It's been real

Well friends, the time has come for me to bid farewell to Knoxville and The Wigshop. I have finished up graduate school, and have moved on from our fair city in search of more promising pastures.

First off, I must apologize for my non-existant participation lo these past months. Being engrossed in finishing up school, I certainly felt distanced from the pulse of the city, and truth be told, my mind was elsewhere. In hindsight, I guess I could have done a post on the Chipotle on The Strip, since I ate the majority of my meals there this past spring. Perhaps a story about my love affair with the Barbacoa Bowl would have been good reading. Perhaps.

You might have noticed, in addition to my own low posting that the blog in general was hitting a slump. Yes, there were posts here and there, but the general malaise forced us all to ask some big questions--Was the blog over? Were we all dried up? Had our lives busied up so much (school, new jobs, marriage, babies ...) that this was not something we could continue to fit in?

Earlier this summer B invited us to a place where she was housesitting, and we had our Summertime State of the Union. We drank wine, pestered some neighboring cattle, and checked our collective pulse. It was a great meeting, and I think, one that made us all realize what a special thing this blog is.

As you might have noticed lately, posting is back on the rise.

The thing is, posting isn't hard. New downtown grocery? post! Rooftop of Pres Pub opens? post! Stephen A. Burroughs and B start dating? post! What it really takes is people who genuinely care about the city in which they live. That said, what with its flourishing, walkable, and ever evolving downtown, Knoxville is a pretty easy place to care about.

The number of places to eat, drink, shop, work and live within downtown's small footprint reflects a density of life that one would have expected before suburban expansion--a density (and walkability) that, especially in a town of this size, is reminiscent of some medieval European city.

While there are numerous reasons why downtown Knoxville is the way it is, in my opinion, the University's role cannot be understated. The culture, diversity, and high level of education fostered by UTK has greatly helped in shaping the population of downtown Knoxville. Yes, on game days our city is flooded with thousands of people you sometimes wish you weren't related to, but all in all the University has and will continue to inject our small town with new, vibrant life.

Thanks for three great years Knoxville. I'll see ya when I see ya.

Change in the old city

Greetings internet friends!

I wanted to let you know about a change in the Old City that has been developing for a while. LOX Salon has moved to a much larger space on the corner of Jackson - next to Urban Bar. You may remember the previous tenant in their spot (I can't recall the name) but they also were a salon, and unfortunately, had to close up shop.



While its always a bummer to see businesses fade into the distance (J's Mega Mart ... you were a part of our city and we will miss you), LOX's move into this incredible space is truly something to celebrate.

Brynn started LOX a while ago, and has been occupying the humble spot on North Central between the law firm and Crown & Goose ever since her doors opened--a place that fit the understated salon. A place to seek out. From the beginning, Brynn had a vision of creating community in the Old City. LOX sold clothes and whatnot (jewelry, stationary and a little bit of everything), and they were always a destination spot for First Fridays. The LOX art scene was always inspired and the atmosphere there on a Friday night was always genuine.


In moving to the new location, I think LOX is more formally becoming a larger part of the Old City. The new location, with its huge windows and expansive storefront commands presence, and its great to think of LOX occupying this spot.




At their grand opening this past First Friday, LOX was packed (See B's earlier post and pics). Patrons and friends crowded the salon to celebrate their host in her new space, and to recognize the enormous journey she and the rest of the LOX girls have made since their initial opening.


The new space expands on themes present since the beginning, only now there's plenty of room to do it. The apparel offering is much larger, and will only continue to grow as Brynn sources more locally made/ found pieces, and with all the extra room, LOX can now more formally play host to events in the future. There already is a consignment fashion show in the works for January.

So, the next time you're in the area drop by and say hello. If you're not already familiar, now is the perfect time to meet Brynn and her talented stylists, grab a PBR and see what all LOX has to offer our fair city.

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas

Hey Knoxville!

Gettin' excited about Christmas? Me too. I'm asking for a new bike, Sea Monkeys and a Best Buy gift card (so I can buy DVDs and CDs - its easier to just get a gift card than to tell my parents what music to buy, and I don't really want to subject my mom to weird cover art and get into the whole discussion of crass lyrics, etc).


As exciting as Christmas is, we should probably both hold off on thinking about it too much. It is mid-October after all, and we still have Halloween and Thanksgiving to look forward in the mean time.

Alright, just wanted to write and say hey. Hope you are well.

Talk soon.

PS: What are you thinking about going as for Halloween?

wait, what happens at first friday

Around 9:30 or so this past Friday, I found myself at Aisle 9 in the Old City. I bumped into a friend of mine in traffic, who informed me that he was headed there, and I followed suit.

Once there, I ran into some friends, and saw several Knoxvillians who I've seen around town. Some of the usual folks who make the rounds at 1010 and Fluorescent, and many others. There was a DJ spinning in the front, and there were people hanging out - talking, laughing, dancing, drinking.



After a while, I noticed that a couple uniformed men had come in. They were fire marshals, and they were looking to see if there were too many people inside. It was then that I realized that I'd spent the past 45 minutes in a grocery store on a Friday night, and that I was having a great time.




This, my friends, is the beauty of First Friday. How incredible is it that once a month, you can't find a parking space downtown, and that the streets are filled with folks from all over. How great is it that every gallery, shop and restaurant are filled with new art for your experiential pleasure.



I recently tried explaining First Friday to an artist friend of mine who lives in Nashville. Needless to say, it took a few tries for her to get the picture.

her - "Wait, wait, wait, you mean that one store has new art and an opening every month?"

me - "No, like I said, it's the whole town. Basically every place that has walls in downtown, has new art and an opening ... every month."

her - "Huh ... Knoxville is a lot cooler than I've ever wanted to give it credit for (her words, not mine)."

So, thanks Fire Marshals for giving me enough of a reality check to realize what a great city we've got. Here's to a great October and an even better November.

Union Avenue Coming into Light

It seems like the newest downtown renovation is coming close to completion. The Daylight building on Union Avenue has much of the residential units occupied, and I believe all retail space on the ground floor is booked and almost ready to open their doors.

The first tenant, a photographer's studio is already up and running in the beautiful (light-filled) space at the east end.  There are many more to come as the final work is done on each of the units, and I think that having the Daylight Building will do much for Union as well as downtown.


Unless you already know and love Pete's at the west end of Union, the trek westward can seem a little out of the way, and having Daylight as an anchor will further expand the close-knit fabric of our downtown community. Giving people more of a reason to venture west of Market Square - to visit, perhaps, the new organic grocery going in to Daylight, will only serve to encourage people and development to fill out the downtown footprint.

Three more cheers for David Dewhirst and the lucky tenants who get to live and work in one of the best buildings on one of the best streets in Knoxville.

Book Eddy on the move

Greetings all,

I wanted to let you know that the much-beloved Book Eddy will soon be opening a North Knoxville location. The move was encouraged by the impending closure of the Henley Street Bridge (a four year closure), and will help to keep their doors open.


This is a great opportunity for the Book Eddy to continue serving as an integral part of downtown life, and to rub elbows with Mag Pies.

The new shop will be much smaller than the massive Chapman Highway location, and will have mostly used books from the humanities--think more literature and less Accounting for Dummies.

To boot, the new building was designed by Sanders Pace Architecture, the Knoxville firm responsible for many great designs throughout our city - Southeastern Glass, Nama and TVB, just to name a few.

Doors should open in November, so be sure to come check out their new home.

when worlds collide

Greetings all.

I was recently on the 100 block, and noticed a new tenant that's headed to the neighborhood. I don't know much about this new neighbor, but what I do know sounds intriguing.

What an odd and incredible paring for this spot. I can only imagine the mix of fried chicken and Lady Gaga that is in store for our friends on the 100 block.

This is surely one to review, come opening day.

The reality of downtown living just got a lot more real-er

As many of you have heard, Knoxville recently got a grocery store downtown. This is a huge step forward for Knoxville, and is indicative of the type of downtown life many people have envisioned and striven for for many years.

>In a city our size, its one thing to have bars downtown. Most do. Restaurants that stay open past lunch is another step. Even further, to have people living downtown owning and renting is another sign of progress - to reclaim downtown as a center for community.


The one catch with this downtown living reality is that we are still lacking the necessities, namely - a grocery store.


When I first moved back to Knoxville for grad school, people asked how I liked it and I told them that it was incredible being back (granted, when I was here for undergrad, I lived in Maplehurst, so I already saw the city through rose-colored glasses). But for Knoxville 2.0 I lived in downtown proper, and I walked or biked everywhere - except to the grocery. Yes, there is the Farmer's Market, but its seasonal ... and they don't sell toilet paper.


Being able to walk down the street and get a dozen eggs or a gallon of milk is highly underrated, and I think that's why having a downtown grocery is so significant - downtown is no longer an outpost of our westward-spreading city, it is a place to live.

Aisle 9, located on North Central across from The Night Owl opened for business in May, and is phasing in its inventory over the next couple months. As it stands, they have an enormous selection of beer as well as many other City Market items--from granola bars to cleaning supplies. Soon they will have produce, meats and cheeses, and come fall, the deli will be open for business (and delivery).


The next time you're in the area stop by and say hello. The friendly staff are more than happy to give you the rundown of what the place will look like in a month or even in a week--they're about to double the amount of shelf space, so things are changing quick.

We're living in a community, people, and those nostalgic scenes of walking down the street for a quart of milk are now reality.

Scenes from the Dogwood Festival

Greetings all, I hope you made it out to the Dogwood Arts Festival this weekend. Our downtown was packed with locals and visitors taking in the sights, sounds and smells (Kettle Corn!) of this most perfect weekend.

In case you missed it, here are a few shots from yesterday's festivities. Enjoy.


Look! kids that aren't afraid of clowns. Now that's progress.






Bubbles - bringing hippies and children together since the dawn of time.


Hey, is that B with a sweet tat?

First Friday Artist Announcement

Hello all,

Sorry for the double-post, but I wanted to make a recommendation for your First Friday festivities tomorrow.

The sculptor Brian Jobe is showing in the Reading Room of the Art+Architecture building at UT as part of the Robert Church Memorial Lecture Exhibition and Film Series. Brian is a Knoxville native who has returned to our fair city after several years in Texas and New York.


The installation is part of his ongoing work exploring materiality and modernity. His work is incredibly thought provoking and visually compelling.

To learn more about Brian, check out his website: www.brianjobe.com

His reception starts at 6, and there are also several Masters students showing across the hall at the Ewing Gallery. So come early and start your First Friday off right.

just like momma used to make

So there's a new bag in town that couldn't be a better fit for our fair city. It's called The Parlor and since my words probably couldn't do it justice, here's their mission statement:

"In an age when most of our food and music are mass-produced commodities, we at The Parlor aim to get back to basics. Using quality, locally-sourced ingredients (many of which we grow in our own backyard), our goal is to provide the community with a genuine "hand-crafted" alternative to the processed foods that increasingly dominate the marketplace."

As you might have guessed they work in food - catering, private chef as well as brown bag lunches, and with menu items such as The Dad (meatloaf sandwich) and the Ultimate PB&J (peanut butter, Nutella, banana and strawberry compote) I think this will fast become a staple for those comfort food-craving moments in all our lives.

One more thing to note: you have to order your lunch a day in advance, which I think is a nice touch--elevating the workaday lunch experience beyond running down the street for a quick bite. Lunches are delivered Monday, Wednesday and Friday to Downtown and North Knox. So give it a try, if not for the PB&J, do it to meet some really interesting Knoxvillians.

The Parlor
726 Chickamauga Ave.
865-456-3458

Views of Knoxville

An interesting time to be on the Square. It's exciting to think of how Wall Ave will also be changed once these two projects are completed. The urban fabric continues ...

We've got spirit. yes we do!

Happy Veteran's Day from the Wigsphere!


The Parade is starting now. So head on down to Gay St. to celebrate with your fellow Americans.

Field of Greens

Lunching downtown offers many options, and as well as you think you may know your city, there always seem to be spots you've somehow missed.

Yesterday, I ate at Patins' Field of Greens and think I've found my new spot. They call themselves "quick gourmet" and offer an incredible selection of salads and sandwiches - I had a Caesar salad and my friend, a Chipotle sandwich - both, really good. <


The place is miniscule - operating out of a one-room building on Union Avenue - just around the corner from the Brewery. It has probably four tables total and is not much to look at, but give it a try next time you're looking for someplace new. You'll not be disappointed.


I think it's always especially nice to find a gem downtown that's not on Market Square or Gay St.

Free Rider

Howdy all,

Have you noticed Knoxville's new(ly revamped) busses? After taking these pics I finally realized that they really are just the same busses with a new paint job. Who new a little paint go do so much?

I was recently talking to a couple friends, and were discussing the old trolley lines that used to run down Gay St. (during the 100 block excavation they were exposed). This got the ball rolling on the "wouldn't it be great if Knoxville had a real trolley again" theme, and I do think that it would be awesome if that could happen.

However, once you start to do the math (in your head while drinking margaritas) you eventually come to the conclusion that busses are the answer - there's no expensive infrastructure required.

So, if busses are so great, why do so few people ride them in Knoxville? Now, before this discussion goes well beyond my area of expertise - I'm not going to talk about scheduling, routes or anything else. I will say that re-branding the bus line is the smartest (and cheapest) thing Knoxville could have done. Whether or not they actually are more efficient, the new design certainly induces more confidence than say ... the orange and teal mobiles.

So, I'm curious, what are your thoughts on the new image? fans and haters ... let's hear ya.

views of Knoxville

One of my favorite buildings in town, The Medical Arts Building.

As American as it Gets

Just a quick note to those thinking of attending The Market Square Farmers Market today. Old City Java in conjunction with Lindsay Beeson Productions will be selling ... wait for it: BACON COOKIES. You heard it right folks, Lindsay has been making the chocolate chip and bacon concoctions for a while now, and today they'll be at the Farmers Market.

By the way, Miss Beeson mentioned to me how she thinks the pre-baked fellers below look like an army of little princes with bacon crowns. I like where this girl's head is at. \
Come on down, and start the 4th off right indulging in America's love with overindulgence - she's selling them by the box.

Attention Knoxville Shoppers!

Have you been stagnating for months? Are you unsure of the current season (rainy spring or hot summer-who can tell these days?) Well if you're in need of an image revamp, look no further than your friendly neighborhood 100 Block! 

A new boutique (French for 'place to buy stuff') has just opened opposite NAMA and Little Havana. It's called Eleven, and has the goods for ladies and the gents - denim, t-shirts, shoes, dresses ... you know the drill. 

The owners are recent grads, and, while one of them is busy in LA running his record label, Pete the counterpart is holding down the fort. They have great taste, and offer clothing beyond the usual homogenous-southern-college-town-cargo-shorts-and-polo look ... if that's even something you're interested in. 

There are music-themed t-shirts designed by their record label Ubiquity, and with each t-shirt bought, you can download 5 free songs from the label on iTunes. 

Also of note, they carry extremely rare Nikes that are basically the bee's knees of footwear (Pete showed me some that sell for $750). 

So get on down to Eleven this weekend. They had a soft opening a couple weeks ago, but things are definitely in full swing. 

Reason No. 72 that I love Knoxville

World's Fair Park. Why this place is a ghost town, I'll never know. Get out and enjoy the weekend!

my kind of people

creative-graphic-integrated-design-branding-art-photography-direction-idea-web-generation 

If I could 'tag' this post with those words I would, but alas we are trying to reduce the cumulonimbus tag-cloud, and I'd probably get in trouble with the powers that be. (wow, how's that for a lead-in?)

Anyway, the reason we're here is that I recently got to know a couple of folks who share a similar love for Knoxville, and are 100% invested in its success. What's more, is that they are actively shaping our town, and you've probably even seen them on many an occasion. Well, you've seen their work on many an occasion. 

Photo Credit Adam Brimer

They are Nathanna, the creative force responsible for branding so many of Knoxville's local businesses, and what, may I ask, is a business without an identity?

Ever heard of LOX Salon? Gypsy Hands? Old City Java? Exactly. They are the one's responsible for the mid-century modern graphics of Old City Java's recent rebirth. 


The designer duo is Jesse and Lauren. Knoxville natives who possess the crucial pairing of artistic talent and solid business sense - a combo easily not found. It's that mix that has helped give them so much success in town, and that's why new businesses (or one's looking for a revamp) come 'a-knocking. 

The mixed media masters have a good deal of their professional and fine art work up on the site (that's iPhone compatible - I told you they were multi-talented). Here's one of my favorites: 


Most recently they are working with Edible Revolution, the people who do edible kitchens and gardens, and are probably overdue for a WigShop post. B? ck?


Let's give it up for Nathanna. Truly the people behind the curtain, making this city great, one business at a time.