Downtown Knoxville changed with the revitalization of Market Square
It has been about 20 years since talks began about revitalizing Market Square and 10 years since the square’s pavilion was dedicated to Bill Lyons.
Ryan Wilusz, USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee
- The West family is opening a new downtown Knoxville souvenir shop on Market Square called See Scruffy City.
- The shop will feature typical gift items and a custom hat bar for personalizing headwear.
- This new venture joins the family’s other downtown businesses, which have been instrumental in Market Square’s revitalization.
- See Scruffy City is scheduled to open in November at 27 Market Square.
The family behind Alice in Appalachia, Bernadette’s Crystal Gardens, Preservation Pub and Scruffy City Hall is opening another business venture in Market Square, but this time it is on the opposite side of the public plaza.
Signs are plastered on the windows at 27 Market Square, between Proper Popcorn and Subway, that say “See Scruffy City.” It’s not only a suggestion for tourists wandering through Market Square and locals looking for a place to eat; it’s the name of the West family’s soon-to-come souvernier shop opening in November.
Scott West and his family are behind several Market Square businesses, like the bars that line the plaza, from Alice in Appalachia to Tommy Trent’s Sports Saloon. The family’s businesses played a major role in helping redevelop Market Square into a premier downtown destination. The area feels like home, and they feel like ambassadors, Paula West told Knox News.
West manages Alice in Appalachia and Earth To Old City, and now she is making her way to the other side of Market Square with See Scruffy City. She hopes the souvenir shop serves as an entry point for out-of-towners and locals to get to know the city better.
It will have typical gift shop items like mugs, shot glasses, clothes and cards, but its originality comes from its custom hat bar, West said.
“This part’s kind of like my baby,” she said. You’ll be able to personalize hats − anything from cowboy hats and trucker caps to garden hats and fedoras.
Customers can pick out a hat, get it fitted and then pick out accessories to personalize it. You’ll be able to add broaches, pins, fabric, charms and get your initials burned into the brim.
West sees it as a store for the whole town, whether you’re dropping in after grabbing dinner downtown, stumbling upon it while walking through Market Square or making it a destination experience for a bachelorette or bridal party. All of the West family businesses serve as a representation of downtown and the rest of Knoxville, she said.
They have committed years to redeveloping and revitalizing Market Square. The West family started opening businesses in the downtown plaza decades ago.
“I’ve been on the square since 2002, which was when it was not really appealing − when is was on its climb up,” West said.
She remembers when Market Square was mostly abandoned, and even when there were businesses, most of them were closed for an evening crowd. It’s hard to imagine, but Market Square was dead once the sun set. The West family had a vision for the area and wanted the city to embrace its “scruffy” side.
See Scruffy City is just one more opportunity for the Wests to show off the city they love.
“I do consider myself an ambassador, and I always look for ways to make (the city) better,” West said.
Knox News reporter Joanna Hayes covers restaurants and retail for the business growth and development team. Email: joanna.hayes@knoxnews.com; Instagram: @knoxeat65. Sign up for Joanna’s Eat65 email newsletter to get the latest drink and dining news, as well as restaurant recommendations, at knoxnews.com/newsletters.
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