So, here we are with the top ten. Before we get into it, I’d like to thank some people who have been important to the success of the blog this year. Just John added tremendous value by writing about his innovative ideas for the city and spurring great conversations. Guest bloggers Greg Manter, Adam Henig, Kristen Faerber (who contributed her senior paper), Dee Pierce, David Denton and Steven Harris also made helpful contributions. I can’t cover it all – so think of a proposal and pitch it for 2015.
Also, advertisers have been critical to making this an affordable pursuit for me. Cameras, lens, computers, server space, domain names, logos (which you’ll see soon), business cards, technical support and software cost money and my advertisers help make this possible. Preservation Pub, Tree and Vine/CitiFid-o and Visit Knoxville have supported me from the very beginning and I owe them greatly. Five Bar joined this year and PBS of East Tennessee and Boyd’s Jig and Reel purchased ads along the way. Realtor (and friend) Melinda Grimac came on late in the year to cover the Downtown Properties page and she’s adding a front page ad right away, as is James Freeman Interiors. I appreciate them all and hope you will let them know how much you appreciate their support of something you enjoy. Want to advertise? Email me at Knoxvilleurbanguy@gmail.com.
I also want to thank everyone who joined in our conversation about the city we all love. We don’t always agree, but we have respectful, productive and sometimes provocative conversations. Thank you for keeping them at a lofty level and for using a respectful tone. Shout out to top five commenters: Shaft (49 comments), T. Thurman (60 comments), Chris Eaker (62 comments), Just John (66 comments) and Greg (112 comments). About 440,000 people visited from 168 countries and I appreciate you all.
Ready? Here are the ten posts which generated the most interest in 2014:
#10 Just Ripe Facing Possible Closure, Hopes for Sale – From December 3, this news came as quite a shock to many people and what followed was a massive outpouring of support. The post was repeatedly shared on Facebook and people actively sought to help. The idea that the store might be saved if a buyer was found spurred many people to get involved. I’m still hoping the story has a happy ending. Direct Views: 2,736
#9 Empire Deli Opens Just Off Gay Street – From August 21, this is when I realized my readership was exploding. The pageviews for the day set a new record at nearly 2,700. I knew people would be interested, but the level of interest was an indicator of what was to come – and the meatball marinara sub is excellent, btw. With the recent closure of Steamboat on Market Square, this deli becomes even more important. Direct Views: 3,127
#8 Flow: A Brew Parlor Opens in the Medical Arts Building – From December 1, making its second appearance on the countdown, the initial article about the pending opening made the top twenty-five and the actual opening came in at number eight. The coffee (Counter Culture) is amazing and the food (Wild Love, Savory and Sweet) excellent and you’ll always find a friendly face. I’m also excited to have retail on Main Street. Direct Views: 3,139
#7 Winter (Farmers’) Market Coming to Southern Railway Station – From January 7, this is another that caught me off guard. I knew some of you would be interested and I wanted to include it as a public service because fresh food from our favorite local farmers during the winter months is a precious thing. I had no idea how many people would be excited by the possibility. Read widely the first day, it grew over the next several. (This year’s Winter Market starts January 10 at Central United Methodist.) Direct Views: 3,942
#6 Oli Bea: Breakfast Restaurant Planned for the Old City – From November 3, excitement over this new breakfast spot was huge from the beginning. They’ve since opened and chef Jeffrey DeAlejandro’s restaurant serves an excellent breakfast unlike any other you’ll find in the city. Direct Views: 4,205
#5 (Appropriately) Five Bar Restaurant Opens on Gay Street – From September 18, anticipation had built through the very visible renovation of the building at the corner of Union and Gay. The appearance, in the days leading up to the opening, of copious amounts of chandeliers heightened curiosity and the buzz was in full force. Quickly established as a favorite spot for many, I’ve really come to appreciate both the food and the owners. Their Thanksgiving meal was a highlight for Urban Woman and me. Direct Views: 6,456
#4 New Restaurant: Not Watson’s Opens on Market Square – From August 27, this article followed the article about Empire Deli by only six days. The record page views set the day of Empire’s publication (about 2700) lasted less than a week. At over 4100 page views, the publication day for the Not Watson’s shattered that record and, like most of the articles on this list, the direct views have continued in the weeks since. The name and historic location excited more than a few people on Facebook where the conversation quickly turned to memories of Watson’s Department Store. Inexpensive and tasty, we’ve enjoyed several good meals there. Direct Views: 8,166
#3 Jamaican Restaurant and Bar: Bar Marley Set to Open – From September 2, the Not Watsons record broke a six-day-old record with just over 4100 page views and that record lasted exactly six days as the page views for September 2 came in at just under 6000 (5976), crushing the six-day-old record. People were pumped for da Reggae Mon. But alas, the joy was short lived as the projected grand opening passed and Metro Pulse wrote an online post (just days after publishing an article about the coming restaurant) saying due to environmental issues the restaurant would likely never open. Owner Caleb Boyer countered that he would, indeed, open as planned. So far it hasn’t happened, but when I asked, he gave me this hopeful update, “Bar Marley is inevitable. There is a winter reggae beach party grand opening ready to have the key turned. I am waiting for the state to finish dragging it’s feet drafting our document that will show incontrovertibly that we have INDEED finished with the environmental cleanup of the old Sanitary Laundry site. We are estimating Mid January.” Direct Views: 9,177
#2 White Lily Flats Available in January: A Look Inside – From November 18, this article was bigger than Jamaica, breaking that daily page view record with 8846 page views. Records weren’t just falling rapidly, they were being shattered. What could be more interesting than food and drink (as in all the previous posts)? Housing. It’s in very short supply downtown despite all the building we’ve seen in recent years. Apartments have been near 100% occupancy for several years. With a number of large projects coming on line in 2015 (Marble Alley, South Waterfront), we’ll test the demand in a big way. The forty-six units included in this former factory will be available in the coming weeks, but they are already at 65% occupancy, so if you are interested, you need to act quickly. Direct Views: 10,053
#1 Three More Businesses Set to Close on Market Square – From December 19, this article obliterated everything I’d ever experienced with this site. Taken together, the closures in our best piece of real estate in the city seemed unthinkable. The post on Facebook was shared 131 times and has reached over 39,000 people. The local networks and paper picked up the story and WATE interviewed me and credited me with breaking the story. 18,835 page views on the web site that day more than doubled the record set by the White Lily article a month earlier and it continues to be read. I hope to have a good-news story in 2015 that has the same level of impact. Direct Views: 21,783
So, that’s the year that was. I’m excited to see what 2015 brings and I look forward to sharing it with our Urban family. This will be my last post of the year and I’ll begin publishing for 2015 with Sunday’s “Week Ahead.” See you on the other side and I hope you have a very happy New Year.