The past few months were especially busy on the East Nashville business front — closings and moves were plentiful, as were brand new businesses welcoming visitors, established names expanding with new East Side locations, and East Nashville-bred brands moving outside our side of the river.
NEW AND NOTEWORTHY
MICKEY’S TAVERN NOW HAS A SIBLING in Madison called Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge. The new joint expands on Mickey’s “It’s just a bar” mantra with live music and more food offerings, but fear not — the same neighborhood bar vibe we’ve grown to know and love about Mickey’s still applies.
“The newest, most thrillingist retro hotspot” is located at 102 E. Palestine Ave. For those of you without Google Maps, it sits behind the purple home of Jenni’s Adult Bookstore just across Due West on Gallatin. More at deeslounge.com.
In the Fatherland District, new apparel and accessories boutique The Panacherie joined the fray in mid-August, taking over Suite 204 at the Shoppes on Fatherland.
Inside the shop, you’ll find stylish women’s/ teens’ clothing, plus jewelry, bags, home goods, and more, curated by the literal mom-and-pop owners: CeCe and Wayne Clark, who run the shop alongside daughters Shannon, 22, and Sophie, 11 (an unofficial employee, but, Mom says, a big help with stocking cool preteen stuff).
The overriding approach is “classic designs and basic pieces that have a unique flair at an affordable price,” CeCe told us, with a shop vibe that was influenced by “the quintessential dress shops of the ’30s and ’40s . . . a place where women can be a little pampered and have fun shopping while they sip a glass of wine or a cup of coffee.”
The Panacherie is located at 1006 Fatherland St., #204, and hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, Sunday 1 to 5. East Side business incubator The Idea Hatchery welcomed a new resident in September: “Bohemian Artisan Retreat” Camp Gypsy took over 1106-G Woodland St., offering art, clothing, home goods, and more, all with a funky, handmade slant.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Take a closer look at what they’re doing on Instagram: @campgypsy.
Also in September: New restaurant The Terminal Cafe opened its doors at the former Khan’s Desserts space, 733 Porter Rd., joining Pony Show, DCXV, Pomodoro East, and others in the Shops at Porter East development.
On the Cafe menu: breakfast, sandwiches, soups, salads, caffeinated beverages, and more. They’re also pairing up with a mix of other neighbors, serving baked goods from Sweet 16th, pasta from Nicoletto’s, and more.
Hours at Terminal Cafe are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, Saturday 8 to 2. More at theterminalcafe.com.
Toffee/candy makers Walker Creek Confections moved into a larger space in The Idea Hatchery — 1108 Woodland St., Suite A — and celebrated with an open house in late September.
It’s not their only excuse to celebrate: The Tennessee-bred company, whose kitchen is located in Watertown, added another location in October, in The Factory at Franklin. Check out what they’re making at walkercreektoffee.com.
East Nashvillians have long grumbled about the neighborhood’s dearth of solid Chinese food options, and things got a little better in early October, when Southern-inspired Chinese restaurant TKO opened its doors in Inglewood at 4204 Gallatin Pike.
At the new eatery — noteworthy also because it’s the area’s first to eschew tipping — chef Ryan Bernhardt serves familiar fare with a twist, from bao buns that riff on biscuits and gravy to fried chicken with a sweet and sour glaze.
TKO is the first resident of the new commercial development at Gallatin and Riverwood, and its hours are 6-11 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. More at tkotn.com.
East Siders in need of quality eye care and stylish eyewear have a new place to visit: Look East, led by Doctor of Optometry Kathleen Brasfield and her husband, Joe, opened at 1011 Gallatin (the former Lost Century Vintage space) in early October.
The Brasfields carry independent eyewear brands exclusively, and offer a full line of prescription lens services, too. “We were very specific with what we wanted and what we think people in East Nashville would really want,” Joe Brasfield told us the week of the opening. “We tried to get everything from funky and colorful to classic and simple frames.”
Look East is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays, 9 to 6 Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 to 3 on Fridays and 10 to 3 on Saturdays. More at lookeastnashville.com.
After a long wait (we’ve been talking about this since June 2015), The Station — the rehabilitated, renovated, and reimagined circa-1938 fire hall near the now-shuttered Walmart on Gallatin — is open.
Karen Goodlow Designs announced the completion of the new “place for creativity, community, and coffee” at 1220 Gallatin Ave. in September, and invited neighbors in for an unveiling and a celebration.
Goodlow’s interior design firm is headquartered in The Station’s Engine Bay, and as of this posting, there was still availability for leasing creative suites and private studios in the building. More at thestationnashville.com.
After sister business Hocus Pocus Beauty Boutique moved out of the neighborhood, Good Sister Bad Sister Studio and Boutique took over 914-A Woodland St., offering an array of makeup services — bridal and prom all the way to character makeup — plus hair styling, faux lashes, and more.
Makeup artist/image consultant/self-professed “Makeup Ninja” Jaiya Rose runs GSBS, and also stocks local art, accessories, and gifts in her new place. Check out more at makeupninja.biz.
Also in October, Cleveland Park’s Madeline reopened, in a sense — new owners kept that first name, but added a different concept, rechristening 1224 Meridian St. as Madeline Pizza and Pasta and debuting a menu stuffed with those titular dishes. Among the classic items on the menu: lasagna, ziti, calzones, stromboli and, yes, pizza.
The laundrocafe version of Madeline opened in early 2015, and closed abruptly that July, after just five months in business. Hours at the new Madeline are 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. on Saturday, and 11 to 11 on Sunday.
As of Oct. 15, East Nashvillians have an easy way to grab 100 layers of donutty goodness, as Five Daughters Bakery’s new East Side edition opened its doors at Walden where Cumberland Transit East was formerly located.
The new place at 1900 Eastland Ave., Suite 101, joins Daughters’ sister locations in Franklin and 12 South.
Hours for the East Nashville location are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday, 9 to 10 on weekends. (If they sell out early, though — which happens — the doors close early.) More info at fivedaughtersbakery.com.
New children’s shop The Crazy Kukla Boutique is now open at 1900 Eastland Ave., Suite 102 (right by Two Ten Jack and the new Five Daughters Bakery, etc.).
This is actually a second location — the first Crazy Kukla is on the square in Murfreesboro. And although the two will be similar, stocking clothing and gifts for babies and kids, owner Kim Simpson told us that the new shop will have “more fashion- forward clothing” and more boys’ stuff than its Rutherford County counterpart. More at thecrazykuklaboutique.com.
We shared news back in March about East Nashville cycling studio Verticity, and its plans to open in the Farrow at Five Points development at 10th and Russell. Those folks are now open, sharing cycle-centric classes and workouts, but in a different, pop-up location. In late October, Verticity welcomed riders into Verticity Underground in the Shoppes on Fatherland: 1006 Fatherland St., Suite 208. More at verticitynashville.com.
CLOSINGS AND MOVES
HEARTS ALL AROUND NASHVILLE broke some weeks back, as news of the closing of longstanding Inglewood soul-food stop Bailey & Cato made the rounds.
Bailey family matriarch Linda Bailey told us that she and husband Robert had retirement in their sights, and that the restaurant would close at the end of October.
Diners from all over the city (and beyond) made a pilgrimage to 1307 McGavock Pike for years to grab the Bailey family’s meat-and-three fare, and the restaurant earned some well-deserved critical praise, too: For one, food writer/Iron Chef judge John T. Edge called their fried cornbread one of his top 10 dishes of 2012 in Garden & Gun magazine.
A little something to buffer the bummedout mood: Linda Bailey also told us that we may not see the last of her family’s kitchen skills, as her sons were looking to open up a place in town, ideally in early 2017.
Another long-running Inglewood business announced its final days recently, too: After 41 years at 1201 Greenfield, day care Progressive Children’s Center closed up shop, welcoming neighbors in for a big sale of toys and other trinkets East Side kids have enjoyed through the decades.
Children’s Center chief Terry Mooneyhan and his sister, assistant director Lamar Bauman, are retiring. Public records show that well-known developer March Egerton purchased the property in September; we reached out to see if he was willing to share his plans for the location, but hadn’t heard back at press time.
Nearby, Gallatin Avenue dive fooBAR shut its doors abruptly in September, with word breaking shortly thereafter that it’d open with a new name and new concept: the colorfully (and snakily) painted Cobra. The doors quietly reopened at 2511 Gallatin Ave. at the start of October, and things are now rolling as usual. To keep up with shows/events, search The Cobra Nashville on Facebook.
East Side art haunt Gallery Luperca closed its doors at 604 Gallatin Ave. at the top of September, too, but they’re not gone for good.
Co-chief Sara Lederach — who wrangles Luperca alongside Katie Wolf, and helped bring the monthly East Side Art Stumble art crawl to our community — told us that they’re working on securing a new home. Inthe meantime, they stayed alive in pop-up form in September and October, hosting Nashville painter Donna Woodley’s solo exhibition, “What’s In A Name?” at Riverside Village’s Fond Object.
“We may pop-up at Fond or another space near (East Nashville gallery) Red Arrow for November,” Lederach said, “but are really planning to use the next months to further build the Art Stumble and get our plans laid for our reopening in late winter.”
When the new, not-popped-up Luperca is ironed out, fans should have a lot to clap about. “The new space will allow us to further our commitment to community building and accessibility,” Lederach told us, “housing not just Gallery Luperca, but making space for other businesses and artists that are being pushed out of our neighborhood by unchecked development.”
Keep up with the latest at facebook.com/galleryluperca.
Luperca wasn’t the only East Side gallery change: After a year in the cozy Shoppes on Fatherland, the photo-focused gallery Modern East ended its run in August with a final exhibition, showcasing the talents of owners Jennifer Stalvey and Brandon Felts and others.
“It has been our pleasure to share and display a rich variety of photography styles, mediums, and subject matter over the past 12 months,” a goodbye message read. “Thank you to all of those who shared their work, to those who have regularly visited the gallery, and to those who collected original photography.”
Another Shoppes on Fatherland change: After a three-year run, the doors at Hempopotamus closed in August, with owner Kim Hussey-Ross shifting her business to Internet- only sales.
Fans can still purchase Hempopotamus’ locally made, industrial hemp-derived products at hempopotamus.com. The “only” should be a temporary thing, too — when we checked in with Hussey-Ross, she said she was working on bringing some of her wares to local retailers’ shops, so East Nashvillians would still be able to grab stuff in person. (Interested biz folks should reach out to info@hempopotamus.com.)
Sawtooth Print Shop packed up its East Side home in early September, too, but not to close, just to move to a new space across the river. The letterpress design/print studio moved to 2100 Dunn Ave in Berry Hill.
“It’s a bittersweet feeling to leave the East Side and the community we feel so supported by,” a Sawtooth social post said, “but the times are changing and we want to be around for a long time despite the current no-holdsbarred development going on all over town.”
Sawtooth began in an Inglewood garage, then moved to 604 Gallatin Ave. before this latest move. You can keep up with what they’re doing at sawtoothprintshop.com.
East Nashville-based cloth diapering service Smile Mommy! was another autumn loss — it closed in October after a warehouse sale at its now-former home, 1013 Gallatin Ave. The shutdown was the result of great news, though: Owner Kelly Bacher is the new mother of twin girls, and her growing family needed more of her attention.
“We are so sad to move on from it, but are lucky to have had the chance to share one of our passions with so many new parents and babies,” Bacher said.
The final East Nashville days of Little Octopus will be upon us as you pick up these pages — the last dinner service inside POP, 604 Gallatin Ave., Suite 202, is Nov. 20.
LO is moving to the former Ru-San’s space in The Gulch, and was initially set to close in late July, but build-out delays pushed that back (lucky for its East Side devotees). An opening date for the Gulch location hadn’t been announced at press time, but it’s expected soon, along with news about the new concept taking over POP.
Another one skipping the East Side for western climes: Fat Bottom Brewing closed its East Nashville taproom at 900 Main Street in October, to get its new, bigger facility in The Nations going.
The new place is expected to open in November, housing an expanded brewing program (including sour and barrel-aged beers), a restaurant called The Hop Yard, a small event space called “The Reserve” and a filling station they’re calling “The Nations’ Tiniest Beer Store.”
Porter Road Butcher, meanwhile, announced intentions to close some doors, but luckily for us, they’re not the East Side ones. The Tennessean reported in October that the Sylvan Park location would be shuttering, so PRB’s owners could focus on their East Side flagship. The neighborhood butcher shop is due to get an expansion, and charcuterie line, too, the paper said.
COMING SOON
BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS, YOU may be mere days away from finally getting to step inside long-in-the-works-and-anticipated beer bar and record shop Vinyl Tap, located in the former home of The Family Wash at 2038 Greenwood Ave.
Owner Todd Hedrick initially hoped to get the place open this past spring but was delayed due to the extensive renovations undertaken. The totally redesigned space will be ready for prime time on Nov. 25. Keep up with the latest at vinyltapnashville.com.
In early October, we learned a little more about GReKo Greek Street Food, long in the works at 704 Main St. When we first heard about the place — aiming to bring the “authentic flavor and spirit from the streets of Greece to the Athens of the South” — word was that a summer opening was in the works.
When summer came and went, we wondered if the place fell through. But happier times: Things are moving along, and the latest hope is for an opening this fall. The sign is up, and according to an update from those folks, interior work was humming along.
“Our crew has been busting their butts to get work done so that GReKo can finally open its doors,” the update read. For more, visit grekostreetfood.com.
Work is also underway at the former Riverside Drive Church of Christ at 1530 Riverside Drive. Video production and web development/design firm SnapShot Interactive is reinventing the circa-1937 structure to use as their new HQ, and keeping a focus on maintaining the historic aesthetic.
General manager Bart Mackey told us their goal is “to just be really respectful,” keeping the building’s front facade more or less the same, with small additions to the back.
“We’re really excited about the historic aspect of it,” Mackey said, “so we want to do as little as possible.”
Once the reno is complete (Mackey is hoping for February 2017), the building will have a fully outfitted video studio, editing bays, and room for about 60 employees in a large, open work area.
The garden level space and mezzanine may end up housing coworking members or other tech-focused startups (those plans were still in the works), and Mackey expects SnapShot’s home to also host regular, community- focused events, like techie workshops and local artist spotlights. Check out more at snapshotinteractive.com.
Another historic property that may get new life: The Nashville Post reported in September that an investor group had purchased the historic Roxy Theatre at 827 Meridian St., and had plans to develop a restaurant and/or live entertainment venue there.
“We’re enamored with the history associated with the building,” group spokesman Elliott Kyle told the publication. “Geographically, we feel it is inevitable the Mc- Ferrin/Cleveland Park district goes through a revitalization and we hope to have a hand in that narrative over time.”
One of the East Side’s most popular burger- and-beer spots is getting a Williamson County cousin, too — Brentwood Home Page reported in September that a second The Pharmacy Burger Parlor & Beer Garden was in the works in the former Lyrics Restaurant space in The Factory at Franklin. The original Pharmacy opened here in the neighborhood in 2011.