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

#2,726
#2,726
With Lunsford's closing, there are now just three remaining local/Tenn-based music stores in Knoxville: Rush's Music, Open Chord, and Lane Music. The era of the local mom'n'pop music store is drawing to a close.

Does anyone remember Chapman Hwy Guitar Shop, Lynn's Guitars, Pick'n'Grin, or Hewgley's Music? There were others, I'm sure.
 
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#2,727
#2,727
Ted said:
With Lunsford's closing, there are now just three remaining local/Tenn-based music stores in Knoxville: Rush's Music, Open Chord, and Lane Music. The era of the local mom'n'pop music store is drawing to a close.

Does anyone remember Chapman Hwy Guitar Shop, Lynn's Guitars, Pick'n'Grin, or Hewgley's Music? There were others, I'm sure.
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PnG was legendary. Not a coincidence that bluegrass bands would play Buddy’s BBQ next door (including the Knoxville Grass). They had lessons upstairs. The legendary Godfather of Knoxville punk/new wave (Terry Hill) lived in the house in back and gave lessons in the foyer until an electrical fire in the walls rendered that structure unusable. Then he moved to Rocky Hill (Northshore near Morrell Road) until him, Hector, and the boys relocated to NYC with Balboa.

I ventured up Broadway many times to visit Lynn’s and down Chapman Highway to both locations of CH Guitar Shop. Also Hewgley’s in the Old City. Unfortunately I was broke, so I didn’t throw them much business (other than Pick n Grin).
 
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#2,729
#2,729
Ted said:
I remember the one in Chapman Square.. where was the other one?
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I think it was closer to Moody Avenue. There were a couple of commercial buildings sharing the parking lot. There was a VHS video rental store in the other building. The front door of that CHGS faced generally south rather than towards Chapman Highway. I think that they were there around 1984 and if IIRC then moved farther south to the shopping center with Kroger. I’m not nearly as familiar with Chapman Hwy as I am with Bearden.
 
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#2,730
#2,730
Oh, so they started in one place and then moved to the bigger place in Chapman Square. I never knew the old location. I was probably there last in the early 80's.

Hey alright! I just got this message, for having posted 150 times in Volnation: "You now need 250 posts to posts on the board before you'll be able to participate in the Politcs or Endzone forums."

I can't wait!! I may have to request early access, so I can get on the Politics forum and lambast Kincannon and the City Council for letting the developers have free rein the last couple years! I'd say someone has already, so I can go join in!

Looking at Thunder Good-Oil and mad4vols, I have a lonnnngg way to go.. may never catch up to you two!
 
#2,731
#2,731
Ted said:
Oh, so they started in one place and then moved to the bigger place in Chapman Square. I never knew the old location. I was probably there last in the early 80's.
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It might have been a building at 4103 Chapman Highway which looks like it was just torn down and replaced with an urgent care clinic. The Dollar General is in the other building. But I’m not 109% certain.

Yes, I think that they were there just before moving to Chapman Square. But it could have been due to the lease rather than moving to a larger space.
 
#2,732
#2,732
Ted said:
No, no one here remembered that restaurant. I wish I could remember the name. It went out of business in the late 90's, not long after I moved here, and was torn down in the very early 00's. It is still a vacant lot across from the "Fellini" Kroger's in the Broadway Shopping Center. The street address was 2200 N. Broadway. The sign out front of the restaurant had the name on top and a separate sign below it that said "Metts and Beans". I've searched multiple times trying to find a reference online to this place, but no luck so far.
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I've contacted Jack Neely and am hoping for a response from him.

Here is a nice piece he wrote in May about the oldest restaurants in Knoxville that are still in business: Venerability - Knoxville History Project
 
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#2,733
#2,733
I don’t know if I posted this a few months back. There’s a Taco Bell in the works near Homberg in Bearden that would replace one of the few remaining Cas Walker grocery store buildings. They just had a major setback this week when city council denied the drive-thru windows. But they can still build a Taco Bell as a st-down and carry-out only. In front of Bearden Elementary and the original Bearden High School. Just west of Firestone. IMG_6195.jpeg
 
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#2,734
#2,734
Update: Heard back from Jack Neely. His reply was prompt as ever. He didn't find any supporting documentation, but it is his recollection as a native Knoxvillian in his 60's that the "Metts and Beans" restaurant was called "Broadway Grill". (Back in the 60's, there was no spellling "Grill" with an 'e' on the end!) That name is what I remember as well.

He said "I remember that place, myself, but never went in. I was pretty adventurous about offbeat eateries, but somehow drew the line at that one. "

It was pretty disreputable looking, as I recall. Might have been a concrete block exterior, painted blue, or some kind of blue siding, and rundown. I asked my parents what metts were, as they must have been pretty good to go with beans, but being good mountain people, they had no idea! They did know a man in our town named Bobby Metts, but that was it.

Do any of you remember the Broadway Grill, now that we have a name for it?
 
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#2,735
#2,735
Here's a 2014 streetview pic of the site of Broadway Grill. It's the vacant lot to the right of Broadway Auto Repair. This is on the right side of Broadway heading toward Fountain City, across from the Broadway Shopping Center where the "Fellini" Kroger is located.

I would say that Broadway Grill probably looked similar to the auto repair building.

The street address of Broadway Grill was 2200 N. Broadway. This picture was the way this area looked in 2014. I wanted an older picture that shows the auto repair place to perhaps give a bit of visual context. The building housing Broadway Auto Repair has now also been demolished. It's also a vacant lot.

There is an unnamed alley that runs up to Howard St. between the two buildings' lots. You can see it in the pic below.

Currently, to the right of the Broadway Grill site is a mexi restaurant called La Piñata.

screenshot-2023-07-04-092108-jpg.560825


Check out the price of the Krystal Value Meal on the billboard!
 

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#2,736
#2,736
Ted said:
Update: Heard back from Jack Neely. His reply was prompt as ever. He didn't find any supporting documentation, but it is his recollection as a native Knoxvillian in his 60's that the "Metts and Beans" restaurant was called "Broadway Grill". (Back in the 60's, there was no spellling "Grill" with an 'e' on the end!) That name is what I remember as well.

He said "I remember that place, myself, but never went in. I was pretty adventurous about offbeat eateries, but somehow drew the line at that one. "

It was pretty disreputable looking, as I recall. Might have been a concrete block exterior, painted blue, or some kind of blue siding, and rundown. I asked my parents what metts were, as they must have been pretty good to go with beans, but being good mountain people, they had no idea! They did know a man in our town named Bobby Metts, but that was it.

Do any of you remember the Broadway Grill, now that we have a name for it?
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Great P.I. Work Ted.
 
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#2,738
#2,738
Ted said:
Here's a streetview capture of the site of Broadway Grill in 2014. It's the vacant lot to the right of Broadway Auto Repair. This is on the right side of Broadway heading toward Fountain City, across from the Broadway Shopping Center where the Fellini Kroger is located.

screenshot-2023-07-04-092108-jpg.560825


Check out the price of the Krystal Value Meal on the billboard!
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What was the actual address of the Broadway Grill?
 
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#2,745
#2,745
DrRosenRosen said:
AMC theater near Lowes and Best Buy off North Peters closed last night for good.
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That spot is about 20 acres plus there’s almost another 20 undeveloped acres just south of it. With the prevalence of working from home and Amazon creating less need for retail square footage I wonder what happens in that area. Maybe cheap housing since it’s kind of tucked away without too much visibility except from I-40.

IMG_6303.jpeg
 
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#2,748
#2,748
Ted said:
Mad, I appreciate you posting this, and "liked" your post, but I also wish we had a dislike or diapprove or some other kind of button to respond to news like what we share in Gone but not Forgotten too often.

The movie theatre business is winding down quickly .
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It’s sad but I don’t miss going to the theater, do you?
 
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#2,749
#2,749
mad4vols said:
It’s sad but I don’t miss going to the theater, do you?
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I think what you mean is that the kind of movies we like to see are not available in the theatres very often anymore. If so, I agree.

A recent exception is Oppenheimer. It looks good, and I do plan on seeing it at the Regal Riviera. But no, I'm not a fan of the kinds of movies that have been in the theatres the last five years or so. I saw most of the movies I've seen in theatres back in the 00's.

The big problem is an obvious one. Movies prices have climbed to the point that it's cheaper and easier for the average person to stream entertainment at home.

The last time, last month, that I went to the Riviera, they had self-service kiosks to pay for tickets, and one, maybe two employees in the lobby and at the refreshment counter. There was also not many patrons, despite several of the latest releases playing there. The movie I went to see had just ended its run there the day before. I looked at the eight choices they did have playing and walked out.

I remember going to see Olympus Has Fallen and American Sniper there in the 2010's, and the place was packed with patrons and had a full staff. I preferred buying tickets at the Gay Street windows from real employees, not a touch-screen kiosk.

A lot of the fun of going to the movies was going with lots of other enthusiastic movie-goers who were excited to be seeing the movie! How about Star Wars in 1977? That was easily the most fun I've ever had at a movie theater.

I am counting three theatres that have closed since the Knoxville Center Regal in late 2019. The latest two, just in the last two months. There will be more.
 
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