Gone but not forgotten: Knoxville area restaurants and retailers we miss.

[Ted]

I noticed last week that the National Fitness Center on Alcoa Highway has closed. That was a nice facility. Also, the last Court South just off Merchants Dr. has now been rebranded to National Fitness Center.

Those of you who don't live here would not believe the Alcoa Highway area, from past the hospital all the way down to John Sevier Highway. Lots of earth moving as the state is adding more lanes and turning lanes, improving street interchanges, and the like. The old retail district down through there is inaccessible due to the roadwork and most of it probably will be torn down. As many of us call it, it's becoming even more so "Alcoa Motor Speedway." Not that that area was particularly memorable, but it's going away.

 

[Ted]

One more for today: David Ammons is retiring and closing Ammons & Brown TV on Broadway after 50 years.

Ammons TV to close at month’s end - Knox TN Today

"Over time he has worked on b & white models with tubes; color TVs, consoles, projection models, plasma TVs and flat screens. He’s also worked on clocks, stereos and video games."

All these old, family-owned businesses on Broadway are gone: Broyles Vacuum Shop in Fountain City, Ammons & Brown TV, and Greenlee Bicycles.

 

[MAD]

This article in WBIR was almost too much to bear: Wrecking ball blues: Knoxville landmarks are coming down | wbir.com

Go look at it anyway, but be prepared to be melancholy. A lot of the same places we've talked about here on VolNation- in one article, and post-demolition pictures.

I felt that

 

[MAD]

 

[VolNExile]

Used to shop there all the time (I lived about 5 min away.) Great old wood floors. Old school.

 

[TN-POSSUM]

The Heartland Series should be required viewing for Yankees and West Coasties, before moving to East Tennessee.

 

[MAD]

Watch the video, says the building will be restored.

Knoxville repair shop set to close its doors after years of service

https://www.wate.com/news/business/knoxville-repair-shop-owner-retires-after-50-years/

 

[ArdentVol]

Watch the video, says the building will be restored.

Knoxville repair shop set to close its doors after years of service

https://www.wate.com/news/business/knoxville-repair-shop-owner-retires-after-50-years/

remember that my dad had a set repaired there

 

[BennesseeVols]

Does anyone know if Bayou Bay out off Chapman Hwy is still open?

 

[Ted]

Does anyone know if Bayou Bay out off Chapman Hwy is still open?

It's out of business. I didn't know they had closed. Did a quick bit of research and their website is gone, Tripadvisor says they're closed, and a call to them reports the number is no longer in service. The marquee message in the online pic below would seem to indicate they closed in 2019.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

It looks like the old Cas Walker building in front of the long ago Bearden High School/Bearden Jr HS is going to be removed and replaced with a shiny, new Taco Bell. 5613 Kingston Pike. It was an antique store for the last few decades. I can’t say that I’m upset. Taco Bell is mighty fine.

 

[Vjcvette]

It looks like the old Cas Walker building in front of the long ago Bearden High School/Bearden Jr HS is going to be removed and replaced with a shiny, new Taco Bell. 5613 Kingston Pike. It was an antique store for the last few decades. I can’t say that I’m upset. Taco Bell is mighty fine.

 

[MAD]

 

[Ted]

It looks like the old Cas Walker building in front of the long ago Bearden High School/Bearden Jr HS is going to be removed and replaced with a shiny, new Taco Bell. 5613 Kingston Pike. It was an antique store for the last few decades.

I haven't been on that stretch of Kingston Pike in several weeks. TGO, is there a sign announcing a Taco Bell? How did you know this is happening?

If this property is now being redeveloped, I've been predicting it for some months now. "Developers abhor a vacuum," or in this case, an old empty building that won't sell. Any old building on Kingston Pike is destined for this fate eventually. The combined city and county taxes on this property were substantial.

Tax records show it's owned by a People's Development Company. They also show that it was owned at one time by West End Pawn Shop, which I remember being in there in recent years.

I didn't remember when Cas passed away, so I looked for an entry on Wikipedia, and sure enough, there is one! Go take a look. Cas died in 1998. I wonder how many of his stores' buildings are left now- we should talk that one up sometime soon.



Not much to look at, but here's an image capture of the building, for posterity:

 

[MAD]

I haven't been on that stretch of Kingston Pike in several weeks. TGO, is there a sign announcing a Taco Bell? How do you know this is happening?

It's not that Taco Bell needed another location in that middle section of Kingston Pike. They already have four locations in that section. I'm not a Taco Bell fan by any means, but obviously it's a very popular fast food chain.

If this property is now being redeveloped, I've been predicting it for some months now. "Developers abhor a vacuum," or in this case, an old empty building that won't sell. Any old building on Kingston Pike is destined for this fate eventually. The combined city and county taxes on this property were substantial.

Tax records show it's owned by a People's Development Company. They also show that it was owned at one time by West End Pawn Shop, which I remember being in there in recent years.

I didn't remember when Cas passed away, so I looked for an entry on Wikipedia, and sure enough, there is one! Go take a look. Cas died in 1998. I wonder how many of his stores' buildings are left now- we should talk that one up sometime soon.

View attachment 545214

Not much to look at, but here's an image capture of the building, for posterity:

View attachment 545213

https://agenda.knoxplanning.org/preagenda.pdf



4-D-23-SU | Planning Commission

 

[Ted]

Thanks, mad. Looking through the Planning Commission agenda, it is frightening to see how many new developments are being taken up at just that one meeting, including several in my part of Knoxville (Merchants Dr. area) that I did not know about. I need to start following the Commission agendas.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Upcoming planning meeting above.

There’s really not another one real close. Next to West Town. Cumberland Avenue. Farragut. Near Walker Springs Walmart. I could eat there twice a week. I’ll miss the Cas Walker stores history, but the building is a dump.

It might be a high tech Taco Bell like what they will be building on Cumberland Avenue to replace the current one.

 

[Ted]

After our earlier mentions of Cas Walker, I came across a terrific article that Betty Bean had in KnoxTnToday.com in 2019 about her recollections of Cas Walker on the day of his funeral in Sept. 1998. If you haven't seen it, don't miss it! Burying Cas - Knox TN Today

She describes the funeral procession from Halls down 33/Broadway/Henley/Chapman to Woodlawn Cemetery, and memories of Cas's presence at places along the way. Too good!

 

[SpecialKVolfan20]

It's out of business. I didn't know they had closed. Did a quick bit of research and their website is gone, Tripadvisor says they're closed, and a call to them reports the number is no longer in service. The marquee message in the online pic below would seem to indicate they closed in 2019.

View attachment 545077

This one hurts a bit. We ate there several times, for lunch mostly. A little overpriced but “seafood in the mountains “ what do you expect.
One Saturday game day we were playing LSU. We stopped for lunch and realized there was Louisiana tour bus parked in the back. The place was completely full of Crazy Cajuns on their way to the game. Hubby and me the only 2 in orange. I think even Andy was in purple that day. They were all very nice and a lot of fun.
Good times.

 

[VolNExile]

This one hurts a bit. We ate there several times, for lunch mostly. A little overpriced but “seafood in the mountains “ what do you expect.
One Saturday game day we were playing LSU. We stopped for lunch and realized there was Louisiana tour bus parked in the back. The place was completely full of Crazy Cajuns on their way to the game. Hubby and me the only 2 in orange. I think even Andy was in purple that day. They were all very nice and a lot of fun.
Good times.

The owner (I assume it was the same owner all along) cooked cajun for the Katrina refugees in the Civic Colosseum once or twice a week throughout. The displaced people were profoundly grateful for, as one tried as politely as he could say, "food with real flavor."

 

[Ted]

Has anyone heard how much longer the Cumberland Ave. Copper Cellar will be open? I think we all best be getting there soon.

 

[MEDVOL]

Too young for Cas Walker's, but I must've heard my dad say "can't beat that at Cas Walker's" a million times growing up.

 

[MAD]

Has anyone heard how much longer the Cumberland Ave. Copper Cellar will be open? I think we all best be getting there soon.

I don’t believe it’s been announced.

 

[MAD]

 

[MAD]