Spring and early summer were busy with openings in East Nashville, from restaurants to beauty stops, along with some shutterings and East Side musical chairs.
NEW AND NOTEWORTHY
The long-talked-about GReKo Greek Street Food opened its doors at 704 Main St. in late June to lots of local acclaim, with a mix of dishes “inspired by the street-side eateries of Athens” coming out of a kitchen led by chef Sal Avila (late of Prima, City House, and others).
Specifically, Avila and team specialize in dishes that will be familiar to lovers of Greek food — souvlaki, tzatziki — with meats cooked over a live fire, stuffed (if you choose) in a pillowy house-made pita. For extra East Nashville flair: Their initial dessert offering featured Pied Piper Creamery Greek frozen yogurt, topped with Baklava crumbles, honey or sour cherry syrup.
The restaurant has an open, low-key dining room with seating for 40, and an expanse of al fresco eating space in its large back courtyard. Doors are open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 to 11 Friday and Saturday. Explore GReKo’s offerings at grekostreetfood.com.
June also brought the opening of Marathon Pilates/b well massage/p3 physical therapy, at 968 Main St. (the former Horner Rausch Optical Co. space). The three companies/ space-mates share a goal of working toward “alignment, balance, movement, efficiency,” and “whole-body health,” and do so via their three respective offerings (pilates, massage, and physical therapy, if the names didn’t tip you off). More at marathonpilates.com, p3nashville.com, and bwellmassage.com.
Hopefully by the time this issue is in your hands, you’ll also be able to visit the Cafe Roze, New York chef Julia Jaksic’s new cafe-style restaurant in the former Porter House Bistro spot (1115 Porter Road). Jaksic is best known for NYC’s Employees Only, which New York mag calls a “West Village hot spot with an old-world speakeasy feel.”
As this issue was going to press, Jaksic was eyeing a July opening for Roze. She told the Nashville Business Journal to expect breakfast and lunch to start, then an all-day cafe approach (salads, sandwiches, eggs and bacon, and lots more) as things get settled. The restaurant’s internet home is at caferoze.com.
Pet parents might want to take note of the new Mutts & Meows, a pet supply shop that opened at the beginning of July at 935 Woodland St., Unit H, behind High Garden Tea. They’re stocking cool collars, pup fashions, all kinds of holistic food and treats, and more. And if the location’s not convenient enough for you, bonus: They deliver around here, free with a minimum order of $30 ($3 otherwise). The shop’s open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Get to know Mutts & Meows at muttsandmeows.com.
Maeva Movement had its grand opening in June at 604 Gallatin Ave., Suite 204, offering classes, workshops, and personal training with a focus on pilates, yoga, and dance. They’re shooting for “empowering individuals through the freedom of alignment and sprinkling it with creativity and fun.” More at .
In late May, the Walden development on Eastland got a new beauty and wellness-focused resident: Lemon Laine, at 1900 Eastland Ave., Suite 102. Led by founder Laura Lemon, a longtime “beauty junky” with a background in holistic nutrition and makeup development, the shop shares natural supplements, skincare products, makeup, and more. It’s open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 10 to 8 Friday/Saturday, noon to 5 on Sundays. More at lemonlaine.com.
Nashville salon Parlor & Juke branched out with a second location, opening at 1101 Riverwood Drive in April. Their stylists offer cuts, color, and more, and the doors are open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 9 to 6 on Saturdays. More at parlourandjuke.com.
Also in April: Nursery/produce market The Crop Shop opened its gates at 900 E. Trinity Lane, offering plants and flowers, as well as locally farmed fruits and vegetables. The Shop’s open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 to 6 on Saturday, and 11 to 5 on Sunday. Keep up at facebook.com/cropshopnash.
MOVES AND CLOSINGS
Defunct Books locked up for good at 118 S. 11th St. in late June, but the used bookshop isn’t shutting down, just moving down the way. At press time, owner Greg Delzer was in the process of moving to a cozier space in the Idea Hatchery, at 1108 Woodland St., the former home of Camp Gypsy. (The Gypsy folks recently moved to a larger Hatchery space.) Delzer opened the South 11th Street shop in 2015, after running Defunct Books out of Iowa City, Iowa, for several years. Keep up with the latest at facebook.com/defunctbooks.
Defunct wasn’t the only East Side bookstore making moves this summer. Her Bookshop, open for about a year in the Shoppes on Fatherland, moved out of its cozy space in June, and was prepping at press time for a move to a larger location, at 1043 West Eastland Ave., #104. Owner Joelle Herr said the larger space would allow for more inventory and more events, and that she hopes being on a busier thoroughfare can help Her Bookshop “become a true neighborhood bookstore.” As we were going to print, Herr was hoping to open the new space in late July/early August.
While Her Bookshop was prepping to move, fellow East Nashville bookshop East Side Story was gearing up for its last month open at the Idea Hatchery. In late June, owner Chuck Beard announced plans to shut the doors at 1008 Woodland St., Unit B, on July 29, after five years there.
Beard noted, however, that neighbors haven’t heard the last of East Side Story — he plans to keep the long-running live reading/ live music series East Side Storytellin’ going after the shop’s shuttered, and he said in an announcement that he has “a couple of next level plans in the works, too.” Read the full goodbye message and keep up with the latest East Side Story news at eastsidestorytn.com.
Another Shoppes on Fatherland business making a move: Clothing/home goods shop Whiskey Water is also growing, but staying in the Shoppes. At press time, the smaller Shoppe was about to shutter, and plans were for a grand opening in the bigger Shoppe, Unit 103, on July 8. They’re at shopwhiskeywater.com, digitally.
In late June, East Side bakery Couture Cakes & Sweets closed its Shoppes on Fatherland doors at 1006 Fatherland St., Suite 206. The company’s still up and running, despite the shuttered space, offering custom cakes while looking for a new place to call home. Neighbors interested in commissioning cakes/sweets can explore/order at designyouacake.com. The Fatherland space opened in July of 2016.
The YWCA’s 2616 resale boutique was set to close its doors at the end of August, after three years in its space at 2616 Gallatin Pike. The clothing shop was opened with the aim of creating a revenue-generating business to help fund the YWCA’s women-focused aid work, but ultimately, an announcement said, “We have been unable to generate sufficient revenue to achieve the financial goals that were set.” The organization’s Dress for Success initiative, aimed at helping local women get professional attire, will continue in Nashville, out of the YWCA’s Woodmont offices.
Bagel Face Bakery closed its doors at 700 Main St. in late May, after more than a half-dozen years of slinging the hole-y baked goods here in the neighborhood. No official announcement about the closure was issued, but they did offer a brief tweet reply of “Bagel Face Bakery is no longer in business.”
COMING SOON
Peace Love and Paws, a “brand-new, 8,500-square-foot facility offering a loving home-away-from-home for your beloved fur babies,” is in the works at 1221 Brick Church Pike (off Trinity and just west of Interstate 65). Longtime pet sitters Ann and Darlene Jacobs-Anderson are behind the facility, which’ll be offering daycare, boarding, and grooming for dogs, and cat boarding, seven days a week (including holidays). The space will be fully climate-controlled, with indoor and outdoor play areas. At press time, they were shooting for an early/mid-August opening, barring any more hiccups. Keep up with the latest/get to know Peace Love and Paws at peacelovepawsnashville.com.
In late June, the Nashville Post dropped early hints on the new Nashville Urban Winery, in the works at the former Stephen’s Auto Paint and Body shop at 715 Main St. Details were still pretty scarce, but plans were for a combo restaurant/bar/boutique wine stop just across the way from the new GReKo Greek Street Food. Keep up with our blog at theeastnashvillian.com for more details as we know them.
In June, The Tennessean shared news of New York-based music mastering mavens Sterling Sound coming East Nashville’s way. They’re working in a space at 805 Meridian St. in McFerrin Park, the paper said.