Lately, more than a few coffee shops have opened across West Knoxville, Bearden, and West Hills specifically. For folks who’ve longed for cozy spaces beyond drive-thrus, small business owners have heard and have responded with enthusiasm. Each one has its own flavorful story and to do them justice, I am dividing this into two parts.
Three of the newest spots — Camp Honey Coffee and Provisions, U Brew Coffee Lounge, and Petty Coffee — each bring something different to the table. Together, they give the area variety, personality, and more reasons to hit pause over a cup.
Camp Honey Coffee and Provisions: Warm, Welcoming, and Neighborhood-Focused
Whitney Holliday and her husband Ryan opened Camp Honey Coffee and Provisions in June. Its heart is about gathering: neighbors, families, creatives. It’s not a silent study spot; it is a social place. “We wanted a place where people could interact and build community,” Whitney says. “There’s a time and place for a drive-thru latte. This is about slowing down, being present, and connecting.” The name cleverly comes from a previous business venture that had Whitney and Ryan as beekeepers, something she says they may get back to in the future once Camp Honey Coffee is more established.
Whitney’s background in hospitality and tourism plays a big role in how she runs things. She understands how environment matters, what kind of menu pieces people want, what design feels comfortable, even what hours make sense. Having grown up in this community and serving in hospitality, she says, she knew what was missing. “We spent weekends at Lakeshore with our nine-year-old and there was nothing nearby,” Whitney says. “I knew if we built something here, people would come. And they have.”
Design and vibe reflect that intimacy. Décor is personal, vintage touches, curated retail items, baskets, eclectic art. It has a bright and comfortable vibe inside and out that invites customers to stay awhile.
On the food front, casual is the name of the game: pastries, breakfast items, things with heart. Whitney makes many of the items herself and outsources from local eateries. Alongside these homemade goodies, you’ll find prepackaged items perfect for a snack or picnic at the park.
She also partners with many local, small businesses who are looking for a place to sell their goods. She is thoughtful about what comes in and guests are responding. Her retail sales are as solid as the food and drink sales. My favorite has to be the fresh flowers and the pottery mugs. Since I have my own obsession with unique coffee mugs, this shelf is always a first stop when I’m at Camp Honey Coffee.
For Whitney, first priority is treating staff and customers with care. She is considering what a kitchen expansion could mean for business, though that is further in the future. Her win? The neighborhood feels more connected, and people have a place they enjoy. There is never a time I drive by when the shop is open that the parking lot isn’t full, with folks working outside at picnic tables, having meetings of one kind or another, or just popping in to get their drink. It has captured the heart of the community with its charm and welcoming atmosphere.
In a season when new cafés keep popping up, Camp Honey’s difference is not a novelty drink or a neon sign. It is the people and the posture. “Community over competition is real,” Whitney says. “We are all selling coffee. What makes us different is the people behind it.”
Warm staff, a room that invites conversation, shelves that spotlight local makers, and an owner who works from the corner table because she wants to hear how the experience feels in the moment. That is Camp Honey. “I do not feel like I am working anymore,” Whitney says. “I am just doing what I love, with my community, in my neighborhood. That is enough.”
Camp Honey Coffee and Provisions is located at 5819 Lyons View Pike, Knoxville, TN, 37919. Hours are Monday-Saturday 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
U Brew Coffee Lounge: The Craft Coffee Playground
If Camp Honey is about social, U Brew Coffee Company is about craft. Andrew Ellis founded U-Brew for people who want the coffee process to be part of the experience, not just getting a drink fast, but making it, tasting it, learning what makes a note stand out. He began testing this method two years ago with private cuppings and tastings in homes and businesses, and eventually decided to take it to brick and mortar and opened in August. This gives him the opportunity to educate coffee drinkers off the street to continuing to host coffee tastings where he pairs foods with the coffee to bring out the best in both. However, “This is a no-latte zone,” Andrew tells me. And this begs the question, why would I want to pay to make my own cup of black coffee?
Andrew sources from small roasters across the country and rotates a new featured roaster every month. He is picky. He visits shops, looks for “good people who serve great coffee,” orders espresso and a few drip brews to get a sense of a roaster’s range, and always leans single origin so the character of a roast is clear.
Andrew is part of the Specialty Coffee Association’s protocol so results are consistent. This allows him to travel the country grading roasters and finding the very best. He is grading post-roast, not green coffee. Balance, clarity, perceived acidity, and overall harmony matter most. Coffees that consistently score above 80 make the wall. The best of the best become the monthly spotlight at U Brew. In addition to the highest quality coffee beans, he has a water filtering system that purifies the water allow you to truly taste the coffee and not the additives in regular tap water.
At U Brew, the setup is intentional: 25 coffees from roasters around the country rotate in. He displays the beans in vials inside old cigar boxes and creates flavor profile labels for each one. Customers choose their vial of beans based on the flavor profile they are interested in that day, grind their beans with one of several options based on expert advice, choose the pour method with guidance, and then taste slowly and intentionally. Andrew already does all the prep, researching, sourcing, weighing to just the right ounce, and providing “the best water you can find,” and you get to do the brew. There’s education built in through conversations about roast, origin, tasting notes, and what happens when you change any element of the method.
From the outside, the place is nondescript. Simple, white, and small, but once you step through the doors, you are transported. The lounge itself feels curated, library-like. Antique typewriters, cameras, and globes adorn the shelves in this dark and moody room. Warm lighting with comfy seating adds a sense that each piece has a story. The windows are blacked out just enough to make you feel you’ve stepped out of the street noise and into something quieter, slower, intentional.
Andrew also has a lifetime Founders Club—100 folks who believe in the idea can buy in and get special perks like exclusive pottery mugs, early tastings, and other membership benefits like 52 cups of coffee in your first year, Founders Club card, and exclusive beans that you can’t get anywhere else. There are still a few available, so check it out if quality coffee is your jam.
As for retail, Andrew makes and sells sugar scrubs and candles using only the purest of ingredients. He partners with other small businesses as well, letting them set up a display in his shop. I have my eye on a couple of pottery mugs here too (my poor budget!). However, you won’t find bags of coffee for purchase. He believes that by connecting coffee lovers to new brands, he is doing his part to continue to lift the coffee world. You can find info on where to purchase your favorite coffee beans with a QR code in the shop or online.
The experience reminded me of craft beer brew tours and wine tastings where you get the story behind the process, making this girl appreciate a cup of black coffee for maybe the first time ever without crinkling my nose in distaste. I even added some cream and sugar to part and preferred the pure, unadulterated cup of caffeine. (Which reminds me. He does offer some decaf options!) While you won’t find any steamed milk beverages here, he is working to add cold brews, espresso, and pour-over.
U Brew isn’t pretending to be everything to everyone. Who can be, after all? It is simply what it set out to be: “An Elevated Coffee Experience. Sharing the world of specialty coffee with individuals by providing an elevated, hands-on, multi-sensory experience.”
U Brew Walk-In is located at 114 Carr St., Knoxville, TN. Hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday thru Wednesday and Friday thru Sunday. Thursday hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can book your own private coffee journey for friends, family or coworkers here.
Petty Coffee: Sass, Specialty, & Swagger
Last for this installment is Petty Coffee, a bright shop in Bearden that opened in July where fiddle leaf figs share space with a variety of local pastries and Counter Culture espresso. General Manager Colby Inman comes from Maple Street Biscuit Company, where he specialized in turning around struggling stores. After a post-pandemic break from restaurant life, a mutual friend connected him with founder Nate Worthington, the former COO of Vienna Coffee.
Worthington left Vienna Coffee after the company was closed downtown and decided to launch his own brand. The name, Petty Coffee, is an inside joke that doubles as a mission. (If Tik Tok is to be trusted, Nate was going into another coffee brand and it was sold out from under him hence the opening of his own shop.) As Colby explains however, it is about doing things their way while still leading with kindness and service.
“We are not here to be rude. We want to welcome people and set ourselves apart by how we interact with guests,” he said. “You can have a little edge and still be good to people.”
Petty Coffee offers specialty-grade coffee (they celebrate the “top 20% of beans”) from Counter Culture who serves many coffee shops in our area. Their menu is wide, espresso-based drinks, fun seasonal specials, teas, frappes, energy drinks. Breakfast items, pastries, bagels: Petty doesn’t just want you to get your caffeine, they want the full “fuel up” experience. Their Bagel & Lox box is already getting praise.
Petty’s feature wall, painted in a pleasant blue, dons a quote commonly attributed to Mark Twain, but actually penned by Clarence Darrow, and sets a tone: “I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.” Take from that what you will.
Their space reflects their attitude: bright, vibrant, and confident, with thoughtful nods to the environment. Plants nurtured and grown by Colby himself soften the room and invite customers to take one home. A small retail section features logo t-shirts and other merchandise, adding to the personality of the shop. Seating is available for both studying and socializing, and plans are underway for an artist wall where local creators can showcase their work.
Petty Coffee is somewhere you might swing by quickly on the way to work picking up your online order, but also somewhere you can sit comfortably and stay awhile, letting the energy pull you in. Their tag-line is Wake Up and Be Petty. “Come for the caffeine, stay for the vibes, leave with your day completely transformed.” I can get behind that.
Petty Coffee is located at 215 Brookview Centre Way, Ste 107, Knoxville, TN 37919. Course are Monday-Friday 7 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
West Knox residents celebrate this recent coffee boom because not one place can be everything. Instead of competition, there’s complement. One spot doesn’t replace another; they each serve different parts of life, morning rushes, mid-morning meetups, study sessions, weekend coffees, etc. These shops show that West Knoxville’s coffee scene is no longer sparse. It’s vibrant, diverse, and growing. Whether you want caffeine with craft, community, or confidence in every sip, you’ve got choices now. And that’s something worth celebrating.
Next up, we will take a look at Primo Passo Coffee, Coffee and Chocolate West Hills and The Capricorn Coffee House. Stay tuned and stay caffeinated.
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