The business world seems to be heating up on Market Square recently. Blue Coast Burrito is revamping, Tomato Head is expanding. Just Friday I brought you news that Earthbound had opened at 34 Market Square. The hot streak continues with the soft opening this past weekend of Coldstream Market at 34 Market Square. For those of you paying attention, you might notice it has the same address as Earthbound. Earthbound is actually 34 Market Square, Suite 101 and Coldstream Market is 34 Market Square, Suite 201.
Which brings up the first thing you may notice about the store. While the entrance is on Market Square (right beside Earthbound), the store sort of hovers over the Square. It’s the first retail space on Market Square – or maybe anywhere downtown – which isn’t on the ground floor. It isn’t uncommon in other cities, but it is a first (at least in the current era – I suspect there was probably some in previous downtown incarnations) for downtown. Can little Knoxvillians find there way upstairs to shop for some cool stuff? It appears they can.
Urban Woman and I visited the store Saturday morning and then I went back in the afternoon. Predictably, the foot traffic diminished a bit during the football game, but the store was hopping in the morning and steady in the afternoon. We’d just visited Earthbound Trading Company for her first run through there and I was a bit surprised that she found a number of items she liked quite well. I didn’t think it would be her, so much. Coldstream on the other hand, is Urban Woman’s play house. She (predictably adored it).
We were greeted warmly by owner Sandy Havener and her daughter Rachel Kasprzak. Rachel lives in Chattanooga, which she really enjoys, but hopes to return to Knoxville when her husband, Adam, finishes his finance degree at UTC. Adam eventually drove in for the first Saturday, as well, and he is the creator of the great Coldstream sign above the checkout counter. Also present were both of Sandy’s parents. They play into the story, as well, because the store is named after the family farm which is Coldstream Farm in Madisonville. They live there in an 1837 Federalist style home.
The store is full of one-of-a-kind items handmade in the region in many instances. Sandy’s husband, Charlie, is a hobby welder and has put together several beautiful tables using metal and re-purposed wood. He also built the shelving in the store. A carpenter from Oak Ridge also provides some of the items, though a large number are antique. Sandy describes it as “a mix of old, new and a lot of local.”
The first incarnation of the store opened two years ago in Clinton and has done well, but Sandy began to cast her eye toward a space with more foot traffic. That’s, apparently, where I got involved. About a year ago Sandy starting reading my blog and eventually decided this is where she wants to be. She’s closing the store in Clinton and going all in. When I walked in she recognized me immediately, though we’ve never met, and said, “You are the reason I’m here.” Talk about your pressure. Sheesh. Now the place has got to make it, people, or I’ll be exposed as the business fraud that I am!
I think convincing people to buy from the store will not be a problem. The home furnishings and home décor are completely unique and cool. It fits with the downtown ethos of conserving and re-purposing and the prices are very reasonable. New items are added regularly and people seemed to have little problem finding it on Saturday, and if that holds, sales, I believe, will follow. Be sure to drop by and tell her you saw the news here.
Sandy is starting with long hours and will take some time to decide what hours work best. For starters she plans to be open seven days a week from 11:00 – 7:00 and probably until 9:00 on weekends. That adds up to a lot of hours for what will typically be a one-woman show. She’ll be open with a featured artist this First Friday. The art of Lafollette artist Wanda Guy will be on display and that just gives you another reason to check it out. There will be an official Grand Opening sometime soon.
A couple of other notes from 34 Market Square: There is a space available just behind Sandy’s store on the second floor. It is beautiful, a nice size and features a skylight like the ones in the front space, which flood the wood and exposed brick with awesome light. If you are looking for a little space on Market Square, this could be it. I’m really hoping to seem an increase in second-floor retail. At least in the most heavily traveled areas of downtown, like Market Square and Gay Street, it seems like a plausible way to create a greater retail density.
The final note from 34 Market Square involves Earthbound Trading Company. As I said, Urban Woman and I stopped there first. I later realized I had lost fifteen dollars from my pocket and thought maybe it was in that store, because I got my phone out of my pocket to show Deanna her picture on the blog. I returned and found that a customer had turned in the money and they had put it aside in case the owner returned. I’m just saying, we have good people in this city and good people at Earthbound Trading Company.