Unless you’re Hendon Hooker or Joe Milton, or any other University of Tennessee quarterback, endorsements and appearances won’t be bringing in any big money.
That means Reynolds has had to go out and get it the old fashioned way: He’s had to earn it.
One interesting way of making money that worked out last summer is cleaning tankless water heaters.
“My dad is a salesman of kitchen cabinets and other household items,” Reynolds said. “He told me that cleaning tankless water heaters is something that’s necessary, but there aren’t a lot of people doing it.”
Last summer he followed some contractors and learned the ins and out of the tankless water heater business.
“You have to be consistent and patient,” Reynolds said. “You have to follow the same procedure every time.
“You shut off all the pressure valves and gas lines. Flush out the harmful materials. Do a treatment with a chemical mixture with water. Pump it in and cleanse the tank. Then, re-attach everything.”
Reynolds said a normal cleaning will take 35-50 minutes.
Tough schedule
Squeezing in 35-50 minutes of work a couple times a day isn’t the easiest thing to do for a college athlete.
Just about every day this summer he’ll find a battery mate to throw to. Add in workouts four or five days a week and his day is consumed.
“Sometimes I’ll go to Carson-Newman and get my workout in there,” he said. “It all just depends on what’s going on.”
Reynolds has his sights set on being physically prepared to be a starter next spring. However, whatever his role he won’t let it dampen his dreams.
While putting his business degree to work is a big-picture plan, catching the eye of a Major League scout and getting drafted is a best-case scenario.
“I know several guys who are playing pro baseball now and it’s something I’d love to do,” he said. “Now that the Major League teams (financially) take care of housing (and sometimes food) for guys in the minors, it’s a little easier to live day to day.”
Until the baseball paydays come, Reynolds will settle on cleaning the tankless water heaters.
“If there’s a young person out there who wants some help pitching, or advice on anything, I’d love to do that too,” he added.
Contact Reynolds at: 865-659-9952 or coltinreynolds@yahoo.com.
NORTH KNOXVILLE
Root & Branch Paper Co. – a jewel in Parkridge
Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News
The Parkridge residential community has been up-and-coming for some time now, and the same is true for its burgeoning business district, much of which is located near the corner of Winona and Washington Avenue. There you’ll find small businesses such as lowercase books and The Flower Pot and, since last February, Root & Branch Paper Co., owned and run by Jessie Tyree Jenness.
For someone who started making, packaging and selling her enchanting greeting cards, custom paper, prints and more on her dining room table, then at West Fifth Studios, her current space suits her just fine.
“My friend Allie [Chamberlain, of Reclaim Creative] bought the building. We were neighbors, we had art studios next to each other at West Fifth, and we were both looking for something a little bit bigger. She invited me to move in here and I said, ‘Oh, yes, that would be amazing.’” The little shop was officially opened in February of this year.
“The storefront was very new to me; I was a little bit afraid with changing my focus slightly, but it just makes sense in the space.
“I have about 30 printers and manufacturers I work with – every product usually takes me about five or six different companies: one to source materials, one to print, one to package. That’s probably more of my job than designing.”
As an artist, Jenness is most inspired by nature, and is dedicated to using only 100% recycled materials in her products and packaging.
“When I started the business I thought, ‘I’m not so sure – I would rather just draw’ – but it’s actually like creative problem solving. Okay, how do I find a box that can accommodate cards? How can I accompany that – and still be eco-friendly? That’s the bulk of my work now. But I love the manufacturing part.”
How did Jenness, who holds a degree in graphic design from Belmont University, come up with the idea for Root & Branch in the first place?
“I’m an illustrator, so the stationery kind of came out of me looking for an outlet to sell my work, to be noticed, to be an artist and not have multiple other jobs. Stationery is something I’ve always loved. So I started thinking, ‘How can I commercialize and monetize my work so that I can scale up? And ultimately be independent and work for myself?’ That’s been my goal for a long time. Stationery just seemed like a natural fit.
“It’s still very art-focused but more accessible. I love to see when people send a greeting card and then it gets framed. It’s functional, but it’s very tangible elevated art. Small, not crazy expensive.”
To create her pieces, she carves a design into a lino-cut block, prints it, scans it in to her iPad and adds color digitally. Flowers, mushrooms, moths, the moon, a beehive print – Jenness’ love of nature is primary in her work. “Most of my camera roll on my phone is just pictures of leaves!”
Her business is mostly wholesale, and she now has a staff of three. Upstairs is Chamberlain’s shop, and also in the building is Gabby Rose Flora, run by Gabrielle Rose Ammans. She welcomes interested passersby into the shop; Jenness is surrounded by friends.
“Parkridge is awesome,” she says.
Visit https://rootandbranchpaper.com.
SOUTH KNOXVILLE
Second Saturdays at Tea & Treasures, marketplace offers shopping, music, food
Ali James, Shopper News
On the second Saturday of each month from April through October, Tea & Treasures on Martin Mill Pike opens its garden for vendors, live music and a food truck.
Tea & Treasures has been in the Vestal neighborhood for 16 years. “It is in an historic home that was built in 1905 and has been owned by only two families,” said owner Jenny Wolf. “The family that built it, their last name was Vestal, and the second owners were the Keebles, hence the name of the cross street. The backyard was full of vegetable and flower gardens; it was just beautiful.”
It took about a year and a half to transition the historic house into a business, according to Wolf. “We are just waiting for more businesses to move into this area,” she said. “It has so much potential. We would love to see it become a destination stop, where people can come and walk about to shops and cafes. There is so much that can be offered here.”
The building next to the Vestal Gateway Park has been remodeled, and Wolf hopes it will attract more businesses to the area.
Wolf said that in the early years people thought that the name Tea & Treasures referred to a tearoom.
“We don’t offer food like that; we have samples of our teas and coffee for customers,” she said. “Harney & Sons Fine Teas out of New York; Dandy Blend, a coffee alternative made from dandelion root; Skirted Soldier, an artisan blend tea made by a female veteran who donates 10% of her proceeds back to military organizations.”
Tea & Treasures also carries North Knoxville-based Tonya Rea’s Teas and Remedies’ most popular blends.
Tea & Treasures is filled with antiques, vintage items and gift ideas. “We sell local art, mostly on consignment, and some of our own things,” Wolf said. “Candles, novelty and vintage tea cups and pots and a little bit of everything for everybody – and our prices are amazing.
“On the second Saturday of every month we open up the parking lot and outside lawn to other vendors to sell their goods,” Wolf said. “We have at least one food truck and we have live music. We started about 10 years ago as a way to promote other small businesses and to bring traffic to our shop, and it has worked out really well and grown.”
At the upcoming Second Saturday Marketplace on July 8, there will be storytelling 11 a.m.-1 p.m. with Laura Still, an author and host of Knoxville Walking Tours. Then 1-3 p.m., Tom Smith will be performing his original music. “He does a wide range, not a specific genre necessarily,” Wolf said. “He is entertaining and kind of comical too.”
G.I. Taco food truck is returning for the second month in a row. “Their food is delicious,” Wolf said. “We are supposed to have 4 Get the Scoop ice cream, and Bailey’s Beverage Bars will have a watermelon bar. That is in addition to our regular vendors, bakers and crafters.”
Bailey’s said they will have all things watermelon, including watermelon mango salsa with nachos, a watermelon punch, watermelon cotton candy, along with sliced watermelon, regular and spicy.
Resident artist Bobbye Edwards has a studio in the shop and will be on hand to customize ornaments, slate tiles and glassware with her hand painting.
The market will be held 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on July 8, Aug. 12, Sept. 9 and Oct. 14, 2023. Public parking is available behind the building, and signs direct traffic to nearby parking across the road.
Wolf said that during the pandemic there was a lull in events until they hosted the 2021 Vestival Pop-Up. “It was a really good event with 200-plus attendees, which was amazing,” Wolf said.
“This year we have partnered with the Vestal Community Organization to coordinate other community activities and create a Second Saturday in Vestal.
“More vendors and music can be found at Sustainable Future Center, activities at the South Knoxville Community Center and even sometimes additional music/activities at the Vestal Arch/Gateway Park.”
Tea & Treasures is at 4104 W. Martin Mill Pike and open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
OPINION
Waiting for 'one of these days'
Leslie Snow, Shopper News
I’m driving down the road when the thumping starts. I look over at my husband and smile, sheepishly.
“Don’t worry, it’s not a flat tire or engine failure,” I say reassuringly, “It’s a piece of driftwood I found on a hike rolling around the trunk.”
He laughs and says, “I guess it can join the other pieces waiting for you in the garage.” I choose to pretend I don’t know what he means.
But later, when I’m pulling into the garage, I see my driftwood collection; the little pieces I hoped to use for practice and some really special ones, too. There’s the deep brown root ball I hoped to turn into a planter and the beautiful reddish piece that looks like a long bowl for a centerpiece.
I sigh and shake my head. “One of these days,” I whisper under my breath.
I don’t give the driftwood another thought until later in the day when I catch my husband staring out the window, longingly. “When the kids were little,” he says nostalgically, “we used to take them fishing all the time. Now we never fish. There’s something wrong with that.”
He heads back into the kitchen to grab something to eat for lunch and for the second time that day I say wistfully, “One of these days.”
While we’re eating lunch, we plan the rest of our afternoon. I want to pull the weeds I saw growing in the front bed and he wants to clean out the garage. I remind him that one of the sprinklers needs to be adjusted and he tells me we need more dog food.
We divide and conquer on a sunny Saturday afternoon. He starts on the garage while I make a list for the grocery store and the pet store. There’s not one word on our list about woodworking or fishing.
After a long, ordinary day of doing all the things we’re supposed to do, we head up to bed. I feel tired but not satisfied.
I think about the garden I’ve been planning in my head, the one with the native shade plants and the wildflowers. I had hoped to start clearing some of the brush during the week, but I never found the time. The seeds and pots I bought this spring are still waiting for me. Right next to my driftwood collection.
Maybe when I retire, I’ll have time for my wish list, but I have my doubts. The things I have to do will always get in the way of the things I want to do.
How can I putter in the garden when there are bills to pay? How can I find time to make a planter out of the wood I find floating in the lake if there’s laundry to be done? How can we fish when there are weeds sprouting next to the azaleas?
There will always be bills to pay and laundry to wash. The garage will need to be cleaned and groceries will need to be bought. That won’t magically change just because we slow down or stop working.
We’ll have to adjust our priorities if we want to check things off our wish list instead of our to-do list. We’re going to have to decide that fishing is just as important as cleaning or we’ll never make the time to do it.
If we don’t shift gears or change our priorities, retirement will seem a lot like working. And we’re already pretty good at that.
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