Celebrate Our 10th Anniversary With Us!
It’s our 10th anniversary, and we’re celebrating with a very special print edition. The new issue of The East Nashvillian will be showing up in street boxes and other regular distribution points next week!
In addition, you can also snag a copy by ordering any of the deluxe merch we’re now offering through our webstore. Place your order today!
Weiss Liquors — A Sign of Recovery
One of the landmarks of East Nashville is returning to life this weekend. For 70 years, the Weiss Liquors sign has welcomed visitors to the East Side. From its original location at 218 Meridian St. to its home since 1961 at 824 Main St., the big brown jug pouring out neon spirits has seen the rise, fall, and rise of one of Nashville’s most diverse and vibrant neighborhoods.
That’s why it was so emotionally devastating to many East Siders when the March 3 tornado brought the colorful fixture of the East Nashville landscape crashing down in a matter of seconds.
“I was devastated and my parents were devastated [by the loss of the sign],” Weiss Liquors owner and manager Anne Nicholas Weiss says. “My grandfather designed the sign and my grandmother picked out the colors. It really means a lot to us to have had everybody chip in and work with us on getting it back in place. It feels like it’s been a year, but to get the sign back up in less than nine months is a testament to the people that worked on this project.”
Working with the Nashville-based design and fabrication company Fortify, Weiss and her father tasked Fortify owner, Nick Redford, and his associate, Kyle Davis, with restoring/recreating the historic landmark.
Advertisement
“It’s not in the exact same location because we had to move back from the sidewalk a little,” Weiss says, “but they were able to replicate it to within an eighth of an inch. It is all new pieces for structural integrity, but the original panels we were able to save will be installed inside the store. We were also able to match the original paint colors, which means it will look a little different from what people were used to because the original colors had weathered over the years.”
Installation of the new sign began on Monday, with the first lighting planned for Saturday, November 28, at 5 p.m. After almost nine months of hard times and hard work Weiss has just one thing on her mind. “Right when the sun goes down, we’re hoping to hit those lights and turn it on for the whole neighborhood,” she says.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Weiss Liquors sign lighting will be an informal event, and spectators are asked to view the sign from a distance and maintain COVID-19 guidelines of wearing masks and maintaining six feet of distance from others. For updates, visit Weiss Liquors on Instagram.
Time to Nominate the East Nashvillians of the Year!
Know someone or a business that is making East Nashville a better place to live? The Historic East Nashville Merchants Association is now accepting nominations for the East Nashvillian of the Year award for 2020 in both the Business and Individual categories. These annual awards honor those individuals and businesses, or business owners, that exemplify the true spirit of being a good neighbor — those who actively seek to make East Nashville a better place.
For example, check out our profiles of last year’s winners — Delgado Guitars owner Manuel Delgado and community activist, Marilyn Greer — and peruse last year’s nominees and previous winners at the HENMA website.
So look around and see who you think is worthy of this honor, and submit your nominations at the HENMA ENOTY Nomination page. And be sure to act fast, the deadline for nominations is Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020.
Advertisement
Grammy Awards Nashville Style
The Recording Academy announced the nominees for the 2021 Grammy Awards this week and it was no surprise that many Nashvillians were included in the roster. Here are just a few:
John Prine (cover feature ”The Whole Damn Family” about Oh Boy Records for the 2018 Music Issue) earned two posthumous nominations for his song “I Remember Everything” in the Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song categories.
Brittany Howard (featured on the cover of our 2017 Women In Music Issue for Warren Denney’s story on Bermuda Triangle)wowed the Recording Academy members receiving five nominations, including Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song for “Stay High,” Best Alternative Music Album for Jaime, Best R&B Performance for the song “Goat Head,” and Best American Roots Performance for the song “Short and Sweet.”
Nashville-based producers Dan Auerbach and Dave Cobb each earned a nomination for Producer of the Year (Non-Classical).
While tracking down all the Nashville nominees is a daunting task, our buddy Mike Grimes of The Basement East and Grimey’s posted this handy list to Facebook of nominees with Nashville connections. While not all of them are East Nashvillians, they’ve all certainly spent some time on the East Side.
Courtney Marie Andrews
Brothers Osborne
Luke Dick
Luther Dickinson
Natalie Hemby
Sarah Jarosz
Marcus King
Pat McLaughlin
Maren Morris
Tom Overby
Katie Pruitt
Gary Paczosa
Matthew Ramsey
Dave Rawlings
Sturgill Simpson
Billy Strings
Taylor Swift
Daniel Tashian
Kai Welch
Gillian Welch
Lucinda Williams
For a full list of the 2021 Grammy nominees, visit grammy.com.
Advertisement
Have a Holly Jolly and Safe Holidays with Caroling for Kids!
A reminder that the 104th Annual Fannie Battle Caroling for Kids officially kicks off on December 1 and will run through December 24. This major fundraiser for Fannie Battle’s mission of combating poverty and building better futures for children has been an annual tradition since 1916, and this year’s event is going virtual. For more info, visit the Caroling for Kids webpage.
Spread the Green This Winter!
From now through December 31, the Turnip Truck is giving customers the opportunity to add to their totals and donate to Nashville Tree Conservation Corps and their mission to replace trees downed by tornadoes. Every tree planted with funds raised through Turnip Truck’s campaign will be marked with a tag bearing the store’s logo.
“Turnip Truck exists to support the well-being of our neighbors,” founder and CEO John Dyke says. “Maintaining Nashville’s tree canopy is imperative to the livability of our community – and the beauty of the city we call home. With East Nashville losing so many majestic trees in this year’s tornadoes, this was a natural partnership for us.”
For more information on the NTCC and their efforts visit nashvilletreeconservationcorps.org.
Advertisement
Quick Bits
- Congratulations to Julia Jaksic on the opening of her new market and cafe, Roze Pony, in the Belle Meade Galleria complex at 5133 Harding Pike. The sister business to Jaksic’s East Side eatery Cafe Roze, Roze Pony serves breakfast/lunch/brunch from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, and dinner 4-10 p.m. For more info and a look at their menu, visit rozepony.com.
- Mitchell Deli has made a number of changes recently to improve safety for customers. In addition to online ordering for carryout and delivery orders, there is a separate door to bypass the walk-up order line. Their registers have been moved closer to the door and socially distanced seating is available both inside and out, with additional seating added in what was formerly the driveway on the west side of the building.
- Construction is expected to begin in December on Williams Station, a 51-townhome residential project 302 Williams Ave., in Madison. The 3.16-acre property will feature three-bedroom, two-bath townhomes priced for buyers of modest incomes with prices in the low $200,000s. Construction is expected to be complete by late 2022.
- The four-bedroom, 3,000 square foot modernist house at 21B Fern Ave. that was ground zero for the August 1, 2020, COVID-19 superspreader event known as “The Fashion House Party” was listed for sale this week. For a good time, visit any East Nashville-related Facebook group and check out the comments.
