Shopping in the City: Downtown Shopper's Guide

Print from Rala

This is not going to be an exhaustive give guide like you might find in Metropulse. I do think it is worth mentioning, however, that great shopping is waiting for you downtown - either for you gifts prior to Christmas or as a place to spend that gift money that you are hoping will be stashed in an envelope under your tree. I've tried to support downtown stores this season and I've found that to be quite an easy proposition. The variety of merchandise available downtown has blossomed this past year into quite an extensive list.

Shirts for the Lumberjack in the family: Mast General, Half Price

 In the Old City a favorite store is The Unarmed Merchant featuring artist quality work at very reasonable prices. Another intriguing spot in the Old City is the Fortunate Traveler which features items from around the world some of which are similar to the much-missed 10,000 villages. New businesses such as Swagger (vintage athletic shoes), Rala (work by mostly local artists), Black Market (urban clothing), Fizz (jewelry and a little of everything) and Morelock Music (musical instruments and so much more). Of course there are the stalwarts of downtown which continue to be great for your gift-finding adventures: The Art Market, Bliss, Bliss Home, Earth to Old City and Mast General Store.

Oil Lamp: Knoxville Welcome Center

There are many other places to shop and buy gift certificates. One small place you might not consider is the Knoxville Visitor's Center at the corner of Gay and Summit Hill (sharing space with WDVX). They have Knoxville related items as does the gift shop inside the East Tennessee History Center.

Cups with Hand Warmer Handles: Mast General Store

As you can see from the photographs, the mission of finding gifts downtown has been successful. We've also bought gift cards and scarves. Still, we have room for improvement. We've traveled out of downtown to support other good businesses, but it would be nice if downtown had a book store (go to Carpe Librum), a CD store (go to Disc Exchange) and some place with a large selection of cheap wrapping paper (a drug store, maybe?).

Perhaps some of these short comings will be addressed by someone by next Christmas. For now, there is a large selection of perfect presents waiting for you to pick up from friendly merchants downtown. I'll look for you when I'm out.

50 Ways to Spend a Weekend (or at least three)

Of course, given my penchant for anything cheap and musical, the Indie Grrls Fest was a perfect way to spend my weekend, but one of the things I love about the city is that everybody is finding their own groove. At any given time, dozens of events are happening and everyone is following their own taste or life-script blissfully unaware of everyone around them who are just as tuned into their own world.

The biggest event downtown, except for maybe the Indie Grrls event, was the Irish Festival. Who knew that was happening? Several hundred people, apparently. I continue to stumble, baffled into one thing or another. I particularly seem oblivious to all things Irish. I missed the St. Patrick's Day Parade and I couldn't go to a party I was invited to that night because of another committment. I've got to be a better Irishman.

The coolest event I saw was a birthday party on Market Square. I'm guessing the birthday girl was somewhere from 12 to 14, judging by all the giggly friends. They were given a list of things they had to complete all around downtown. The winning team got prizes from Mast General Store. The girls were hoping for candy. What a great idea for a simple, cheap, fun birthday. There should be more of that kind of thing.

But the best thing I watched was a bride and wedding party getting pictures made all over the World's Fair Park. I mean, what better thing to do on a hot August day in Knoxville than to dress in twenty different layers of lace and satin and trudge all over a park in the direct sunlight getting your picture made?

I assume everybody had fun in their own way, delightedly oblivious of each other. That's a pretty good weekend in the city.