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

[Thunder Good-Oil]

It sounds like the Foundry is still a viable business. The owners just want to slow down and cash out.

 

[tbh]

There's a place in my hometown, Salaam Seafood, that served fried chicken sandwiches the same way. A fried leg quarter on white bread with lettuce, tomato, mayo, hot sauce. Same with fish sandwich. Whole fish (likely bream or crappie). Only the experienced could eat a fish sandwich and expel the bones in the process of eating.

You had to specify 'filet' sandwiches. Only place I ever got bone in fried chicken sandwiches, and they were excellent. Learned it from the folks in the cotton mill. I learned how to eat them after I got laughed at for picking the meat of the bone to make my sandwich.

They also had a fried fish salad that was simple and near religious experience. Lettuce, fried catfish nuggets, and thousand island dressing. I loved that salad more than life itself. I try to imitate it. Local chinese joint has fried fish nuggets on lunch buffet. I'll go there and make my own fish salad best I can with what I got.

Salaam Seafood, Griffin, GA. They also have whole catfish, fried shrimp, all the fixins, fried fish filets, etc. If you ever pass anywhere near Griffin, this is a must detour. If I'm lyin', I'm dyin'.

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Thanks! I travel to Griffin about once a month for work; I'll put it on my lunch list.

 

[MAD]

This is a list of restaurants in downtown Knoxville back in 1988.

How many do you remember and how many of these are still around?

 

[Ted]

This is a list of restaurants in downtown Knoxville back in 1988.

How many do you remember and how many of these are still around?

Thanks for posting, MAD. Gosh, 1988 was 36 years ago- an eternity in the restaurant business.

The only places on that list still around are:

1) Bistro at the Bijou - still a very good place to eat, but has changed ownership at least once, I think twice, in the intervening years. link
11) Red Fez Deli - it left the downtown area and is now located out on Magnolia, across the avenue from the Pizza Palace. link
27) Chesapeake's - still the same. link
36) Pete's Coffee Shop. Still the same with a new owner, as of summer 2024. link
48) Ruby Tuesday - the downtown location is long gone, but the chain is hanging on, as a much-diminished form of itself. The only locations close to Knoxville are out Chapman Highway and on Alcoa Hwy near TYS. link
50) Calhoun's (On the River) - Will always be there barring some catastrophe! At the time of this listing, 1988, it had just opened. link
51) Knoxville Riverboat Company - Still in operation, now called Tennessee Riverboat Company. link

Arguably the most missed here in Knoxville are Regas, Harold's, and Peroula's, although others here will add to a most-missed list. I was a huge fan of Regas, which was my introduction to fine dining in the early 80's.

 

[Ted]

Calvin Sneed! Thanks for the memory, MAD!

Calvin came on the air on WATE in 1975. He became the anchor of the evening news programs in 1979. I don't remember when he left WATE for Columbus, Ohio, but it was in the mid-80's.

He's retired now, and splits time between his homes in Chattanooga and Kingsport.

Here are a couple of articles:

Calvin Sneed

AnchorJoined Local 3 News in 2019

www.local3news.com

https://www.wate.com/news/local-news/wate-time-capsule-found-at-greystone-mansion-during-renovation/

 

[MAD]

Thanks for posting, MAD. Gosh, 1988 was 36 years ago- an eternity in the restaurant business.

The only places on that list still around are:

1) Bistro at the Bijou - still a very good place to eat, but has changed ownership at least once, I think twice, in the intervening years. link
11) Red Fez - it left the downtown area and is now located out on Magnolia, across the avenue from the Pizza Palace. link
27) Chesapeake's - still the same. link
36) Pete's Coffee Shop. Still the same with a new owner, as of summer 2024. link
48) Ruby Tuesday - the downtown location is long gone, but the chain is hanging on, as a much-diminished form of itself. The only locations close to Knoxville are out Chapman Highway and on Alcoa Hwy near TYS. link
50) Calhoun's (On the River) - Will always be there barring some catastrophe! At the time of this listing, 1988, it had just opened. link
51) Knoxville Riverboat Company - Still in operation, now called Tennessee Riverboat Company. link

Arguably the most missed here in Knoxville are Regas, Harold's, and Peroula's, although others here will add to a most-missed list. I was a huge fan of Regas, which was my introduction to fine dining in the early 80's.

You have a wonderful memory.

so interesting seeing the prices from 1988

 

[Ted]

84¢ Cheeseburger combo

MAD, thanks for posting the Blue Circle pictures!

On the sign is the name Wometco. That rang a big bell for me, as my family lived in Asheville for a couple of years in the late 60's. I saw the name often, as Wometco owned WLOS-TV in Asheville. They bought the Blue Circle chain in 1966 and sold it in 1974.

Blue Circle started in Knoxville. Here is Beth Kinnane's excellent (as always!) article in KnoxTnToday: Take me back to the Blue Circle From that article: "What became a 30- restaurant chain in East Tennessee was founded by Anderson County native C. Homer Longmire in 1931. He opened his first location on Henley Street between Western and Union Avenues."

There is still a Blue Circle in operation in Bristol, TN! https://bluecircledrivein.com/

Wometco: Wometco Enterprises - Wikipedia

 

[Ted]

You have a wonderful memory.

Thanks. I remember a few things, but mostly it's me taking time to research online and posting things here! It's a lot of fun. I would do more of it, but Volnation stops sending email notifications of replies if you don't visit a forum after they email you that someone replied, and I am bad about letting several weeks go by without checking in here.

 

[Ted]

Okay, while I'm here today, (and I do need to get going on other things!), does anyone remember a Knoxville photographer named Ron Warwick? He was active in the 70's and 80's, but passed away early due to cancer in 1988.

He did a LOT of wedding and event photography in the day. If you remember an annual wedding event show called "Bridal Fair" here in Knoxville, Ron was one of the co-sponsors.

If you want a real treat, listen to the theme song for the Knoxville Bridal Fair commercials during the 70's, "It's the Morning of Our Lives", by Arkade. Here's the Wiki for Austin Roberts, lead singer of Arkade. The band does not have much information at all online.

I remembered Ron Warwick from watching WBIR in the 70's. I was driving one day on Pershing St. in Knoxville in the early 2010's when I spotted the street sign at his old studio site. The building was gone. I did some research on him but found very little out there. He had been a member and president in 1985 of the Tennessee Professional Photographers Association. There are no pictures of Ron anywhere online that I've been able to find. But- I did take a picture of the studio sign, which is now gone as well as the building.

Someone mentioned to me a while back that Ron's employees kept the business going after his passing, but there was a fire there in the 90's and that was the end of the studio and the business.

 

[MAD]

Okay, while I'm here today, (and I do need to get going on other things!), does anyone remember a Knoxville photographer named Ron Warwick? He was active in the 70's and 80's, but passed away early due to cancer in 1988.

He did a LOT of wedding and event photography in the day. If you remember an annual wedding event show called "Bridal Fair", produced by WBIR-TV, Ron was one of the co-sponsors.

I remembered him from watching WBIR in the 70's and was driving one day on Pershing St. in Knoxville in the early 2010's when I spotted the street sign at his old studio. I did some research on him but found very little out there. He had been a member and president of the Tennessee Professional Photographers Association. There are no pictures of Ron anywhere online that I've been able to find. But- I did take a picture of the studio sign, which is now gone as well as the building.

Love the styling of the letters on the sign.

 

[Ted]

Love the styling of the letters on the sign.

So do I.

In the early 2010's, after I saw the Ron Warwick Studio sign, I located and talked to a couple of former employees of Ron's studio. One was, at that time, an employee of the UTK IT department, who had worked for Ron back in the 80's. He said he was going to remove the sign and take it home to preserve it. Apparently he never got around to it. I saw a Streetview pic, circa 2014, showing the sign had been vandalized and destroyed.

I would bet the person who created the Warwick sign is the same one who did a number of signs around town in that era. One that comes to mind is the Knox Glass sign at 2150 N. Central Street. The sign is still there, but Knox Glass went out of business some years ago. There is now a business called "Frog Juice Distribution" in that space.

Here is a pic of the Knox Glass sign. It looks like the larger sign with "Glass" on it has been broken out on the other side. We keep losing these old treasures of our time.



I

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

I think Calvin’s smoke show co-host was May Kay Beeler.

 

[Ted]

I have a small collection of photos, from various sources, of old places around Knoxville. I want to get them all on here on Gone but not forgotten eventually. Good topics for conversation here!

Here's another one for you: Star Sales, on North Central! Who remembers them?

My parents were in the grocery business in SE Kentucky in the 70's, and they would come down, shop at Star Sales at wholesale, and get baubles and trinkets and toys to sell. Year-round and at Christmas! This was back before Walmart and Amazon, of course.

We had a big ol' Buick Electra 225 with a huge trunk, and they would go home with that trunk completely full. Boxes and boxes of inventory. And sell it all!

Star Sales went out of business in 2012, probably because of imported items becoming widely available on the internet and at Walmart. John H. Daniel tailors moved in there from the Old City in 2013.

For a time, JHD kept the big Star up after taking the name sign down, but alas, the Star is now gone.

 

[MAD]

I have a small collection of photos, from various sources, of old places around Knoxville. I want to get them all on here on Gone but not forgotten eventually. Good topics for conversation here!

Here's another one for you: Star Sales, on North Central! Who remembers them?

My parents were in the grocery business in SE Kentucky in the 70's, and they would come down, shop at Star Sales at wholesale, and get baubles and trinkets and toys to sell. Year-round and at Christmas! This was back before Walmart and Amazon, of course.

We had a big ol' Buick Electra 225 with a huge trunk, and they would go home with that trunk completely full. And sell it all!

Star Sales went out of business in 2012, probably because of imported items becoming widely available on the internet and at Walmart. John H. Daniel tailors moved in there from the Old City in 2013.

For a time, JHD kept the big Star up after taking the name sign down, but alas, the Star is now gone.

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Loved hearing about your parents business and filling up the trunk.

 

[MAD]

I have a small collection of photos, from various sources, of old places around Knoxville. I want to get them all on here on Gone but not forgotten eventually. Good topics for conversation here!

Here's another one for you: Star Sales, on North Central! Who remembers them?

My parents were in the grocery business in SE Kentucky in the 70's, and they would come down, shop at Star Sales at wholesale, and get baubles and trinkets and toys to sell. Year-round and at Christmas! This was back before Walmart and Amazon, of course.

We had a big ol' Buick Electra 225 with a huge trunk, and they would go home with that trunk completely full. And sell it all!

Star Sales went out of business in 2012, probably because of imported items becoming widely available on the internet and at Walmart. John H. Daniel tailors moved in there from the Old City in 2013.

For a time, JHD kept the big Star up after taking the name sign down, but alas, the Star is now gone.

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I found the owners name, Howard Rabin. Here is an article on knives, and mentions him.

The Knife Edge: One Man, So Many Knives©

Blog about knives, edges, and the people who use them. Lets talk about life, meaning and beer.

knifesearch.blogspot.com

Excerpt:
Howard Rabin of Star Sales in Knoxville, TN, stepped up. Rabin was the U.S. importer of German-made Kissing Crane knives. His company wanted to be part of this new venture and eagerly made the 1200 knives Parker asked for.

 

[Ted]

Howard Rabin of Star Sales in Knoxville, TN, stepped up. Rabin was the U.S. importer of German-made Kissing Crane knives. His company wanted to be part of this new venture and eagerly made the 1200 knives Parker asked for.

Outstanding, Mad! I did not remember the owners' names. Howard and Marilyn Rabin. I remember Howard being a character- a tough little Jewish guy with a big voice and a big heart.

There is not a great deal to be found online. Apparently Howard and Marilyn also had Star Sales stores in the New Orleans area. On one page, I found this description of Star Sales, which is pretty accurate: "A wholesale outlet with variety: home decor, cookware, collector's knives, fishing tackle, and much more. Set aside at least an hour to stroll around, the place is huge... There aren't many places like this around anymore. " I do remember many display cases with knives and big displays of fishing rods and lures.

Howard Rabin passed in 2004, and Marilyn in 2009: Howard Rabin (1922-2004) - Find a Grave Memorial The Knoxville store closed in 2012.

 

[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 can’t say that I’m upset. Taco Bell is mighty fine.

No movement yet, over a year later, on the old White Store building TGO is referring to. No demolition or any signs of anything. It just keeps accumulating graffiti.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

No movement yet, over a year later, on the old White Store building TGO is referring to. No demolition or any signs of anything. It just keeps accumulating graffiti.

The Westwood Homeowners Association hired an attorney and blew up the developer’s plan. The drive thru window’s traffic backing up onto Kingston Pike was the critical argument. I think that the plans were approved by the planning staff if the Taco Bell does not include drive thru.

 

[Ted]

I don't think we've talked about the Shoney's restaurants in Knoxville. Yes, I know, probably not everyone's all-time favorite place to eat, but we've all had a few good meals at a Shoney's! I grew up with Big Boys, fries, and chocolate shakes!

There are still five Shoney's locations open in the Knoxville area. Chapman Hwy, Alcoa Hwy (at the airport), North Broadway, Emory Rd at I-75 exit 112, and Rutledge Pike.

Here are the ones that have closed, best guess on year closed, and what is there now.

1) 5420 Clinton Highway (2003) - Building remodeled, is now a Pizza Inn buffet.
2) 4410 Western Avenue (2021) - Building demolished, Sonic drive-in built.
3) 104 Walker Springs Rd (2018) - Building demolished, Sparkling Image car wash built.
4) 5220 Kingston Pike in Bearden (2000?) - After Shoney's closed, building was the home of Parker Brothers Hardware, then demolished. Aldi store built. (Parker Brothers moved to 150 N. Forest Park Blvd, then became an Elder's Ace Hardware.)

I think that's it, to the best of my knowledge. If anyone remembers another Knoxville location, or has exact closing dates, I'll edit this post and add to the list.

Here's a Shoney's photo gallery from Knoxnews.com, with an assortment of pictures: Iconic Shoney's closes in Bearden area

Below is a very nice 70's photo of the Bearden area with the Shoney's sign, courtesy of the Knoxville History Project Shoebox Shares. Gotta love a Big Boy Combo with Strawberry Pie for $1.99, or 58 cent per gallon gas!

 

[Ted]

Star Sales went out of business in 2012, probably because of imported items becoming widely available on the internet and at Walmart. John H. Daniel tailors moved in there from the Old City in 2013.

For a time, JHD kept the big Star up after taking the name sign down, but alas, the Star is now gone.

View attachment 680470

I'm pleased to post the following response from John H. Daniel, current occupants of the Star Sales building, to my email to them yesterday:

"Hello. We are pleased to tell you that the iconic Star Sales red star was carefully taken down and is now in the hands of a local private collector. Thank you for your interest."

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

I don't think we've talked about the Shoney's restaurants in Knoxville. Yes, I know, probably not everyone's all-time favorite place to eat, but we've all had a few good meals at a Shoney's! I grew up with Big Boys, fries, and chocolate shakes!

There are still five Shoney's locations open in the Knoxville area. Chapman Hwy, Alcoa Hwy (at the airport), North Broadway, Emory Rd at I-75 exit 112, and Rutledge Pike.

Here are the ones that have closed, best guess on year closed, and what is there now.

1) 5420 Clinton Highway (2003) - Building remodeled, is now a Pizza Inn buffet.
2) 4410 Western Avenue (2021) - Building demolished, Sonic drive-in built.
3) 104 Walker Springs Rd (2018) - Building demolished, Sparkling Image car wash built.
4) 5220 Kingston Pike in Bearden (2000?) - After Shoney's closed, building was the home of Parker Brothers Hardware, then demolished. Aldi store built. (Parker Brothers moved to 150 N. Forest Park Blvd, then became an Elder's Ace Hardware.)

I think that's it, to the best of my knowledge. If anyone remembers another Knoxville location, or has exact closing dates, I'll edit this post and add to the list.

Here's a Shoney's photo gallery from Knoxnews.com, with an assortment of pictures: Iconic Shoney's closes in Bearden area

Below is a very nice 70's photo of the Bearden area with the Shoney's sign, courtesy of the Knoxville History Project Shoebox Shares. Gotta love a Big Boy Combo with Strawberry Pie for $1.99, or 58 cent per gallon gas!

View attachment 680974

There was a different Shoney’s structure in Homberg in the 1960s. I don’t know if they built the building that became Parker Brothers on the same spot or if it was a little bit farther east. It was a drive-in with a smaller dining room.

There was also a different drive-in restaurant that still had the ruins of the covered parking spots until just a few years ago that was also in the general area. I forget the name.

 

[MAD]

I don't think we've talked about the Shoney's restaurants in Knoxville. Yes, I know, probably not everyone's all-time favorite place to eat, but we've all had a few good meals at a Shoney's! I grew up with Big Boys, fries, and chocolate shakes!

There are still five Shoney's locations open in the Knoxville area. Chapman Hwy, Alcoa Hwy (at the airport), North Broadway, Emory Rd at I-75 exit 112, and Rutledge Pike.

Here are the ones that have closed, best guess on year closed, and what is there now.

1) 5420 Clinton Highway (2003) - Building remodeled, is now a Pizza Inn buffet.
2) 4410 Western Avenue (2021) - Building demolished, Sonic drive-in built.
3) 104 Walker Springs Rd (2018) - Building demolished, Sparkling Image car wash built.
4) 5220 Kingston Pike in Bearden (2000?) - After Shoney's closed, building was the home of Parker Brothers Hardware, then demolished. Aldi store built. (Parker Brothers moved to 150 N. Forest Park Blvd, then became an Elder's Ace Hardware.)

I think that's it, to the best of my knowledge. If anyone remembers another Knoxville location, or has exact closing dates, I'll edit this post and add to the list.

Here's a Shoney's photo gallery from Knoxnews.com, with an assortment of pictures: Iconic Shoney's closes in Bearden area

Below is a very nice 70's photo of the Bearden area with the Shoney's sign, courtesy of the Knoxville History Project Shoebox Shares. Gotta love a Big Boy Combo with Strawberry Pie for $1.99, or 58 cent per gallon gas!

View attachment 680974

My aunt worked at that Shoney’s back in the late 60’s. They had the drive in back then.
See on the marquee which movies are playing? I saw both Network and Rocky in those theaters that are listed in this photo.

 

[MAD]

I'm pleased to post the following response from John H. Daniel, current occupants of the Star Sales building to my email to them yesterday:

"Hello. We are pleased to tell you that the iconic Star Sales red star was carefully taken down and is now in the hands of a local private collector. Thank you for your interest."

Very cool, thanks for sharing.

 

[smokey90]

Naples

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

I wonder how many of the old Cas Walker’s building still stand. I haven’t been down Chapman Highway for many years. One was the Disc Exchange (or next to it). Another was backed into the hillside at John Sevier Highway. The possible Taco Bell in front of the old Bearden High School and Bearden Junior High school was another. I don’t know if the CW building on Old Broadway is still there or the one on Central. I’m sure he had one on Magnolia too (always on the right hand side when driving away from downtown) but I don’t know where it was. He would have had one on Clinton Highway and maybe on Oak Ridge Highway as putting them on the major road out of downtown was his strategy. Alcoa Highway?