Matters of Development
The Tennessee Titans are exploring the possibility of building a new stadium, according to AXIOS Nashville.
A 0.6-acre property at 949 Main St. sold for $3.9 million to local development company ZMX Inc., which is planning a mixed-use building for the property, according to the Nashville Post.
Asphalt Beach Skate Shop reopened at its former East Nashville location Saturday, nearly two years after the March 2020 tornado destroyed the building, according to WPLN.
Plane Jane cocktail bar opened at 1315 Dickerson Pike. (It’s cashless, so bring a card.)
Alex Griffin, co-owner of Eastwood Deli Co., has signed a lease and will be opening a new restaurant at 701 Porter Road (the former location of the Pomodoro East Italian restaurant, which closed following a March 2021 fire). Griffin says the “eclectic” sister restaurant to Eastwood Deli Co. will serve steaks, fish, pasta, and more. Griffin’s longtime catering business, Alexander’s Catering, will also operate from the new location.
The owners of East Nashville record store The Groove have ended their bid to buy the shop’s Calvin Avenue property, and more than $25,700 donated to a GoFundMe campaign will be returned to donors, according to the Nashville Scene. Owners Michael Combs and Jesse Cartwright say they have no plans to close the business or move.
All People Coffee, Nashville’s first Black-owned coffee and beverage shop, opened at 347 Douglas Ave., Ste. 101, according to The Tennessee Tribune. All People Coffee serves coffee and specialty drinks and has a self-pour beer wall with 12 local brews on tap.
Gov. Bill Lee’s proposed budget includes $40 million to extend Cleveland Street to the River North site of the incoming Oracle corporate campus, according to AXIOS Nashville. The project will extend Cleveland Street from Dickerson Pike to Cowan Street and will include an I-24 underpass.
Snooze, An A.M. Eatery will celebrate the opening of its new 969 Main St. location by offering free food and non-alcoholic drinks Feb. 18-20, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Denver-based breakfast chain’s soft opening event will benefit local charities Fannie Battle Day Home For Children (Feb. 18), Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee (Feb. 19), and W.O. Smith Music School (Feb. 20). RSVP to reserve a spot for parties of six or less.
The 5 Spot And Others Do Away With Vax Requirement
The 5 Spot announced last week that it would be retiring its proof of COVID vaccine/negative test requirement this week, and more venues followed suit.
The 5 Spot announced on Instagram Feb. 10 that “the ongoing decline of COVID cases in Davidson County” is the reason behind the popular East Nashville venue’s policy change.
However, “so long as COVID continues to pose an endemic threat, we encourage everyone to take reasonable precautions as they see fit,” the post reads.
The 5 Spot was the first venue in East Nashville — and of more than a dozen music venues city-wide — to adopt a vaccination/negative test policy last August.
Wednesday, Exit/In announced that it would, effective immediately, no longer be requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test for every show (noting that it may still require vax/test proof for shows already announced and that moving forward the venue will comply with artists’ policy requests).
“Believe it or not, we are more excited than you to see these policies begin to disappear and normalcy return to concert experiences, as metrics continue to improve … the past years have been extremely challenging,” said a post on the Exit/In Instagram page.
The Springwater announced on Instagram last week that beginning Feb. 14, it would be putting the vaccine/negative test checking “on pause,” citing “the declining number of positive cases in Nashville.” The historic dive bar says bands can still request the venue to check for a vax/negative test.
Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge in Madison also stopped requiring proof of vaccination/negative test recently.
However, not all venues appear to be retiring their COVID policy at this time.
Taylor Cole, booker for East Nashville’s East Room, as well as Mercy Lounge/The High Watt, said he had no new info regarding a change in COVID policy requiring vax/negative test at the venues he works with.
Drkmttr did not respond to questions by deadline, but the all-age venue’s social media did not indicate a policy change.
Michael Grimes, co-owner of The Basement and The Basement East said shows booked as of Feb. 14 will have COVID protocols or not, per the artists’ request. Shows announced prior to Feb. 14 will still have the venues’ COVID protocols in place.
East Nashville venues such as The Underdog, The Cobra Nashville, and the American Legion Post 82 never adopted a COVID vaccine/negative test requirement.
The Music Venue Alliance of Nashville, a trade organization representing over 15 independent Nashville venues, offered this statement:
“Many of our members have experienced devastating downturns in business as shows canceled and fans stayed home due to omicron. In recent weeks, however, attendance is on the rise. As many local independent venues begin to sunset entry requirements, our organization stands in solidarity with all members and their individual business decisions. Together we will continue to nurture Nashville’s vibrant and diverse live music ecosystem and creative working class.”
Gilda’s Gang 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run Slated For April 2 At Shelby Park
The 2nd Annual Gilda’s Gang 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run, benefiting Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee’s free cancer support program, is to take place Saturday, April 2 at Shelby Park.
The event will open at 7:30 a.m., at Riverview Shelter at Shelby Park — Shelby Avenue & S. 20th St. — with the 5K beginning at 8 a.m. The 1-Mile Fun Run will begin at 8:30 a.m. Both runs are untimed.
Post-run fun will last until 10:30 a.m.
Registration is $35, and free for children 12 and under. The event will raise funds for an essential Middle Tennessee nonprofit in honor of the late Dr. Gail Addlestone, who developed and led one of Gilda’s Club’s most successful and long-running fundraisers: Gilda’s Gang, a half-marathon training program.
Addlestone first became involved with Gilda’s Club as a volunteer. Having lost her own mom to ovarian cancer, she was passionate about the nonprofit’s mission from the very start. Then, just a couple of years later, she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.
As Addlestone endured surgery, chemo, radiation, and more, she took on her second role at Gilda’s Club: member. She participated in the weekly moms' support group and opened the door for Gilda’s Club to serve her father, husband, daughter, and friends.
Sadly, Addlestone soon had to stop practicing medicine. At this time, she changed roles yet again and became a Gilda’s Club staff member, serving in a way that combined her two passions: exercise during cancer treatment and supporting Gilda’s Club.
While she accomplished much while working for Gilda’s Club, Addlestone is perhaps best known for establishing what would later become Gilda’s Gang – a half-marathon training program and fundraiser that raised more than $1.3 million for Gilda’s Club between 2006 and 2017.
Since her death in 2007, Addlestone’s legacy has been recognized by Gilda’s Club in several ways. Gilda’s Gang was named in her honor, and she was celebrated posthumously with the Nancy Saturn Award of Inspiration in 2011. Additionally, the Dr. Gail Addlestone Community Building Award was created in 2018 and is presented annually.
The 2nd Annual Gilda’s Gang 5K is being generously supported by media from the East Nashvillian, as well as support from Caffé Nonna, and Run Nash.
For more information about Gilda’s Club of Middle Tennessee visit https://gildasclubmiddletn.org.
United Way Needs Volunteers For Raise Your Hand Tutoring Program
United Way needs volunteers to tutor Williamson County students struggling in reading and math, specifically in Spring Hill, Tenn., and Fairview, Tenn.
Tutors serve before and after school alongside teachers to help first-through-fourth grade students who are struggling with reading and math. Volunteers commit to one hour per week for up to 10 weeks tutoring students individually or in small-group sessions. No teaching experience is required, and training is provided. High school students looking for volunteer hours are encouraged to apply.
“We rely so much on our volunteer tutors to listen to and coach each child to success in the classroom,” said Sonya Johnson, Manager of Education Initiatives at United Way. “Our tutors help break down learning barriers that so many children face — especially during the pandemic — and help them gain the tools they need to be confident learners. This program could not happen without the support of our dedicated volunteers.”
Since 2012, Raise Your Hand has partnered with administrators and teachers at Williamson County Schools and Franklin Special School District to implement free tutoring sessions. For the 2020-21 school year, volunteer tutors helped 251 students from 12 elementary schools.
Participation is free for students, thanks to dedicated volunteers and generous grants from the Volunteer Generation Fund, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. To learn more about Raise Your Hand or to become a volunteer, visit unitedwaygreaternashville.org/raise-your-hand.
Mayor Cooper, Metro Nashville Ask Residents for Feedback
What is it like to visit a Metro Parks community center? How convenient is the checkout service at Nashville Public Library? How easy is it to catch a WeGo bus?
Mayor John Cooper and Metro Nashville’s departments are looking for those answers and more as they deploy community-wide customer experience surveys, which are open now.
“Like any enterprise must do, Metro government is reaching out to our customers — asking the people we serve to help identify how we can deliver better and more efficiently,” Mayor Cooper said. “As any successful small business or company must, city government will continue to earn our customers’ confidence — and that starts with asking for their feedback and ideas.”
Surveys take two minutes or less to complete; go to hubNashville to participate.
Quick Bits
- Metro curbside trash pickup delays continue.
- Pop star Dua Lipa was spotted at Dino’s Monday.
- An East Nashville personal trainer charged with taking naked pictures of women without their knowledge has been ordered by a judge to stop working at gyms, according to News 4 Nashville.
- Around 100 runners raised more than $6,000 at the Cupid’s Chase 5k event in East Nashville Saturday.
- East Nashvillian contributor and rock ‘n’ roller Tommy Womack teamed up with Jon Latham and the Lifers to record a song from Womack’s band Government Cheese, benefiting Kentucky tornado relief.
- Bully has announced one final show at Mercy Lounge — which is closing in May — on April 2.
Love Buzz
Michaela Anne “Who You Are”
Michaela Anne’s mom taught her, in a world where love can so often be focused on fairytales, to explore “what it means to really see someone you love, without the lens of how you want them to be for you.” Around Christmas 2020 when Michaela was newly pregnant for the first time, she and her mom took what would be their last walk together.
Just a few weeks later, Michaela's mom suffered a debilitating stroke and was hospitalized for months in an induced coma. As Michaela watched her father transition to a caretaker role, she realized love can change. It showed her the ultimate lesson her mother has been trying to teach since day one — the importance of loving not for your own gain ... a concept which makes for a key line in “Who You Are” and was a resounding message throughout Michaela’s experiences during a very challenging year.
