New restaurants and retail shops are open, as well as on the way, along with big developments for the Trinity Lane Grimey’s campus.
New & Noteworthy
Folks eagerly awaiting the rebirth of 1601 Riverside Dr. have some good news: Babo, the new Korean eatery first announced back in May, is now open. The restaurant, which occupies the former Pied Piper Eatery space, is the creation of Joey Plunket and Sara Nelson of East Nashville bar Duke’s, and friends Tim and Danny Song, of Atlanta restaurant Gaja. And if you lean toward casual, low-key dining, this’ll definitely appeal — Babo takes an unfussy order-at-the-counter-seat-yourself approach, with a menu that doesn’t creep above $14 for dinner items. On said menu? Korean favorites like bulgogi and bibimbap, plus crafty fried chicken with gochujang and tofu ranch, and fried pork katsu with BBQ and slaw. Diners tell us they’re drawn to the scallion pancakes with buttered leek and beer batter, as well as the house-made dumplings. The kitschy rock ’n’ roll decor of Pied Piper has been traded for moody industrial vibes in Babo, with a full bar, including soju and sake. For now, Babo hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 5 p.m.-1 a.m., with a full kitchen serving late-night diners until midnight. (Hours are subject to change as they get settled, so keep an eye on the Babo Instagram @babo_nashville for the latest updates.)
A new, metaphysically minded addition to the East Side’s business landscape, Nashville Crystal Store, opened at 804 Meridian St. this fall, offering a mix of crystals in various sizes and categories, from quartz and citrine to jade and Himalayan salt. The McFerrin Park location is their second; the flagship, at 2819 Columbine Place, Ste. 7 in Berry Hill, offers a similar mix of sparkling stones. Crystal and energy healer Ataana Badilli leads both shops, with an aim of making “high-quality, clear energy crystals accessible to everyone who loves crystals in Nashville and around the world.” Hours are noon to 6 p.m. daily. For more, visit nashvillecrystalstore.com, and/or follow their Instagram @nashvillecrystalstore.
Retrograde Coffee, which opened over the summer at 1305 Dickerson Pike, recently broadened their menu on both the food and beverage front by adding house-made breakfast and lunch sandwiches, along with a fresh selection of wine and beer. Their wine list is curated by well-known Nashville consultant Robin Riddell Jones of Tavola, who’s also worked with Josephine and The Catbird Seat, among others. The new menu additions came with expanded hours: Monday – Friday, 7 a.m.-8 p.m.; Saturdays, 7 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Sundays, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. For more, check out retrogradecoffee.com.
Happy to note The Cake Project, longtime Nashvillian J.P. Smith’s cheesecake-focused bakery, opened its East End location recently at 1006 Fatherland St., Ste. 207 in the Shoppes on Fatherland.
Clean Juice recently opened in December at 962 Woodland St., offering healthy drink options like organic cold-pressed juices, protein smoothies, and cleanses. Light bites — like their almond or avocado toasts, as well as some gluten-free options — fill out the menu. Hours are: Monday – Friday, 7 a.m.-8 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; and Sunday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Eater Nashville recently announced its reader-voted “Eater Awards 2018,” and the newly crowned Restaurant of the Year is East Nashville’s own Peninsula. Chef of the Year is Philip Krajeck, from East Nashville’s Folk. Dining Neighborhood of the Year is, of course, East Nashville!
In response to the deadliest wildfire in California history, over 1,400 of the nation’s breweries are charitably collaborating on a special brew. Thirty Tennessee breweries have have stepped up to support this joint effort, including East Nashville Beer Works. With what’s known as the “Camp Fire” still active at the time, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. founder Ken Grossman established the Sierra Nevada Camp Fire Relief Fund, which it seeded with a $100,000 donation, to assist with long-term support for the affected communities. The brewery is located in Chico, California, just to the west of the area ravaged by the fire. As the embers still glowed, Sierra Nevada also began brewing Resilience Butte County Proud IPA, donating all of the proceeds to the Relief Fund and asking breweries across the country to join them. Anthony Davis, President of East Nashville Beer Works and Tennessee Brewer’s Guild board member, said, “We considered our own batch, but with the Guild collaborating and doing this, it spreads the risk of a batch out and seemed like a much easier and productive way to get this done. We are very excited to have taken part of it.”
“East Nashville Beer Works is one of 30 Tennessee breweries purchasing kegs at a premium, then selling the beer back in our taproom to pay that back, so 100-percent of the funds will benefit the California wildfire fundraising efforts,” says Davis. Resilience IPA will be brewed and distributed to participating Tennessee breweries and will be available in their taprooms starting January 2019.
Closes & Moves
Two Son closed its doors in November. Operating at 918 Main St. since late 2015, Two Son specialized in highly curated, high-end clothing, accessories, and home goods. The business’s founders — couples David Perry and Leigh Watson, and Aubrey McCoy and James Kicinski-McCoy — have re-focused on new horizons. The McCoys are working on a new endeavor called The Bleu, while James continues to run Mother magazine and popular blog “Bleubird;” Watson just released a new album called Duo with her sister band The Watson Twins, and co-runs The Cordelle event space; Perry is the founder and CEO of the DSP Group, a fashion apparel development, sampling, and production outfit.
Five Point’s Rudy’s Barbershop outpost, which opened in February of 2017 at 960 Woodland St., clipped its last locks on Monday, Dec. 10. “Nashville has been an exciting market expansion for Rudy’s and we will greatly miss the many customers and friends we’ve made over the last two years in East Nashville,” director of marketing and brand Danny Segal tells us. “We’ve made the tough decision to put focus on expanding our shop presence in existing and new markets and on our rapidly growing product business.” Rudy’s entered East Nashville during a time of relatively busy hair-artistry expansion here, with Local Honey, Scout’s Barbershop, the Yellow House Salon & Barbershop, Parlour & Juke and several others all opening up East Side salons within a few years of each other. The Rudy’s brand will keep a Nashville presence, though — their Edgehill Village shop at 1200 Villa Place will remain open. Beyond our environs, Rudy’s maintains multiple locations in its native Washington, as well as in California, Oregon, New York, and Georgia. If you’re a Rudy’s devotee who’d like to stick with the brand, information about the Edgehill Village shop can be found at rudysbarbershop.com.
Coming Soon
The former home of Two Son didn’t remain empty for long, as the 918 Main St. location quickly received a new, Technicolor paint job in preparation for its new tenant: family-owned clothing and accessories shop Molly Green. Molly Green web & media director Laura Foster tells us that the current Molly Green location in Opry Mills mall will shutter soon, with the location in Historic Edgefield opening soon afterward. The store has two other Nashville outposts in Green Hills and Cool Springs, as well as in Chattanooga and
Birmingham, Alabama. Having an office/studio in a freestanding building also opens up the opportunity to host events at the new East Nashville hub, Foster says, from private shopping hangs to charity gatherings. “We have so many ideas, and we can’t wait to make them happen and have the whole community be a part of it. This is more than just a store for us, it’s our way of reaching out and investing more in the people and in the city, who have given us so much.” Get to know the Molly Green brand better at shopmollygreen.com, and keep up with the latest news about the opening on their Instagram @shopmollygreen.
The newly East Nashville-d Grimey’s New & Preloved Music and the colorful Anaconda Vintage are set to have a bunch of new neighbors soon. Joining the mix at 1056 E. Trinity Lane in early 2019 is Living Waters Brewing, a “Brewery & Coffee Bar” that “focuses on creating unique small batch beer and
coffee experiences.” When Living Waters starts pouring — they’re shooting for an early 2019 opening — we can expect two categories of adult brews: waterfalls, and rivers. “These are named according to when they can and should be enjoyed,” according to Living Waters’ website. “A waterfall beer should be enjoyed soon after purchase to ensure the intended flavor is achieved. A river beer can be enjoyed now or cellared for an extended period. More specifically, flavors will include an imperial milk stout called Rubicon, a thicker “milkshake IPA” called Burgess and lots more. Alongside the beer, they’ll have filtered coffee and signature espresso beverages. Learn more at livingwatersbrewing.com.
Right there with LWB, likely useful for burning off all the beer calories: CrossFit Rising Sun, who’ll be relocating after calling West Kirkland Avenue home for almost three years. Rising Sun will offer an array of fitness options, including CrossFit, boxing, and open-gym classes designed for all levels and “focused on quality, high-level training with a personal touch.” Co-owner Kyle Hopkins tells us they hope to open their doors very soon, depending on inspections and approvals, and expect the new, much larger space will allow for more programming, better visibility, easier parking, and more. “We will have separate men’s and women’s locker rooms, each with their own showers — fairly rare for CrossFit boxes,” Hopkins tells us. “We will [also] have a 1,200-square-foot private studio that will allow us to add on a host of new classes. We offer more than just CrossFit and are looking to expand upon that.” Other ideas/plans in the works: a new “Healthy Steps Nutrition” program and, potentially, kids CrossFit classes, plus the possibility of daycare. For more, visit crossfitrisingsun.com.
Crossfit not your preferred method of training? Also coming to the Trinity Lane campus is Legion Jiu Jitsu, whose new East Side studio at 1056 E. Trinity Lane joins other Middle Tennessee locations in Hendersonville and Murfreesboro. They offer group classes for all ages and skill levels (classes are available for kids as young as 3), along with private lessons to supplement and sharpen training. Legion will be sharing some common areas/locker room space with their Rising Sun neighbors, but inhabiting their own private studio in
the facility. Sean Patton — a former U.S. Army Special Forces Officer, and a 2018 International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation Masters World Championship runner-up — is set to lead the new location, with an “authentic, fun and focused” brand of martial arts training. “We believe that whether you are training Jiu Jitsu for self-defense, fitness, competition, or fun, the answer is leaving your ego at the door, opening your mind to learning, and training hard,” he says. Patton, who’s lived in East Nashville for the past four years, says he “can’t wait to bring world-class Jiu Jitsu for the whole family” to the neighborhood. If you’d like to explore the Legion offerings in the meantime, there’s lots of info at legionjj.com.
Kettner Coffee Supply, a new venture from public relations pro and hospitality vet Hannah Schneider, is aiming for an early 2019 opening in mixed-use complex The Eastland at 1035 W. Eastland Ave., Ste 1045.
Schneider, who also helmed Sylvan Heights spot Salt & Vine and runs the PR firm Hannah Schneider Creative, chose the spot in part because it’s close to home. Really close to home. “After being a resident of The Eastland for over a year, I am so excited to be joining this great location in a business setting,” she said in a press release. To keep up with the latest as they work toward the opening, follow their exploits on Instagram @kettnercoffeesupply. For more on Hannah Schneider Creative, check out hannahschneidercreative.com.
On the hunt for a fresh place to get your hair wrangled? The Hideout Salon and Lounge is in the works at 1400 Woodland St. Does that address look familiar? Yep, it’s the same location as the long-loved Lipstick Lounge. “I am thrilled to be right above The Lipstick Lounge,” says Hideout owner/stylist Chelsea Joffray. “It embodies everything that I want The Hideout to represent. We will have a separate entrance from Lipstick behind the building for clients and event-goers. Just ring the buzzer on the back door and come on up.”
Those “event-goers” will be a key component of The Hideout’s business, hence the “lounge” part of the name. “[The Hideout] will have two main functions: one as a hair salon and secondly as a communal event space,” says Joffray. “The salon will be offering haircuts, color services, and straight razor shaves. We want to create a space for everyone, a place where anyone can come get their hair done, artists can hang their art, musicians can perform, yoga teachers can host classes. This is a safe space for craft, exploration, and just plain-old lounging. We have an entire room just for the people to come and do events they are wanting to share with the community.” Joffray’s become close to the community in recent years through working at the East Side Rudy’s Barbershop location (stylists Blair Winston and Erin James from Rudy’s East are also due to move into the Hideout, she tells us). She hopes to swing open the The Hideout doors on Sunday, March 3. Check out Instagram @thehideoutsalonandlounge, and/or thehideoutsalonandlounge.com for the latest.
East Nashville restaurant eDESIa recently shut its doors — but if you’ve become a fan of the fusion restaurant, which opened this summer in the former Rumours East space, worry not: It’s good news!
The shuttering is temporary and part of a revamp. GM Sathyan Gopalan tells us significant renovations are in the works, including a kitchen expansion, new flooring, a new bar, and a revamp of the back patio.
Along with the new looks and set-up is a new menu focus. Gopalan says that, with the reopening, eDESIa’s menu will be “90-percent Indian”-focused, reflecting his own background (and the home of his other ventures, which include boutique hotel Sunshine Guest House and the Global Watch Foundation Children’s Home, both in Tiruvannamalai, India). Current plans are to have eDESIa reopen, serving, and “full of surprises” at 1112 Woodland St. by Feb. 15. For more on the East Nashville restaurant’s early approach — and leader Gopalan’s background — check out the eDESIa feature story in our recent “Food & Drink Issue.”
New apartment buildings are set to go up on 1330 Dickerson Pike — once home of the iconic meat-and-three restaurant, Charlie Bob’s. Bristol Development Group is planning two buildings for the site, with 205 units collectively. Bristol has enlisted Smith Gee Studio to handle the design, but no renderings have been released at this time.