Halloween, pickleball, dog parties: 15 Knoxville business stories you don't want to miss
The leaves are changing, the spooky season is creeping in and Knox News has lots of business stories from September you don't want to miss.
A couple of businesses relocated, a new style of pizza shop opened on Gay Street and one of Sevier Avenue's revered restaurants closed — but another is on the way! Plus, a Halloween pop-up bar is coming back just for October.
Check out these 15 stories to be in the know, and maybe even try something new along the way. And check back in with Knox News for all of the restaurant and business coverage.
New Moon Rising has moved to a new location
After a year in business, New Moon Rising has moved from its Magnolia Avenue Warehouse District spot to a prominent location in North Knoxville.
The new location is at 1520 N. Central St. next to Oddities Hair Parlour. It's where French Fried Vintage was before it moved to 7 Emory Place.
New Moon Rising did a soft reopening at the new storefront on Sept. 23. The store specializes in spiritual gifts like crystals, tarot cards and incense among others. It also holds a Moon Market on the third Saturday of each month.
Design AF opens a new center
Local business Design AF opened The Design Center, a new showroom to display its handiwork.
The business started in 2020, and opened The Design Center at 9 Emory Place in August 2023.
The design firm focuses on interior design including kitchens, furniture selection, commercial design and more. It's based in Knoxville, but works in 13 cities including Knoxville, Sevierville and even Miami. The Design Center will help in giving potential clients a look at the work the firm does.
Brother Werewolf takes over Halloween again
The popular and renowned bar Brother Wolf will undergo another transformation into Brother Werewolf, perfect for the Halloween season.
The whole bar is redecorated to fit the spooky vibes. The menu is also revamped to include themed drinks including The Headless Horseman, Zombie, Hocus Pocus, Dracula's Kiss, Wolves Blood, The Silence of the Lambrusco and the Trick or Treat elixirs.
It starts Oct. 6 and runs through Halloween.
Burlington opening a completely new location while moving old one
A new Burlington store is opening in Knoxville at The Centre at Deane Hill at 202 Morrell Road. It plans to open this fall, but a specific time has not been announced.
Separately, the other Burlington store is moving farther into West Knoxville. It will reopen in Turkey Creek at 11449 Parkside Drive.
It joins other new businesses that have opened or will open in the Turkey Creek area:
PGA Superstore at 11491 Parkside Drive
Sono Bello at 11403 Parkside Drive
The Peach Cobbler Factory at 10911 Parkside Drive
Club Champion at 11651 Parkside Drive
Condado Tacos at 11383 Parkside Drive
Crumbl Cookies at 11055 Parkside Drive
Asia Cafe opening two new locations
Lim Dynasty Asia Cafe expands its restaurant empire with two new locations.
One is a sit-down restaurant like the main location near Powell. It serves everything the Callahan Drive restaurant does except for teppanyaki. It's in the Cedar Bluff area at 8926 Town and Country Circle, where Taste of Thai was before it closed. It's open now.
The second new location will be in Alcoa at 1123 Franck St., near Texas Roadhouse. It will be an Asia Cafe Xpress location, which serves Chinese, Japanese and boba tea from a drive-thru. It's not open yet, but owner Philip Lim said it'll open in mid-October.
This will bring the total number of Asia Cafe restaurants and Xpress locations to five.
Lim plans to open three more locations next year. He hasn't decided where yet, but he's looking at several spots including Oak Ridge, South Knoxville, Chattanooga, Johnson City and Halls.
"Once I reach my number eight, which is longevity — in Chinese, the number eight means success — that's when I will franchise out," Lim said. "After that we'll franchise out just like Panda Express. But Panda Express is just Chinese. We are Chinese, sushi and Japanese."
The Pickleball Playground is open in Hardin Valley
Located at 2810 Ball Camp Byington Road, The Pickleball Playground is now open!
The venue features seven pickleball courts inside along with a tennis court, 16 courts outside and other games like table tennis. Memberships and reservations can be made on the sports venue's app.
"Hardin Valley is just a growing area. It's easy to come from Oak Ridge or Knoxville or wherever," co-owner Chris Rothermel said. "It had the perfect amount of land. I didn't have to develop land. It was here, I just had to improve it."
Balter Beerworks and Orange Hat Brewing Company take top beer awards
Two Knoxville breweries brought home top spots in the 2023 Great American Beer Festival.
This year, Balter Beerworks received two medals: a silver medal for its Vecino beer in the American amber lager category and a gold medal for its Sunsphere beer in the American wheat beer category. Balter Beerworks also won a Brewery of the Year award in the category "501–1,000 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year." The brewery is located at 100 Broadway SW.
Orange Hat Brewing Company took home a bronze medal for its Engine 402 beer in the Irish-style red ale category. The brewery is at 10246 Hardin Valley Road.
The Great American Beer Festival is held in Denver, Colorado, and each award category is based on a type of beer.
Crafty Bastard opens new location, adds a winery to West Knoxville
Crafty Bastard expanded once again with a South Knoxville location. It's open now at the Baker Creek Bottoms at 3726 Sevier Heights Road, joining 71 South and Bear Paw Bikes.
Owner and brewmaster Aaron McClain never thought he'd expand much, let alone to three locations.
"I didn't ever think that was where we were going," he told Knox News. "I thought we were starting just a small little grungy warehouse where we were going to make some cool beers and make enough money to pay my bills, hopefully."
Along with the taprooms and breweries, McClain added a winery exclusive to the West Knoxville location. The winery's name is Stylolite, named after the compression lines found in pink marble, another Knoxville tie-in.
Each wine features East Tennessee ingredients, with the white wine being produced using only East Tennessee ingredients. It officially launched in West Knoxville on Sept. 26.
"It's forged in East Tennessee, but found all over the world. So that's kind of the idea behind it," McClain told Knox News.
DiCarlo's Pizza is open on Gay Street
DiCarlo's Pizza quietly opened on Gay Street, serving up downtown Knoxville with its Ohio Valley style of pizza.
The soft opening was on Aug. 8, with a grand opening at 524 S. Gay St. planned for mid-October.
DiCarlo's is open every day starting at 11 a.m. It's open until 3 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday, 8 p.m. on Tuesday, 10 p.m. on Thursday, 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and until 8 p.m. on Sunday.
"I want the pizza shop to feel like it's been there, it's like a family-oriented, historic Italian company," David DiCarlo said about the Knoxville location earlier this year. "I want it to feel like a little locally owned, mom and pop pizza place. I don't want it to feel like a Pizza Hut or a Papa John's. I want it to feel like a place that could stay there for as long as possible."
The Armory is coming to Maryville
Based on a historic feature of Maryville, The Armory is a new restaurant and entertainment venue that's planning on a Summer 2024 opening at 496 Ellis Ave.
In the same spot where the original building stood, the new 27,400-square-foot building designed by Johnson Architecture will house a restaurant, bar and entertainment area featuring six bowling lanes, bocce ball courts and live music. There will be a rooftop deck and an outdoor patio for guests to enjoy downtown Maryville.
"No matter who you are, here's an opportunity for you, your family, your friends or yourself to go into a great place, get a great deal, have a cocktail at the end of that and be entertained," co-owner Bart Fricks told Knox News.
Simpl on Sevier Avenue closed, but a new restaurant is coming
South Knoxville favorite Simpl closed on Sevier Avenue in August. However, chef Kendale Ball already has a new restaurant in the works.
Calling the new one Simpl Cafe, he's aiming to open the smaller "New York style café" in October inside a commercial space at South Banks at Suttree Landing, the new waterfront apartment complex.
"Our main goal is just to have a cool place to hang out, grab a good breakfast or lunch and just (make it) that kind of spot. Something simple. No pun intended," Ball said.
A new Chick-Fil-A is coming to Knoxville
Chick-Fil-A will join the fast food options for students at Pellissippi State Community College.
During its Sept. 14 meeting, the Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission approved the development of a Chick-fil-A at 2187 Greenland Way at the intersection of Hardin Valley Road.
That stretch of Hardin Valley Road already features a Dickey's Barbeque Pit, Zaxby's, Firehouse Subs and McDonald's.
Alchemy Lounge and Cigar opens soon in the Old City
Remember that cigar bar announced for 119 S. Central St.? The idea hasn't gone up in smoke, and it's actually coming soon!
Alchemy Lounge and Cigar co-owner Dan Phillips told Knox News the bar is wrapping up construction and needs to obtain its liquor license, putting the Old City bar on track to open in late October.
With the opening date in sight, Phillips said he's "happy-nervous" to get things rolling.
"The vision is finally manifesting itself. You walk in, you're like, 'OK, like this is how we pictured it,'" Phillips said. "Nervous because I'm just (thinking), 'What's the last-minute surprise?'"
Aretha Frankenstein is coming to South Knoxville
Are inch-thick pancakes and Waffles of Insane Greatness coming to the Scruffy City? Chattanooga's cult-favorite breakfast spot Aretha Frankenstein's is taking steps to open a location in South Knoxville.
Construction permits obtained via a public records request show plans to open the restaurant at 3318 Chapman Highway, the site of a Hardee's that closed during the pandemic.
The building's fresh coat of paint – teal blue – matches the original Aretha's.
Jake and Taylor Ogle, owners of Ogle Brothers General Store in Sevierville and Scrambled Jake's Breakfast Company on Northshore Drive, bought the property in February 2021 and confirmed Aretha's is coming to Knoxville.
Zoom Room Dog Training is opening in Hardin Valley
Zoom Room is a dog training facility that will be at 10938 Spring Bluff Way. Its grand opening in Hardin Valley is on Oct. 7.
It will offer dog training classes for puppies, obedience, agility and enrichment. Socialization options will allow your dog to hang out with other dogs like in a playgroup, plus dog parties and the Doggy Disco.
It's sure to be a treat!
Keenan Thomas reports for the Knox News business growth and development team. You can reach him by email at keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: New Knoxville restaurants, bars and shops to try
