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

[Wireless1]

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!

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Seems like there was a Shoney’s on Broadway

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Seems like there was a Shoney’s on Broadway

Still there. 2nd paragraph.

 

[CAVPUT]

Not Knoxville, but I do love the honesty. Wish we had more retailers who would speak the truth like this.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Not Knoxville, but I do love the honesty. Wish we had more retailers who would speak the truth like this.

AI keeps getting more realistic. In another year or two nothing should be believed.

 

[LadyVolette]

The Orangery… loved

 

[Ted]

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.

I thought more about Mad's original question, or at least what I thought it was, and found this article: We were flooded with notes about Knoxville restaurants you miss the most - here they are

 

[Ted]

The Orangery… loved

Volette, this is from the Knoxnews article I linked above. I loved the Orangery also!

6. The Orangery
Described by a reader as "white table cloth dining at its finest," the French restaurant closed in 2016 after almost 40 years in business. Located at 5412 Kingston Pike, the restaurant is remembered as a great place to celebrate occasions like anniversaries and birthdays.

 

[MAD]

Volette, this is from the Knoxnews article I liked above. I loved the Orangery also!

6. The Orangery
Described by a reader as "white table cloth dining at its finest," the French restaurant closed in 2016 after almost 40 years in business. Located at 5412 Kingston Pike, the restaurant is remembered as a great place to celebrate occasions like anniversaries and birthdays.

I was in a carpool with the daughter of the owner back in Jr. High.

 

[Ted]

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?

The one on Clinton Hwy was on the corner of Merchants and Clinton, where the Merchant's Corner development by Graham Corp. is located nowadays. The building was still there, as a former White Store, in 2003. I don't remember exactly when it was demolished for the Graham development, but I would say late-2000's. Below is a screen capture from Street View See More Dates from August, 2007. Not much to look at there but it's the building at least.





Same corner in 2024:

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

The one on Clinton Hwy was on the corner of Merchants and Clinton, where the Merchant's Corner development by Graham Corp. is located nowadays. The building was still there, as a former White Store, in 2003. I don't remember exactly when it was demolished for the Graham development, but I would say late-2000's. Below is a screen capture from Street View See More Dates from August, 2007. Not much to look at there but it's the building at least.

It seems like we've talked about Cas's store locations previously in GBNF (Gone But Not Forgotten), but I am off to bed and will research that and other internet sources about Cas locations tomorrow, and will edit/update this post. Long weekend..

View attachment 682156

Same corner in 2024:

View attachment 682160

I see that it was owned by SuperX drugs.

It’s odd that it was a White Store. White Realty was their real estate business and typically owned the store property. They still own Bearden Center and must lease the space to Food City.

 

[Ted]

TGO, I moved to the NW Knox area in 2003, so I do remember seeing that building as a closed White Store. The building certainly looked more like a drugstore, like a SuperX, vs. a supermarket. I agree. At any rate, let's focus on the other Cas locations. I have not had a chance to research those this week but will soon.

White Realty still owns some of those old Cas and White Stores locations, notably the one in Cumberland Estates on Western Avenue. That was a White Store, which became a Food City, which is now a Karm Store.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

TGO, I moved to the NW Knox area in 2003, so I do remember seeing that building as a closed White Store. The building certainly looked more like a drugstore, like a SuperX, vs. a supermarket. I agree. At any rate, let's focus on the other Cas locations. I have not had a chance to research those this week but will soon.

White Realty still owns some of those old Cas and White Stores locations, notably the one in Cumberland Estates on Western Avenue. That was a White Store, which became a Food City, which is now a Karm Store.

I’m not aware of White Realty owning former Cas Walker buildings, but I wouldn’t say it’s not possible.

2537 Chapman Highway and 7511 Chapman Highway appear to be old Cas Walker stores where the original CW buildings are still standing. 2537 looks like it is now 3 spaces and 7511 is a The Bed Store location.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

4664 or 4678 Old Broadway could be another CW spot.

There’s probably another one on the right hand side of Magnolia/Asheville Highway.

Cas’s stores were trashy, but his structures must have been well built to survive something around 50 years (so far) after the grocery stores closed.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

He had 27 stores all over the region.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

It looks like the fuel pumps at the White Store/Food City/KARM Store on Western Avenue (5763) were just removed in the last couple of years. White Realty still owns the KARM building.

I’d guess that Cas had a store on Western Avenue in the MLB area.

 

[feathersax]

He had 27 stores all over the region.

Grew up watching that morning show on WBIR-TV. The old "coon-hunter" was a hoot.

 

[Ted]

It looks like the fuel pumps at the White Store/Food City/KARM Store on Western Avenue (5763) were just removed in the last couple of years. White Realty still owns the KARM building.

I’d guess that Cas had a store on Western Avenue in the MLB area.

I wasn't in Knoxville back in the Cas Walker heyday. I saw the commercials on Knoxville TV from up in Kentucky.

I am not the person to say where the stores actually were, TGO. I defer to you on this topic.

 

[Ted]

I see that it was owned by SuperX drugs.

It’s odd that it was a White Store. White Realty was their real estate business and typically owned the store property. They still own Bearden Center and must lease the space to Food City.

It was what it was. My understanding was that building was a White Store. It may not have been. I will leave that to you to figure out. At any rate, that building is long gone these past 20 years.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Virginee

 

[DrRosenRosen]

RIP Steak and Shake at Turkey Creek.

 

[PandamoniumReigns]

RIP Steak and Shake at Turkey Creek.

Glad that dump is gone. Stuff was awful. Just my opinion.

 

[SouthKnoxVOL]

Is the Bel Air Grill still around over on Alcoa Highway? .....I loved that place growing up

 

[@1RBFjr]

Is the Bel Air Grill still around over on Alcoa Highway? .....I loved that place growing up

No, but there's one in Halls. Just as good, IMO.

 

[Ted]

RIP Steak and Shake at Turkey Creek.

And Emory Rd in Powell off exit 112.

 

[MAD]

1974