In a short time, East Nashville’s sushi options will be doubling. Midtown favorite Ken’s Sushi is moving to 923 Main St., perhaps by the end of summer. Opening this fall at 1886 Eastland Ave. (next to Ugly Mugs) is Happy Belly, a unique Asian gastro pub inspired by the Japanese izakaya, a local pub where people go for small plates and drinks and to catch up after work. Happy Belly will feature gourmet ramen, yakitori and sushi, craft beers, sake, wine, handcrafted cocktails and shￅﾍchￅﾫ. Another creative new restaurant/bar offering will be The Treehouse on Clearview Avenue at 5 Points, opening in August just behind Margot. Owner Corey Ladd has ties to the house: his grandfather, Hall of Fame musician Buddy Spicher, built the tree house on the property. The food is described as “locally sourced and seasonally changing.”
If breakfast is your ticket, check out Glazed, a new doughnut shop, operating from inside the Myridia restaurant at 5th and Main. Owner Joe Clemons brings fresh doughnuts from his family bakery in Lebanon, along with coffee from Drew’s Brews, and is open 7-10 a.m. weekdays. Two more sweet shops, Yeast Nashville and Nashville Sweets, will open in East Side Station, the former Bank of America building at 805 Woodland St. Those pastry calories can be worked off nearby at DanceEast, which has moved to East Side Station from its former space on Gallatin Road. For healthier breakfast types, Haulin’ Oats is the newest tenant at The Idea Hatchery, 1108 Woodland St. They offer individual portions of organic oatmeal made with almond butter and coconut oil. Local favorite Bongo Java has moved its roasting operation to the Gulch, helping to expand the current café space to serve more patrons. The expansion includes a new kitchen that will be serving a three-meal menu, similar to the one at Fido in Hillsboro Village. They also plan to utilize the open lot next door, which will provide outdoor seating and additional parking. Eventually there are plans to build out the front of the building to the sidewalk, perhaps as early as first quarter 2014. The Post, a new coffee/smoothie/juice joint with an in-house bakery near The Pharmacy on McFerrin/West Eastland, is still working through zoning and codes but hopes to have an announcement shortly. Kernels Gourmet Popcorn is now open at 2501B Gallatin Ave. Their website shows 12 flavors that you can pick up, order online or have delivered. Hours are Tues-Fri 11-7, Sat 11-5.
Porter East, the former convalescent home at the intersection of Eastland and Porter, experienced tremendous growth in the last year. Some recent additions to the growing list of tenants: Nashville Piano Rescue East offers salvaged and restored vintage and antique pianos, along with custom refinished pianos, in addition to unique vintage and antique furniture; Rhed Rholl is an independent record label and record shop with select musical instruments and equipment; Unbound Arts hosts a gallery and gift shop featuring new and vintage collectibles; Prema Collection, coming in September, will have high-end and sustainable world furnishings and home goods.
Discover more handmade furniture, as well as custom countertops and signage using reclaimed wood, from quirky woodsmith Greg Spurgeon at East Side Reclaiming, next to Edley’s BBQ on Main Street; open by appointment. Jessica Hodges and Mandy Judge have opened Hummingbird, which features handmade jewelry, found and repurposed objects, art and vintage items. The store is located behind Top O’ Woodland, open Wed-Sun 10-3 and by appointment. Hey Rooster General Store beckons with a funky little storefront now open at 1106 Gallatin Ave., offering fine home goods. Their store hours are Mon, Wed-Sat 11-7, Sun 12-5. The Main Attraction East has opened at 937 Woodland St. It’s the second location of the popular “Fine Goods Emporium” based in Tupelo, Miss.
Joshua Stump and Chris Hayzlett are opening a new cigar lounge called Smoker’s Abbey at 604 Gallatin Road, Suite B. Hours are Mon- Thurs 10-10, Fri-Sat 10am-midnight, Sun 1-10. At the corner of Sharpe and Gallatin, the Baker Brothers are expanding their empire with Spot’s Pet Supply going in directly across the street from The Dog Spot. They plan to open in October with food, supplies and a DIY dog wash. Specs Optical recently relocated from the Green Hills Mall to 224 S 11th St. in the 37206 building. Owner Susan Kistler has fallen in love with the neighborhood and wanted to be a part of its business community. Store hours are Tues-Sat 10-6, Sun. 12-5. At Center 615, developer Christian Paro has finished and leased at least 20 of the office suites at 615 Main St. This development is a much-needed concept for individual and collaborative office space in the neighborhood.
Down by the river at 750 Cowan St., Soundcheck Nashville is building two brandnew, state-of-the-art sound stages, both of which will be 160-feet x 140-feet x 70-feet tall. Designed for feature film, television production and tour rehearsal, they will be the first stages of their kind in Tennessee. Contractors are completing build-out on The Bridge Building next to Cumberland Park, with The Cumberland River Compact occupying the 3rd floor. The large industrial building at 400 Davidson St. is being considered for either an electric go-cart facility or some other type of family-friendly entertainment.
Hobson United Methodist Church at 1107 Chapel Ave. has a contract on the property; the buyer has plans for a multi-unit residential redevelopment.