Today marks the 15th anniversary of the first article I wrote for this website. My wife and I moved downtown in November 2009 and by the spring of 2010 I felt the need to share our downtown experience with others. I learned about blogs, set up a rudimentary version of my own, and started writing and taking photographs.
My goal, as much as I had one, was simply to spread the word about a city that I thought was amazing and getting better as it went. So many people had worked hard to bring our downtown to that point, and it seemed poised, as it turned out it was, to become something special.
A succession of mayors, city council members, and other local government officials and workers poured themselves into making an environment that could thrive and many of them continue to do so. Developers like Christopher Kendrick, David Dewhirst, Mark Heinz, Buzz Goss, Jeffrey Nash, Duane Grieve, Jon Clark, Tim Hill, Mike Hatcher, Joe Petre, Leigh Burch, Wayne Blasius, and others had started the hard work of bringing our old buildings back to life.
City People invited us to visit and take a glimpse inside downtown homes, helping us picture ourselves living downtown. (The Home Tour Continues: Don’t miss the East Tennessee History Center sponsored Home Tour on June 14!) Sundown in the City brought thousands downtown and the Regal Riviera Theater brought new life. Entrepreneurs like Scott and Bernadette West rehabbed buildings and opened businesses, as did Mahasti Vafaie and Scott Partin, Nanci Soloman, Andi Ray, Scott Schimmel and Lisa Sorensen and others. It was thanks to all these people that I was excited to tell the story of our city.
Looking back, it is interesting to note that the JC Penny building did not have a roof until several years later. Many buildings we know, and love today were empty or nearly so, including the Daylight building, the Arnstein, the Farragut, White Lily, and many others. The shops along Union Avenue didn’t exist and about half of Market Square remained unoccupied.
I kept my full-time job as a public-school librarian for the first four years and initially could not imagine earning money, let alone enough to support us, through the website. Eventually, advertising fell into place and grew, and I greatly appreciate those early advertisers, including two, Knoxville Downtown Realty and Visit Knoxville, which have been with me from the beginning and continue to offer their support. Eventually advertisers would be joined by many of you who donate to keep the site going. Whereas I hoped for an audience of a few dozen, it quickly grew into hundreds and eventually thousands. The website became my full-time job in June 2014.
I hope the website has helped the city and, on balance, has done more good than harm. My opinions weren’t always the most informed, but they were honest. I tried to build people up and not intentionally tear anyone down.
For me, the journey has been transformative. I’ve been honored to tell so many of your stories. You gave me your trust, and I will forever appreciate the confidence you placed in me. You’ve not only been faithful readers, you’ve shared your plans and your dreams, and invited me into your world. Many of you became my friends. We’ve had great conversations and hopefully, we’ve grown together.
Developers showed me buildings and plans; business owners shared their journeys. Photographers like Eric Smith and Bill Foster taught me how to give you better photos. People like Josh Flory gave me links in the News Sentinel that jump-started my readership. I’ve had great support for the last ten years or so from Scott McNutt who does the planner every week and, more recently, I’ve secured other fine writers to help produce the daily content.
My family, ever patient, tolerated my obsession with the city, my constant photography, and the hours that I spent holed-up writing. Urban Girl and Urban Boy endured more than a few photo sessions that wound up on these pages. Urban Woman, AKA Karen, endured more than anyone and for her tolerance and patience during this journey, I’ll always be in debt.
While I’d attribute the perfect timing of the website launch largely to dumb luck, maybe I sensed the time had come and I was fortunate enough to see the new beginning as it opened. As important as it was to see the opening, it’s also important to see when the time has come for the next change, and that time is now.
My work life has largely consisted of roughly fifteen-year periods. I worked as a guidance counselor for sixteen, a librarian for thirteen, and now I’ve worked as a writer and editor for this website for fifteen years. The time has come for my long-suffering wife and I to travel, see the world, and enjoy each other’s company without the intrusion of full-time work.
Coinciding with this pivotal moment in my life, I’ve had the good fortune to become connected with Leslie Bateman who has written for this website for about six months. Leslie has a wealth of related experience, a passion for the city, and she has agreed to purchase InsideofKnoxville.com and become the full-time owner and editor. I fully expect that she’ll make it a much better resource for everyone and hopefully will guide it through the next fifteen years as Knoxville continues to grow and evolve.
You’ll likely see my byline on articles here from time to time, and I’ll still be around. I love the city and will continue to be a downtown booster. I hope to see you on the street.