East Nashville food/drink fanatics have a lot to look forward to, from sweet treats to beer and mead. Good complement: Lots of new fitness and wellness businesses joining the neighborhood, too.
NEW AND NOTEWORTHY
Last issue, we mentioned that the folks revamping the former Bagel Face Bakery spot at 700 Main St. — East Park Donuts and Coffee — would be opening soon. How soon is now: The shop soft-opened in late August, and their team is now slinging donuts, coffee, and more at 700 Main St. Hours were still evolving at press time, but they’re sharing the latest updates on Instagram: @eastparkdonutsandcoffee.
All the donut details you could need: eastparkdonutsandcoffee.com.
Something fun for East Siders with little ones: Emily Arrow’s Singalong Shop — stocked with children’s books, storytime supplies, kid-friendly instruments and more — offered an early peek in August, at 1100 Fatherland St, #107, and was gearing up for a grand opening party set at press time for 1 p.m. on Sept. 8.
Shopkeep Arrow — a musician and soon-tobe published children’s book author, with several albums out and two books due via Penguin Random House in 2019 and 2020 — took over the former/longtime home of Thrive, which closed in the spring Mixing music and books has been her go-to: She started as an elementary music educator in Los Angeles, and the fun of sharing picture books with students during lessons blossomed into writing songs about her favorite books, then recording and sharing them at schools, libraries, and fests throughout the U.S. The shop is stocked with a bunch of Arrow’s own work, including her Storytime Singalong albums, and the work of other artists and creatives she’s drawn to. Arrow’s hosting more than browsing/shopping hours at her place too — lots of events are filling out the Singalong Shop calendar, including yoga classes for kids and weekly Storytime Singalongs. Learn more at thesingalongshop.com; listed hours: 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. (ish), Wednesday to Sunday.
Over at 521 Gallatin Ave., #2, fashion designer Natalie Busby opened a new design studio and storefront in July, where we can shop a mix of Busby’s own designs (like shirts, dresses, sweaters, and more) and pieces from other brands she loves.
The Busby originals are meant to be “versatile, well-made garments with everyday life in mind,” with a focus on sustainability, from textile choices to production practices. Busby is a relatively new Nashvillian, coming our way from Boston, Austin, Chicago and, originally, Alabama. She told us she kind of fell into opening a retail space here in the neighborhood. The intent, initially, was just to secure a studio.
“But when I found the space itself,” she said, “it just seemed like such a cool idea to have both a design studio and shop in one. It is so beneficial as a designer to work directly with customers. It is an incredible resource to have immediate customer feedback at your fingertips, and it helps me to stay connected with my audience.” Learn more at nataliebusby.com; shop hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
More on the fashion front: Phancee — a women’s clothing boutique stocking a mix that spans from cocktail dresses to custom T-shirts — hosted its grand opening in early August at 700 Fatherland St., the former home of gifts/decor shop Rustique. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday.
Two new East Nashville spots to get your nails beautified: Comfy Nails Zone ( 3026 Gallatin Pike in Inglewood) and CURED Nails (813 Gallatin Ave., next to the recently opened East Nashville Dental Co.) have both opened their doors recently. CURED, which saw its first fingers and toes in early August, focuses on mirroring “the expectations of a luxury spa experience,” with manicures, pedicures, and a variety of add-ons, including olive oil massages and charcoal masks.
Hours are currently 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and you can grab more info/make appointments at curednails.com. Their Inglewood neighbors, open the same hours/days, offer an interior that matches the name, and a full menu of services: “Dip, gel, acrylics, sugar scrub, paraffin wax, hot stone pedicure massage, rose petal water, we do it all,” a socials announcement from the Comfy kids said. Find them on Facebook or go the old-fashioned route and ring them at 615.750.2516.
Another new fitness spot joins the East Side: Yoga studio Zen Den recently opened in the restored fire station known as The Station, at 1220 Gallatin Ave. They’re offering classes and private sessions, along with meditation memberships that offer more broad access to their space. To learn more, visit zendennashville.com.
What good is it to be fit and fashionable if your dog’s dropping the style ball? Enter Hunter & June, a new East Nashville shop sharing “beautifully designed and unique products for dogs and the people who love them,” from T-shirts and bandanas to collars and leashes that’ll have your furry friend looking fittingly fantastic. The shop, run by husband-and-wife team Pete and Kalina Stormer, opened in late July at 727 Porter Road. The two are self-professed “crazy dog people” who wanted to offer wellmade, stylish pieces for folks like them. “When we shop for ourselves or for our homes, we are intentional about the quality and aesthetic,” Kalina told us. “Our goal is to offer that same experience for pet owners.” The shop is open now 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. For more/to shop online: hunterandjune.co.
In mid-July, the new Riverside Village Clinic grand-opened its doors at 1406B McGavock Pike. Run by healthcare provider Jennifer Campbell PA-C, the clinic is offering all kinds of “health hub” services, including vaccinations, general care, and women’s care. The new business has established Inglewood roots, too: It’s being managed by Riverside Village Pharmacy next door, and Kate Mills — the former owner of neighborhood vintage/décor shop Old Made Good — helped design the interior. Neighbors in need of a new health-care spot should check out riversidevillageclinic.com; they’re open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
For non-traditional wellness seekers, East Nashville welcomed another CBD-focused shop in August. CBD American Shaman is now stocking cannabidiol products aplenty, from gummies and cookies to tinctures and lotions, at 925 Gallatin Ave., Suite 103.
This brand has franchises in various states, including several in Tennessee. Lots more about what they sell (and the wellness benefits many CBD aficionados tout) at: cbdamericanshaman.com.
A welcome return: Little Octopus — an East Nashville restaurant before it was a Gulch restaurant — started slinging its menu on the East Side once again in late June. It’s just not a full Little Octopus setup, exactly: Its former/ newly reanimated home, POP Nashville, has added some trademark fresh, seasonal Little Octopus dishes to its “To-Go” setup, along with the already up-and-running Otaku Ramen menu. So if you’re looking for something light — ceviche, raw veg with tofu — either hit pop-togo.com or swing by 604 Gallatin Ave. for a to-go Little Octopus order, Wednesday through Saturday 5-10 p.m., Sunday noon to 10 p.m.
Not in the neighborhood, but of the neighborhood: Furnishings/home goods shop Apple & Oak, whose flagship is at 717 Porter Road in the Shops at Porter East, opened a second location in Hillsboro Village in August. They’re up and going at 1818 21st Ave. S. from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sundays and Mondays, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The original Apple & Oak has slightly different hours: noon to 4 p.m. Sunday and Monday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday. Explore more by visiting appleandoaknash.com.
In the same development as the new CURED Nails, Nashville craft beer builders TailGate Brewery have an East Nashville home coming online just as we go to press. Those folks already have several taprooms here in town (on Music Row and on Charlotte Pike), where they’re pouring a blend of approachable craft brews (golden ales and IPAs included) and some weirder, creative concoctions, like a PB&J Milk Stout. They’ve earned high local marks for food offerings, too, with a menu that leans heavily on pizza and pub food (wings and pretzels, at the ready). Hours at their new place, 811 Gallatin Ave., are 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11-11 Friday and Saturday. Lots more at tailgatebeer.com.
CLOSINGS AND MOVES
Cute and cozy Fatherland District shop Pom Pom Nashville announced in July that it’d be shuttering after two years in business here, at 1006 Fatherland St., Ste. 203. “Thank you all so much for love and the support you’ve given us,” a goodbye note from the Pom Pom socials said. “We will miss your smiling faces and be forever grateful.” The brand isn’t done, however — just the brick and mortar. Locals who felt particularly drawn to Pom Pom’s home goods, clothing, and accessories can still peruse and purchase online at pompomnashville.com.
Another summer closure: Atomic Nashville announced in August that it’d be closing its doors at 118 S. 11th St., after an almost three-year run, in two different East Nashville locations. Owner Dan Balog cited a mix of reasons for the shuttering, but pointed out that “showrooming” — browsing small business owners’ carefully curated shops to find good picks, but ultimately making purchases from monster retailers like Amazon — played a significant role. “Please know that when folks do this, they are telling the store owner(s) that all of those hours spent carefully curating a selection don’t matter, and that they couldn’t care less if that shop succeeds or fails,” he wrote. “If you find something you like on the shelves of an independent retailer, please BUY IT THERE!” The shop first opened in 2015, at 1603 Riverside Dr., reopening on 11th Street in late 2017.
Just a little move for East Nashville Chiropractic: In late July, they trekked next door from their old location, to a new office at 211 S. 17th St. That new place offers a lot more space, which helped them bring on new services and bring in new faces, including Stephanie Oakley, LMT, the new in-house massage therapist. Find out more by visiting: eastnashvillechiro.com.
COMING SOON
Definitely among the East Nashvillest of coming-soons to ever come our way: Local baker Beca Lewis Skeels, who’s been providing local vegans with all manner of sweet treats for a while now under the brand name Leeuw Bake Shop, is teaming up with pet rescue advocate Anna Talaga to open The Catio, “East Nashville’s one and only vegan retail bakery, cat lounge, and cat-safe plant shop.” Their new home: 1603 Riverside Drive, the first home of recently shuttered East Side shop Atomic Nashville.
On the bakery front, we should see a lot of the concoctions that have made Leeuw a popup success around town, including gourmet “pop tarts,” super-stylish cinnamon rolls and all kinds of impeccably decorated cookies and cupcakes.
On the kitty front, direct from Skeels’ socials: “We will be partnering with local rescues to bring adoptable cats into the lounge and to ultimately provide homes for these wonderful animals. … both Anna and I are passionate about animal rescue, community and CATS! Our primary mission always has been and always will be to promote responsible pet ownership, support animal welfare, and to help save more animals in need. We are grateful to now be able to do this via a unique, community-oriented space and serve our community in such an incredible way.” The duo hopes to get the Catio doors open this fall. In the meantime, fix your eyes on Skeels’ creations and get the latest opening news on Instagram: @thecationashville.
The Catio isn’t the only new East Nashville sweets name in the works. Down near 5 Points, in the old Mrs. Winners across from East High, local entrepreneur Shauna McCoy is busy building mini-donut-focused family business Donut Distillery. Like lots of local food brands, Donut Distillery started as a mobile business, and this location, 311 Gallatin Ave., will be its entry into brickand- mortar life. “We absolutely love East Nashville,” McCoy told us. “The community is vibrant, fun, exciting, and growing and the people are extremely nice and welcoming. All these qualities are what we aspire for our shop. A brick and mortar has been the dream from the beginning, we just needed to find the perfect home.” McCoy told us that, along with mini donuts in a bunch of crafty flavors (including whiskey-glazed and maple bacon), the Donut Distillery menu will also feature “great coffee, donut sundaes, craft beer, and wine.” She’s aiming to get the doors open by December. For more: donutdistillery.com.
East Nashville is just about flush with craft beer these days, and we even have our own winery in Nashville Urban Winery. So why not move on to mead? “Nashville’s Premier Craft Meadery,” Honeytree Meadery, has a new home brewing at 918 Woodland St. here in the neighborhood. Not familiar with the stuff? A little lesson straight from Honeytree heads Matt Loch and Ross Welbon: “As beer has grains and wine has grapes, Mead’s featured ingredient is honey. Traditional meads are most similar to wines, found between 10 to 12 percent ABV and can be sweet, semisweet, and dry. The main flavors of the mead typically come from the types of honey used (i.e. wildflower, sourwood, orange blossom), but adjuncts like fruit, spices, and herbs are also commonly found and can elevate the beverage to previously unattainable levels.” Loch and Weldon will be sourcing honey from their own hives and from local beekeepers, and through the summer, they’ve been busy brewing and bottling samples and getting the space ready. Hopes are to be open and serving by fall.
To learn more about what they’re up to: honeytreemeadery.com.
A little more than a block over from our new mead-making neighbors, at 922B Main St., we’re welcoming a new hot spot for gamers who like to keep it old-school: pinball-and-pints bar No Quarter. East Nashvillian Seth Steele and friend/former coworker Scott Holdren — both hardcore pinball fans — are opening the new business, and “going for just a neighborhood bar feel,” Steele told us. In the cozy former home of Gizmo’s vape shop, they’ve installed a collection of pinball games spanning decades — from a newer Guardians of the Galaxy game with movie clips on an LCD screen, to Joker Poker pinball from the ’70s — plus a comfortable bar with lots of local beer on tap and a vintage jukebox programmed with quality college-rock. Also important to note: If you’re drinking or eating, playing’s pretty much gratis — they’ll be handing over a bunch of tokens to play with every order. At press time, a grand opening was set for Sept. 6. For the latest No Quarter news, hit noquarternashville.com.
Tenants are finally starting to sign leases over at the new retail center in front of the former Walmart, at 1214 Gallatin Ave. Two businesses we had confirmation on by press time: a new T-Mobile shop, and an East Side Orangetheory Fitness. Both are national brands, but the fitness spot has a tight East Nashville connection: It’ll be led by longtime East Nashvillian Martine Mahoney, who’s also helped bring the Orangetheory brand to Hendersonville and Mount Juliet. She fell in love with fitness as a kid, and as an adult, had a job with a startup called YouScience that immersed her in the science of the human body. Those experiences fed into why Orangetheory’s data-centric approach really appealed — workouts are all tracked with performance summaries. She’s particularly excited to get a studio open close to home (though it likely won’t be until midto late November). “My goal is to build a strong studio tribe within the greater East Nashville community that all of us who live here or spend time here understand is pretty special,” Mahoney told us. “East Nashville has been my home for over 10 years, and my dream has always been to bring this to my friends, neighbors, and anyone who wants to better themselves physically and mentally.” To learn more in advance of their opening: orangetheoryfitness.com.
The new T-Mobile shop, meanwhile, came about because that brand’s seen a lot of local growth in the area, communications manager Kaitlin Craig told us.
“In addition to having one of our call centers based in Nashville, we also opened 11 stores in 2017, and we’ve already opened two stores this year, with six more planned,” she said. We’re still waiting on a concrete grand opening date, but last timeframe we got was late summer.
More coworking in the works: New Yorkbred “modern and affordable coworking” company Bond Collective — which already has locations throughout its home city and in Philadelphia — announced plans in July to branch out to several new areas, including East Nashville. The local home they’re planning to occupy: the former Ray of Hope Community Church sanctuary at 901 Meridian St. in Cleveland Park. Like other Bond spots, this space should offer an array of coworking options, from flexible memberships to private offices, plus the amenities that usually come with highend professional cohabitation, like conference rooms, guest reception, and rooftop lounges. Bond Collective’s message to East Siders: “We are excited to join the vibrant community in East Nashville and bring you an unmatched, boutique work experience.” This project is part of a massive expansion for Bond, which could include as many as 30 new sites over three years. No word yet on when they expect the East Nashville space to open, but meantime, learn more about the company and their already-open spaces at bondcollective.com.
Another East Nashville tiki bar is reportedly on the way: The Tennessean reported in late June that Hubba Hubba — a new project from the Crying Wolf ’s Dave Young and former Shotgun Willie’s BBQ slinger Kyle Lamoureux — was in the works at 912 Main St. Lamoureux told the paper we should expect a “‘beach hut bar’ with 1980s influences, an open-air feel, an outdoor patio and a small grass area for dogs.” No word yet on when they’re looking to get the doors open.
Just a little more development news that isn’t East Nashville-based, but East Nashvilleattached: Three different local brands are branching out in the coming months. Locally bred natural grocer Turnip Truck has a third location in the works in West Nashville, which they hope to open late next year. Beauty brand Lemon Laine, which opened its East Nashville shop last May, will add a Houston, Texas, shop, likely by fall. Also in Texas: SnapShot Interactive, whose HQ is here in the neighborhood, is working on an Austin location.