After years of sharing space with the Knoxville Chamber and Leadership Knoxville on Market Square, Downtown Knoxville Alliance (DKA) recently moved its office to the Emporium Building (100 S. Gay Street). The new address makes sense for a 32-year-old organization that lives at the intersection of business, civic life and culture.
This move feels like as good an excuse as any to get acquainted or reacquainted with the organization. What is DKA?
If you’ve followed little peppermint decals across downtown in December, wrangled your kids through a Where’s Waldo scavenger hunt, or done a double-take at a little bronze newt, you’ve met DKA. But all of these are fairly late-stage campaigns of a nonprofit organization whose work has evolved over three decades to meet the needs of the center city it serves.
It all began in 1993 as a 0.67-square-mile business improvement district in the center city (you’ll still sometimes hear it called by its former name, CBID). The basic idea: property owners in a defined downtown area agreed to pay an extra, sliding-scale assessment on top of their regular property taxes. DKA Executive Director Michele Hummel explains, “If you’re in a downtown residential condo, you might be paying a couple hundred dollars a year into the district. But a big property like a bank tower is paying tens of thousands.”
Those pooled dollars are used only inside the district to improve downtown, and often in a more agile way than city funding can provide. In the early years, DKA focused heavily on brick-and-mortar improvements. Think façade grants, helping smaller building owners fix up their storefronts, and chipping away at the long list of vacant or underused buildings. Downtown in 1993, of course, looked far different than the downtown of today. Michele notes that when she moved here in the late ‘90s, “you could roll a bowling ball down Gay Street after 6 p.m.”
As more buildings filled and more people moved downtown, the work gradually shifted. Less emergency triage, more tending to the everyday life of the district. “I think the most important thing is that we can pivot,” she says. “As downtown’s changed and developed, our work program changes with it.”
Today, Michele describes DKA’s focus as quality of life: beautification and seasonal decorations, public art and scavenger hunts, business support and marketing, safety, cleanliness and “how it feels to be downtown.” DKA provides financial support for events and other programming that contributes to the vibrancy of downtown. They share news and hype happenings within the district via an active social media presence that includes nearly 90K followers on Instagram.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the outline of the district. Back in 1993, the DKA forefathers drew up a map delineated by some hard, natural boundaries – the river to the south and the University of Tennessee to the west – but some manmade ones as well. DKA’s boundary jogs around properties whose owners didn’t want to be part of the district when it was formed. The Regas Building, for instance, didn’t want in, so the line stopped across the street. The owners of the Spaghetti Warehouse (now Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria) opted out so now that part of the map looks like it’s missing a tooth.
If some of the boundaries seemed a little bit arbitrary and janky by 1993 standards, they feel even more so today as downtown has expanded well beyond whatever imaginary dotted lines were drawn around it back then. Michele says there’s been a lot of discussion about evolving the footprint — “There are a couple of different alternatives but there hasn’t been much of an effort to do something like that.” Some cities, she noted, have created additional districts. Nashville, for instance, now has three business improvement districts: Central, Gulch and South Nashville.
Alliance, The Emporium, November 2025, Shawn Poynter Photography
I’m sure that redrawing the district would be rife with red tape and funding considerations, plus there’s plenty enough to work with within the district as-is. (And DKA is just a two-person team, Michele plus Marketing Director Callie Blackburn, plus its board of directors, a mix of resident, business and stakeholder representatives plus one City of Knoxville appointment.) But it is an interesting question to chew on and it’s one I grind my teeth to frequently myself as I consider the growth of IOK, a 15-year-old website that began with a sole focus on downtown but has since grown tentacles in every direction over the years. What’s “urban” mean, anyway? How can we promote a broader prospective, or include folks who aren’t currently included quite enough?
In the meantime, the holidays are a time of the year when DKA shines extra bright. It all begins Nov. 28 and runs through Jan. 4. In coming week we’ll be bringing you ALL the info you need to settle into a properly festive state of mind, starting with these offerings courtesy of DKA:
The Elf on the Shelf® Adventure
The 10th annual scavenger hunt is back! Search for elves hiding in more than two dozen downtown shops and restaurants. Pick up a North Pole Pass and self-inking holiday stamp at Mast General Store or the Knoxville Visitors Center, both located on Gay Street, to guide the adventure. Find 20+ elves and enter to win prizes. Share photos using #ElvesInKnox to spread the cheer!
Follow peppermint decals on sidewalks to discover holiday treats and seasonal flavors – like peppermint, gingerbread, cranberry and apple spice – plus boutiques stocked with peppermint-themed gifts, soaps, candles and more.
Lace up your skates and enjoy the open-air ice rink surrounded by twinkling lights in the heart of downtown. Open seven days a week for kids and adults, Holidays on Ice is the perfect way to make magical memories. Find tickets, waivers and details on the City of Knoxville’s website at knoxvilleholidaysonice.com.
Explore local boutiques and gift shops for unique finds and visit holiday markets like the Winter Farmers Market on Saturdays, Dec. 6, 13 and 20, and Jan. 17-March 28, 2026, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and the Old City Market on Saturday, Nov. 29, 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. and First Friday, Dec. 5, 5-9 p.m.
Capture Magical Memories
Snap photos at Market Square’s Peppermint Grove light display; festive windows at the Knoxville Chamber and Knoxville Entrepreneur Center; and the new seasonal mural in Strong Alley (coming the week of Dec.1). Share your holiday cheer with #LoveDowntownKnox.
Santa’s Mailbox on Market Square
Drop off your holiday wishes in a magical mailbox designed by local artist Paris Woodhull. Kids can download a special coloring page created by Santa’s elves. Be sure to send your wishes before Christmas Eve.
Plan your visit and see the full holiday lineup at downtownknoxville.org/holiday.
Downtown Knoxville Alliance: Website | Instagram
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