Twenty Pounds of Headlines Stapled to His Chest: Amplifier on the streets

David sells the Amplifier at the corner of Wall and Gay

There's a new, monthly newspaper on the street as of this month. It is the project of Redeeming Hope Ministries and is called "The Amplifier." Metropulse did probably the best write-up I've seen, but it has been mentioned on WBIR and The Sunsphere is Not a Wigshop. The idea is to give a small avenue toward gainful employment,by allowing homeless individuals the opportunity to purchase the papers for twenty-five cents and then sell them (technically it is a donation) for a dollar.

The idea has worked in other cities such as Nashville and Cincinatti, so there is a precedent. Ultimately, the idea is to have the content generated by homeless people, but Knoxville's version is starting of more modestly, with the content provided by members of the sponsoring church. Some of the topics covered include the election of Bill Haslam to the governorship, the opening of Minvilla Manor, the Ten Year Plan, profiles of homeless persons and a mixed bag of poetry and other creative writing.

When I first read about the idea I had a concern for the safety of the salesmen and women. It seems it could target them on the street as someone who probably has a few dollars. When I talked to David, he said he hasn't had any trouble. He seemed genuninely grateful for the opportunity. I've also read a comment on another site that suggested the idea is simply a bandaid that legitimizes panhandling and is doomed to failure. I'll agree with the bandaid part, but I'll hope the rest is wrong.

It seems to me this can only help. It gives the people selling the papers a productive way to get money. The content has the potential to provide a different perspective. I also think it gives the rest of us an opportunity to have a non-threatening conversation with the people who are homeless on our streets. When I wrote the recent series of posts on panhandlers, one of the side-themes that emerged from my conversations with those who help the homeless is that only relationships can truely help them begin the journey to restoring some order to their lives. A dollar and a conversation doesn't seem like too much to ask for those of us who are so fortunate.

Daylight Update



Helio (with staple gun) and Florentino fight bats and make ceiling magic

 The daylight building continues its transformation with the advent of new sidewalk surfacing and a new look to the underside of the sidewalk cover. Recently I noticed two young men staring across the street with post-traumatic stress syndromic (I know) expressions on their faces. I was standing on the opposite sidewalk in front of the Pembroke building and when I stopped one of them (Helio) ran across the street to show me a (very) small animal clinging to a tree. He insisted - and I believed him - that when the disturbed bat exited the wooden slats he and Florentino were covering, that he looked much larger with his wings spread and his teeth bared, inches from their faces. Who will remember the dangers faced down by these brave men when this building is all shiny and new?

Here they are, hard at work, after the batscapade (I know, I know). They are doing a wonderful job and the underside is going to be beautiful when they finish and the lights are added. Mr. Dewhurst, I hope you are reading this and looking at this photo of two very hard-working men, because they clearly deserve a raise. I'm just mentioning it.

Meanwhile, in the area under the bat sanctuary, businesses are coming to life, slowly. John Black and Amanda Taylor are hard at work documenting the mugs of various Knoxvillians at John Black Photography.

Sarah proudly braving caution tape (Ty is inside) at The Happy Envelope

At the other end of the sidewalk, The Happy Envelope held open house on the 22nd and the crowd packed out the store and spilled onto the street. Stop by and see them for all your invitation and small engraving/design needs - when Helio and Florentino are not blocking the way with their mondo lift machine - I think they are almost finished!

Open House at the Happy Envelope, Union Street, Knoxville, October 2010

Also coming along, is Just Ripe, with a selection of staples and organic and locally grown foods. Here's a couple of pictures of the progress on their space taking shape.

The pace, according to Kristen Faerber, is up to the city. Come on Mayor Haslem, take a few minutes from that campaign (and all that unseemly discussions of guns in parking lots - what's next, guns in bathrooms? Guns in bars? Oh wait - never mind) and get this store open. We're hungry!

Kristen - boothed for now, but soon to be store-fronted!

Open for Business in the Daylight Building! (plus a tease for more to come)

Many of us have waited, sometimes patiently, sometimes not so much, for the Daylight Building to finally assume a semblance of the vision dictated by David Dewhurst. I've been walking past it for a year, crossing to the other side to avoid portable toilets, construction vehicles and varying types of electrical, appliance, plumbing and other debris. I know the people who live in Pembroke (across the street) have gotten tired of looking at the mess. On the other hand, I think everyone understood when this started that the end result would be an (hopefully) attractive building and, most importantly, a building with some life, and that has to be worth some pain in the interim.

John Black in front of his new studio, Union Avenue, Knoxville, September 2010

At the beginning of last month the promise began to come to fruition, with the first residents moving into rented apartments. Interestingly, while I've heard that they are pretty expensive as rentals go, they seem to be filled with UT students. Another surprising note is how many of them have a pet - or more. The tiny patches of dog-duty grass in the area are struggling. I couldn't help thinking as their parents moved them in that even that act took no small amount of faith: the building was still a construction zone across the front, resembling an aging warehouse more than an integrated portion of a vibrant downtown.

The faith seems to be paying off: John Black Photography will slowly begin to ramp up their business on the southeast corner of the building this week. John is originally from Scotland, but grew up in Ireland and has lived in the US for many years, giving him what has to be one of the most interesting accents in the metro area. He has a degree in photography and seeks to apply an artist's eye to the most simple portrait. Beginning with a commercial shoot this week and ramping up from there, the business will be the first long-awaited sign of commercial life for the Daylight Building.



John Black Photography, Union and Walnut, Knoxville, Tennessee, September 2010

 It will not be the only sign of life for long . . . John tells me that an invitation and engraving shop will also soon join the line-up and - Big News - an organic food shop will be opening, with the possibility of a few tables and a small cafe! It may not be a full-service grocery store, but it's another piece of the puzzle. I didn't get a precise time-table, but I got the idea that everything was set for opening when the spaces are ready. From what little I know about construction (approximately nothing), it looks like the spaces could be ready in the next few weeks. An attempt was made to bring in a wedding shop, but that appears to have faltered. We could have had one-stop shopping for your big day!

John hoped to have an open house for First Friday in October, but said he will not likely be ready for the crowds in time, so he's anticipating hosting people First Friday in November. Magpies, for whom he's photographed their First Friday crowds, will probably join him that night as a co-host. Photographs and cupcakes sound like a recipe for a great night! Watch for announcements and join us for this celebration of a building once on a fast track to a future as a stunning parking lot converted instead to homes and livelihoods for a fresh group of downtown residents.