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CHANGES IN THE CITY
Downtown Challenges
But, after extensive revitalization projects and great efforts from the city and community, Gay Street, Market Square, and the Old City have now become hot spots in Knoxville culture. One group who was, and still continues to be, key to this new life has been the Market Square
District Association.
Designed as a way to promote the area, the association works with property owners, businesses and residents to bring people to Market Square and the surrounding blocks. “We’re trying to do things that will get people down here,” association president John Craig says.
And they are doing just that. Last year’s New Year’s Eve celebration saw nearly 10,000 people, and Craig hopes to double that number this year. The popularity of events like Sundown in the City, the Market Square Farmer’s Market, and the Rossini Festival are drawing people in from all areas of Knoxville and from outlying communities.
Craig credits the resurgence not to a single project, but to a series of events. The organization, he explains, began as a group of downtown residents and property owners who wanted to revitalize Market Square. Their efforts have seen some significant successes lately, with new businesses opening on a regular basis. “We’ve had about one new business each month opening for the last six to eight months,” he reports.
Craig adds that the association is encouraging Market Square to be as welcoming and as family- friendly as possible, but wants to avoid becoming a generic attraction. “We want more things that are family-friendly, but which have a unique twist,” he says.
Other organizations, like the group City People, have played key roles in promoting the downtown resurgence. City People president Blake Valentine credits much of their success to the businesses, residents and city officials who have been willing to work together. “There’s a lot of collaborative efforts,” he shares.
City People’s main project for downtown is their homes tour held every two years. This tour is designed to show new lofts and developments to potential buyers interested in moving downtown. Valentine explains that the organization takes the profits they receive from the tour and gives them back to businesses and other groups through grants. City People has also sponsored projects such as the graffiti cleanup and the Farmer’s Market, as well as helping to stimulate interest in a downtown dog park (which is set to open at the corner of Summit Hill and Central Avenue).
Another area of change is the new crop of businesses that, until recently, have been absent from downtown. Businesses like the Regal Riviera movie complex and the popular North Carolina chain, The Mast General Store, have opened on Gay Street and are contributing to downtown becoming a destination for locals and tourists alike.
Locally owned stores make up the majority of retail and restaurants downtown. Reed Massengill sells vintage clothing in the Old City at Sanctuary Vintage, which he has owned since December 2006. Massengill began with the idea of starting a business normally seen in a larger city or college town and hoped he would find a market in a city that did not offer his type of product. “It was a niche business idea. I knew of a couple of other stores in the area, but they didn’t offer as much,” he says.
Other businesses, like Coffee and Chocolate, began on the same premise. Owner Sharif Harb feels that downtown was lacking an upscale coffee shop and the demand for one was high. “I fill the niche. It was sold before I even opened,” Harb relates. He explains that his customers are primarily professionals and downtown residents. Harb doesn’t believe that the public is coming to see his business alone, but that Coffee and Chocolate feeds off the wide array of restaurants and other activities downtown.
Another downtown entrepreneur, restaurant owner Gregg White, even argues there is a significant advantage to being downtown rather than in other parts of Knoxville. Owner of Nama and La Costa restaurants, White emphasizes the benefits of being in an area where businesses are supported by both the press and residents. “We have a huge advantage here. The press is friendly and people get a feeling of renaissance here. It’s not difficult to be downtown.”
Some of the past stereotypes and preconceived ideas that have hung over the area include both the perceived difficulties in parking and in lack of safety. However, Craig thinks those are no longer true now that there are several new parking garages and statistics show downtown is one of the safest places in Knoxville. He says the real challenge is getting people interested. “There are people who have lived in Knoxville their entire lives and have had only a couple of experiences downtown.”
Craig’s main goal now is to simply make information available to other Knoxville residents. He feels that the primary selling points for a city being a tourist destination are almost always businesses and events located in the downtown area. “The things that get talked about the most are going on downtown,” he says.
For several business owners, though, the main source of getting information to the public is through word of mouth. Massengill, of Sanctuary Vintage, reports that his business thrives off customers who refer others to his business, as well as the attention he gets from loaning clothes to area fashion shows. “I have a business that depends mainly on word of mouth,” he says. “I’ve tried to bring people in using as little cost as possible.” He adds that most of the businesses downtown don’t have the funds to run major advertising campaigns, so referrals are crucial to their success.
Harb, of Coffee and Chocolate, agrees. “We rely primarily on word
of mouth.”
Even with the growth of new businesses and a surge of new residents, downtown could be facing another challenge with Interstate 40 closing between James White Parkway and Hall of Fame Drive, beginning May 1, 2008, and continuing until July 2009.
Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) official Travis Brickey says that the section of road is in desperate need of maintenance and redesign. According to traffic studies, an average of 103,000 vehicles pass by the area every day, facing (and creating) a bottleneck problem right at downtown. Brickey reports that officials are trying to make one of the most dangerous areas on I-40 safer. “It’s a high volume area,” he says. “It was never designed for that amount of traffic.”
To say the project is massive is an understatement. Brickey estimates the construction cost alone runs in the neighborhood of $200 million, which is the largest one-time expense in TDOT history. The project will include widening the road to six through-lanes and building four auxiliary lanes, seven ramps and nine bridges.
The main challenge, according to Brickey, is fighting the misconception that TDOT is closing access to downtown. “One of the things we have to combat is the idea that TDOT is closing downtown, and that’s just not true.” According to Brickey, I-40 will only close for 0.9 miles between James White Parkway and Hall of Fame Drive. No exits will close and there will be access to downtown.
Still, there are some worries surrounding the interstate closing. “I’m personally afraid it’s going to take away from business,” Massengill says, “but I don’t think anything’s being done to avoid it.”
Other business owners are more optimistic.
“I don’t really feel like it will affect my business,” says restaurateur White. He adds that his major concern is the remodeling which will take place on Gay Street, closing the road directly in front of his business.
Put City People president Valentine in the not-too-worried camp, as well. “I don’t think it’s going to hurt downtown. I think it’s a misconception.” He also says there will be downtown access at Hall of Fame Drive.
Craig believes that the end result of the project is worth any trouble it may cause in the short term and will actually pour more people into downtown through the James White Parkway when the project is completed. “It will make it easier in the end,” he expects.
As for tourists visiting downtown Knoxville? One area in particular where some promoters and business owners are trying to market is neighboring Sevier County and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Nearly 10 million tourists come to Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and the Smokies every year, with many of them traveling through Knoxville on their way. “It’s a very symbiotic relationship,” Craig explains. “They benefit from having a major city like Knoxville nearby, and we benefit by being so close to the Smokies and Gatlinburg.”
Craig adds that there has been a significant increase in tourists coming to down-town Knoxville. “You see that (increase) in the hotels and restaurants,” he reports.
But business owners in the area who we spoke to have been either unaware of efforts to draw in travelers or were apathetic about the possibilities. Both Massengill and Harb are unaware of any work being done, while White is intent on focusing on markets out west. “Nama and La Costa for the most part are local watering holes, so I really do not see my restaurants being affected by any lack of or increase in tourism,” White says.
Downtown Knoxville future has a seemingly endless combination of possibilities and projects, some already established and others not yet fully crafted. Craig says that his association is working, for instance, to expand the existing Farmer’s Market and to more heavily promote the Market Square stage as a concert venue, just to name a few.
Valentine says that City People is trying to not only add members to their group, but also increase their advocacy for events downtown. Getting information to the public is vital for the success of this resurrected area.
Overall, there is a tremendous surge of positive spirits coursing throughout downtown.
“I think people under-stand downtown is a lot more vibrant than it was even three or four years ago,” Massengill says. White agrees: “There is a lot of positive energy going on here. Downtown is one of the best places to locate, visit, recharge and explore. We rip off Petula Clark’s classic one more time in closing and in encouraging you to give downtown Knoxville some of your time:
“Downtown, things will be great when you’re Downtown, don’t wait a minute more Downtown, everything’s waiting for you.”
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