NEW AND NOTEWORTHY
The past few months brought a burst of creative new flavors to the neighborhood — both literal and figurative — and that looks to continue through the fall.
New East Side brewery East Nashville Beer Works — led by District 7 Metro Councilman Anthony Davis and brewmaster Sean Jewett — held its grand opening party in early August at 320 E. Trinity Lane.
The names of the introductory brews at their new East Nashville taproom underline East Nashville Beer Works’ “Beer is Community” motto: Pours of an American wheat beer called Cumberland Punch, their Woodland Street Session IPA, and others offered a delicious buzz and a nod to home.
Along with their titular beer, visitors can also grab artisan pizza and salads at ENBW’s taproom, which includes a stylish inside space and a large, family-friendly outdoor beer garden.
The initial focus is on serving Beer Works brews out of their taproom home, with flights, pints, and “shorty” pints available there. But you can cater your home imbibing, too — they do growlers and can “crowlers,” and kegs and half kegs. Down the line, they’re aiming to be on local taps and on local craft beer sellers’ shelves, as well. For more, visit
Walker Creek Confections has opened in the space formerly occupied by Hello Boys at 1108 Woodland St., Suite G in The Idea Hatchery. The retail store brings small batch, hand-crafted candies made in Watertown, Tenn. to the neighborhood. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Learn more at walkercreektoffee.com.
Dose Cafe & Dram Bar opened its doors in late July at 1400 McGavock Pike — the former Watanabe space in Riverside Village, vacated in late 2014.
This new Dose is a sister to proprietors Keith Steunebrink and Heath Henley’s first location on Murphy Road near West End. And like the original shop, our Dose offers high-quality coffee (from roasters like Counter Culture Coffee and Intelligentsia) and a food menu to accompany. Since the East Side space has a larger kitchen than its older sister, Dose East is able to spread out a little on the food side, expanding from sandwiches and salads to items like Boudin Balls with pepper jelly and smoked oyster aioli and all sorts of housemade pies.
We’ve got that “Dram Bar” thing, too, so we may be looking at a nice cocktail menu by the time this hits stands (at press time, Dose was still waiting on permits to get that going).
Hours at the East Nashville Dose are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. More at dosenashville.com.
Local upscale burger brand Burger Up opened its new East Side stop at 970 Woodland St. in mid-July, taking over the space formerly occupied by The Turnip Truck.
At the new restaurant, you’ll see menu favorites from the flagship Burger Up in 12 South, like the Benton’s bacon-decked Woodstock burger and fried mac & cheese bites, plus desserts that show East Side love, like an Olive & Sinclair chocolate brownie and Jeni’s ice cream duo. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday to Sunday. More at burger-up.com.
In late June, long-loved tacos-and-more spot Mas Tacos added even more to the “and more,” opening up a cantina component and slinging margaritas, Micheladas, and other adult beverages. Expanded hours came along with the addition, too; these days, they’re keeping the doors at 732 McFerrin open until 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday (opening at 10 a.m. on Saturday, 11 other days). Keep up at facebook.com/mastacos.
Still on the literal flavor side: New Shoppes on Fatherland bakery Couture Cakes & Sweets opened at 1006 Fatherland St., Suite 206, in late July.
Those folks specialize in near-Ace of Cakes-fancy custom-designed cakes and cupcakes, plus a mix of other sweets, like brownies, cookies, Chess squares and chocolate-covered apples. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Learn more and/or place your custom order at designyouacake.com.
Couture got a colorful neighbor in mid-August, as Gift Horse, “Nashville’s spot for paper goods & gifts,” opened up at 1006 Fatherland St., Suite 301.
At the Gift Horse helm are designers Jessica Maloan (former proprietor of East Side paper goods shop PULP and one of Porter Flea’s cofounders) and Andy Vastagh (of Boss Construction), and those two have stocked the cute shop with lots of handmade/local/regional goods, from greeting cards and art prints to jewelry and ceramics.
The two owners are longtime East Nashvillians, and they tested the Gift Horse waters a while back with some branded pop-up shops inside East Nashville’s Sawtooth Print Shop. That all reinforced a feeling, Maloan told us, that “our neighborhood really needed a place to showcase some of our most talented local artists and offer unique and affordable gifts.”
Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 to 6 Saturdays and noon to 5 Sundays. More at gifthorsenashville.com.
Some cool new additions for creatively minded East Nashvillians, too, starting with a trio of new neighbors: Turnip Green Creative Reuse, Make Nashville, and Platetone Printmaking, Paper and Book Arts relocated to our side of the river in late July, sharing a space at 947 Woodland St.. All three organizations contribute to Nashville’s creative community in different, but complementary ways.
Turnip Green Creative Reuse’s focus is on finding ways to make arty use of unwanted residential/industrial materials — like fabric, metal, and wood scraps — keeping it out of landfills and putting it into the hands of artists and teachers at low to no cost.
They host workshops and events, and partner with schools, teachers, and artists, and have a retail space stocked with reuse-ready supplies. Learn more about what they do at turnipgreencreativereuse.org.
Meanwhile, member-run collective Make Nashville focuses on “all things Maker, Hacker, Coder, and Builder,” with classes, events, and workspace available in their all-ages, nonprofit makerspace. Inside their doors, you’ll see everything from circuit-bending to woodworking to sewing to 3D Printing. Info on the space, events, and membership options at
Platetone is a little more self-explanatory, with print/paper/book arts in the foreground, and like Make Nashville, they offer workspace, workshops, and more.
Their fundamental purpose: “to support local artists, inspire and create new artists, and serve as a local institution for all things book, paper, and print.” More on those folks at facebook.com/platetone.
Turnip Green president Kelly Tipler told us that the spacemates were all really excited to move East from the other side of the river.
“Make first saw the space (on Woodland) and invited Turnip Green and Platetone to explore the opportunity,” she said. “Turnip Green immediately knew the groups would be great collaborative partners and that East Nashville would be the perfect home for our creative missions. East Nashville has a creative vibrancy that we appreciate and are honored to now be part of on a larger scale.”
More new neighbors with an educational bent: Local “active transportation” advocacy organization Walk Bike Nashville moved into a new space at 943 Woodland, so their efforts to expand the walkability and bike-ability of Nashville are now headquartered on the East Side.
Workshops and classes are part of their mission, and an update from the Walk Bike folks indicated that their new home offers the opportunity for expansion on that front: “The much enlarged office space will better accommodate conferences, workshops, meetings, and supplies for our events and education programs,” the move-missive said. More at walkbikenashville.org.
Good news for neighborhood pet lovers, too: The Pet Community Center on Doctor Richard G Adams Drive is set to double its surgical capacity, after a successful crowdfunding campaign.
The organization, which offers low-cost spay/neutering and other services for dogs and cats, had hit its limit, seeing 700 animals per month, and turned to the community for help growing their space. The funds will allow the center to add a second surgery table (and the tools to go with it), and accommodate two veterinarians working in the space at once. Learn more at petcommunitycenter.org.
CLOSINGS AND MOVES
We are sad to say goodbye to Idea Hatchery shop Hello Boys, whose doors were closing at press time.
The cozy men’s vintage store had been in the Hatchery hub at 1108 Woodland for four years, offering clothing, accessories, and more.
Co-owner Gavin O’Neill encouraged us against any bummage, though — he and partner Jeremy Ryan were just ready/excited for new adventures that the busy life of shop owners didn’t accommodate.
“Hello Boys has been the best four years of my life,” he said. “I never imagined I’d be able to open up a store at the age of 22. It completely changed my life and allowed me to tap into resources that continue to pay forward to me.”
As mentioned above, the new occupants will be Waller Creek Confections.
This go-around, we also have the unusual opportunity to revisit some past moving updates.
Back in May, we passed along Porter House Bistro’s announcement that a search for a new location had begun, after lease negotiations at 1115 Porter stalled. In June, we got fresh news that the French-inspired restaurant would be staying put. So if you’re looking for your PHB fix, head right back to the place you know.
Hours are 5-9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 5-10 p.m. on Friday, 10 to 10 on Saturday and 10 to 9 on Sunday. Regular updates at facebook.com/theporterhousebistro.
In June, we also shared news about neighborhood restaurant Little Octopus picking up from pop-up spot POP (604 Gallatin Ave., Suite 202) in July, and winding its way over to The Gulch to take over the former Ru-San’s space.
That’s still in the works, but we’re getting a bit of a Little Octopus stay — in August, those folks announced that the restaurant would remain in the POP space through the fall, move date TBD.
“Well, what can we say? …. We live in a booming metropolis and building a restaurant takes time,” the announcement read, “but luckily we have POP and we get to stay until our forever home is ready.”
If you’d like to dine with Little Octopus before they leave, they’re open 6-10 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.
When Little Octopus does go Gulch-ward, plans are for a new restaurant concept to take over POP. No specifics on that yet.
COMING SOON
Bad news for diets, good news for sweatpants: Ferociously decadent local sweet-slingers Five Daughters Bakery is working on a third location, taking over the former Cumberland Transit space at 1900 Eastland Ave. (Outdoor/active gear retailer Cumberland Transit closed its East location in early 2016, after almost two years in
that space.)
An exact opening date wasn’t set yet at press time, but early September was the hope. And once those doors do open, Five Daughters will be bringing along their trademark creations, including the 100 Layer Donut, which those folks accurately describe as “like America and France made slow sweet love and had a
pastry baby.”
The family-run business’ other locations are in Franklin and 12 South, and a bunch of East Side businesses — Ugly Mugs, Barista Parlor — have been serving their baked goods here in the neighborhood for a while, to much acclaim. Keep up with the latest from Five Daughters at fivedaughtersbakery.com.
On many an East Nashvillian’s most-wanted list: good Chinese food options in the neighborhood. Music to those ears: Former Margot chef de cuisine Ryan Bernhardt and City House GM Anne Bernhardt are working on opening a new Chinese restaurant with a Southern slant, called TKO, at 4204 Gallatin Pike.
An early menu peek on the Inglewood restaurant’s website, TKOTN.com, included twice-cooked pork ribs, succotash fried rice, steamed buns, and lots more. Though that won’t necessarily be what’s on plates come opening day, it’s an indication of the blend the husband and wife team is going for. At press time, a fall launch was the aim.
While we’re up in Inglewood, keep an eye out for a big expansion over at Sinkers Wine, Spirits & Beer. In late June, those folks announced plans to more than double the size of their shop at 3304 Gallatin Pike, adding on two adjacent spaces and growing into a two-level, 20,000-square-foot home for East Nashville imbibers.
Plans include: expanded wine and beer selections, beer and wine taps with growler service, cigars, specialty food items, and more.
“It’s going to look totally different,” owner Bill Sinks said in a release. (And so will the rest of the complex — a new stone facade and lighting were among planned improvements.)
All told, it should take six to eight months, but Sinkers will remain open during the renovation. More at SinkersWineandSpirits.com.
Another space aiming for a fall opening: Urban Cowboy Public House, a bar and restaurant in the cozy building behind the Urban Cowboy B&B at 1603 Woodland St.
Owner Lyon Porter told Noble Nashville that a 2,000-square-foot indoor space, 3,000-square-foot patio, and a permanently parked food truck are in the works for/around the building, which was originally a stable house.
If you haven’t had a look at the changes over at that property since Porter took over (it used to be Top O’ Woodland), drop by urbancowboybnb.com.
Come October, we should be welcoming The Soda Parlor to East Nashville, too. The ice cream/floats and clothing shop was shutting its doors on Clinton Street in Marathon Village at press time, with plans to set up at 966 Woodland St., next to the East Side Burger Up.
Also aiming for an October opening in that new Woodland spot: new pet food shop Pet Wants Nashville, at 962 Woodland St.
Their approach is different from other pet stores in the area, in that they won’t carry other brands, but their own “carefully developed proprietary pet food,” plus treats, supplements, and other all-natural pet items.
Pet Wants is a growing chain, launched out of Cincinnati, and this’ll be the first Nashville location. Keep up at petwantsnashville.com.
In late July, The Tennessean reported that Andy and Chad Baker (who brought us The Dog Spot and Spot’s Pet Supply, among other businesses) were working on renovating 811 Gallatin Ave., to house up to three “restaurant, retail, even office” tenants.
The Nashville Post reported in August that a Holiday Jones boutique hotel was still in the works for East Nashville — an 805 Main St. location with 64 rooms was first talked about, but plans have shifted to a 100-room hotel taking over 809, 811 and 813 Main St.