This is coming to you a few weeks after the fact, in a sense, but The Holistic Connection has remained open as they’ve sold inventory with plans to vacate the building at 716 S. Gay Street by the end of March. Along with that goes the basement location of Spellbound which opened only last fall.
The Holistic Connection lasted at the location a bit longer, opening in May of 2022. During its nearly three year run, the shop offered vape, cannabis, and THC sales along with related products, as well as a lounge area for vaping the product. Management shifted during that time and the initial proliferation of smoking on the street (completely legal) which drew some complaints, seemed to improve.
After a bit of offering events and entertainment in the basement, the space was given over to Spellbound Vintage and Art. Clearly, the space offered challenges for the shop. The upstairs, through which their customers had to enter, carried a twenty-one and over restriction. Basement spaces are always a challenge because of their lack of visibility on the street. Outside of the hugely successful Maple Hall, I can’t think of another profitable commercial space below the street.
I spoke to the manager a couple of weeks ago and he said multiple reasons prompted the owner’s decision to close the shop. The owners operated a large chain of franchised stores at the time of the opening on Gay Street. I was told the fact that a vape shop moved in next door (Marble City Vapor, last fall) hurt their business and the manager implied the competition wasn’t completely friendly.
He also said that the pending changes in Tennessee law, which would make many of their popular products illegal, played a role in the closure. While nothing has changed to this point, signs are pointing to a much more restrictive interpretation of the laws by the Department of Agriculture. The industry has quickly grown in the state to $280 to $560 million per year. Predictions are the industry will be largely destroyed and many shops will close if the new rules come in to play.
The shop was the first of its type in the downtown area, but four others joined it over the next 30 months, giving downtown five dedicated hemp/vape shops. A ride through Cumberland Avenue or out Kingston Pike or through many smaller towns around us, shows a similar saturation.
As for Spellbound Vintage and Art, they continue to operate inside Mood Ring Vintage on Sevier Avenue, so if you miss your vintage, you can find it there.