West Knoxville, TN September 2020

SEPTEMBER 2020

CityLifestyle.com/WestKnoxville

the happy envelope delivers on style and substance

M.S. MCCLELLAN PARTNERS WITH SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK

GRAZE AWAY ON NEXT-LEVEL CHARCUTERIE

CONFESSIONS OF A REFINED SHOPAHOLIC

In unfamiliar times, it helps to have a team who’s familiar with you.

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1402 Ebenezer Rd. Knoxville, TN 37922 (865) 693-6301 | pyawaltman.com Financial Planning | Investment Management | Retirement Plan Consulting

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LIFESTYLE LETTER

SEPTEMBER 2020 PUBLISHER

Marc Rochelson | marc.rochelson@lifestylepubs.com EDITORIAL COORDINATOR

Jennie Treadway-Miller | jennie.miller@lifestylepubs.com

That East Tennessee Style AS PUBLISHERS, OUR GOAL IS TO SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE WORKING HARD TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITY STRONG THROUGH GOOD TIMES AND HARD TIMES. We love our community, and hope that in our stories, we get to know one another as neighbors as well as busi-

AD DESIGNER

Matthew Endersbe LAYOUT DESIGNER

Kelsey Proctor CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Hannah Bryant CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ilyin Mapp

nesses and we thank you for your readership. In this September “Style” issue, our features include Knoxville businesses that truly bring a “Knoxville Style” to our community.

Our cover story features The Happy Envelope, a small business located in the Bearden area, owned by a young knoxville couple Sarah and Ty Pattison. They design and letterpress one-of-a kind invitations, stationary, and a variety of gifts that are completely original, ultra stylish, and loaded with that Knoxville flair.

And talk about style -- we also feature M.S. McClellan & Company. Since 1966, this Knoxville business has been stylishly dressing Knoxvilians in classic quality. Read how they are giving back during COVID. We also visit with our partners, realtors Hailey and Robert Threlkeld of Threlkeld Homes Real Estate in their Mid Modern Home with it's own Knoxville history in Lyons’s Bend.

We bring you news of some community members who came together to make a change

CORPORATE TEAM CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Steven Schowengerdt CHIEF SALES OFFICER Matthew Perry CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER DeLand Shore

for good in a work day at BattleField Farms and Gardens. The goal of BattleField Farm

ART DIRECTOR Sara Minor

and Gardens is to grow community, and improve the availability of affordable, fresh

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Janeane Thompson

food food to residents of urban areas of East Knoxville.

Finally, Hannah Bryant of PYA Waltman Capital brings us good news that loving fashion and being financially responsible do not have to be mutually exclusive, and we fea-

AD MANAGER Chad Jensen REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR Eric Williams WEB APPLICATIONS Michael O’Connell

ture an innovative small food business that is perfect for our current reality -- “Amazing Graze Knoxville” -- charcuterie boards in a box!

The businesses that you see in these pages support our mission of supporting businesses and nonprofits in our community. Please think of them when selecting the businesses you work with! They truly care about our Knoxville community.

We hope for you that there may be a beautifully designed and thoughtful card in your mailbox from a loved one, or a stylish mask to wear in your near future.

ARIZONA | CALIFORNIA | COLORADO | CONNECTICUT | FLORIDA | GEORGIA IDAHO | ILLINOIS | KANSAS | MARYLAND | MASSACHUSETTS | MICHIGAN MINNESOTA | MISSOURI | MONTANA | NEVADA | NEW JERSEY | NEW YORK NORTH CAROLINA | OHIO | OKLAHOMA | OREGON | PENNSYLVANIA SOUTH CAROLINA | TENNESSEE | TEXAS | VIRGINIA | WASHINGTON

Amy and Marc 514 W 26TH ST., KANSAS CITY, MO

ON THE COVER Sarah and Ty Pattison of The Happy Envelope

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ILYIN MAPP 4

West Knoxville Lifestyle | September 2020

CityLifestyle.com/WestKnoxville

Proverbs 3:5-6 West Knoxville Lifestyle™ is published monthly by Lifestyle Publications LLC. It is distributed via the US Postal Service to some of the West Knoxville areas’ most affluent neighborhoods.

Articles and advertisements do not necessarily reflect Lifestyle Publications’ opinions.

No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written consent.

Lifestyle Publications does not assume responsibility for statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors. Information in West Knoxville Lifestyle™ is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy of all information cannot be guaranteed.

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INSIDE THE ISSUE SEPTEMBER 2020

FEATURES 12 Graze Away Welcome to Next-Level Charcuterie

14 The Threlkelds Sell Knoxville Homegrown Realtors Offer a Team Experience

16 Good-Looking Letterpress The Happy Envelope Delivers on Style and Substance

12 16

24 Style, Sophistication, and Innovation How M.S. McClellan Stays Relevant

14

24

DEPARTMENTS 4

Lifestyle Letter

8

Good Times

10

Around Town

12

Food & Wine

14

Local Limelight

16

Locally Owned

28 Financial Buzz 30 Culinary Creations

VISIT aubreysrestaurants.com

THE BIGGEST TV in the SOUTHLAND IS NOW EVEN BIGGER!

GOOD TIMES 1.

BattleField Farm and Gardens Community Work Day “BattleField Farm and Gardens” Founder Pastor Chris Battle (in coveralls) and volunteers from City Hills Church labored together in the food garden in July. The motto of this East Knoxville ministry is “Fighting Food Disparity, Building Community”.

Volunteers, farmers, nutritionists, educators and donors are always welcome to help. Connect with them through Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/battlefieldfarmandgardens/.

1. Pictured with Pastor Chris Battle (in coveralls) are community volunteers and members of City Hills Church during a community work day that took place July 11 at Battle Field Farm and Gardens. They include: Kate McGhee, Riley Baker, Javegas Bonds, Angie Delany, Maddie Mehegan, Ben Poland, Ruben Cedeno, Madison Smith, Angela, Todd, Abigail, and Lauren Kennedy.

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West Knoxville Lifestyle | September 2020

AROUND TOWN Our offices provide comfortable visitation rooms for a more family feel. For more information, please email Info.Aardvark.Family.Services@gmail.com.

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS FOOD TRUCK FESTIVAL SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER Forty of East Tennessee’s best food trucks in one place? Sign me up! The Great Smoky Mountain Food Truck Festival is a unique, family-friendly culinary event for all ages. Plan to visit the Little Arrow Outdoor Resort in Townsend on Saturday, November 14, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., to enjoy the best food around. Buy advance tickets for $5 a person (ages 13 and up) through the event’s

“WALLS FOR WOMEN” CELEBRATES THE 19TH AMENDMENT Do More Art Events partnered with Visit Knoxville

Facebook page, as well as read details about VIP Night on Friday, November 13: facebook.com/ events/little-arrow-outdoor-resort/greatsmoky-mountains-food-truck-festival/

and Blount Partnership, among other Tennessee

Dine around the campground, relax by the camp-

visitor bureaus, to celebrate the 100th anniversary

fires, and enjoy the beauty of the mountains - while

of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Visit

keeping a safe distance - in one of the most beautiful

Knoxville is partnering on a mural by Knoxville-

spots in the state. This is a rain or shine event.

native Paris Woodhull at Printshop Beer Co., while Blount Partnership is partnering on a mural at Bike n Tri by Miami artist Nicole Salgar.

Kristin Luna and Scott van Velsor started 501(c) (3) DMA-events in May 2018 as a way to harness and inspire the imaginative spirit found in all of humanity by removing some of the barriers to entry of the creative process. Walls for Women is their project for 2020.

NOURISH MARKET AT MARY COSTA PLAZA Until the return of the Market Square Farmers’ Market, Nourish Knoxville is operating the Market at Mary Costa Plaza next to the Civic Auditorium/ Coliseum every Wednesday 10-1, and Saturday 9-1:00 with a dedicated hour of shopping for the immune-compromised (first hour of each market day). For more information, and to find a farmers’ market near you: NourishKnoxville.org.

NEW SUPERVISED VISITATION SERVICE OPENING IN WEST KNOXVILLE

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THINKUP EXCEPTIONAL PROFESSIONALS SUMMIT Professionals and organizations: Leverage your brain and step up your game with a virtual cognitive development event. Becoming an exceptional professional is bigger than psychology. When peo-

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tember to serve non-custodial parents and their

of cognition, they then can use it to their advan-

children. The monitoring service is dedicated to

tage. This virtual summit will feature cognitive devel-

helping families during one of the most stressful

opment experts and thought leaders who shape our

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community. Learn why companies such as IBM work

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Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

tionality. Visit ThinkUpKnoxville.com to register.

West Knoxville Lifestyle | September 2020

Grains & Grits Festival Returns to Celebrate Southern Spirits The Tennessee Distillers Guild, with its 30+ distillers will converge for this celebration of Tennessee spirits and gourmet grub.

Organized and hosted by the Tennessee Distillers Guild and the Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority, the Festival returns with robust tastings from some of the region’s legendary and awardwinning distillers and blenders, while enjoying unique gourmet cuisine.

New to this year’s event is a special culinary experience—the Ring of Fire. Five chefs will encircle a large fire pit where a whole pig, lamb, chickens and saugages will be roasted and served. In addition, top chefs from across the state will also offer samplings from their menus.

Health and safety are forefront of the festival’s execution, and attendees can have the peace-ofmind that the Grains & Grits event will be following the Tennessee Pledge guidelines and adhering to social distancing and hygiene protocols and will be limiting ticket sales.

November 7, 2020 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Tickets for Grains & Grits are $65 online or $75 for the day of the event and include live entertainment, whiskey and food tastings.

This is a 21 and over event and will take place rain or shine.

For more information or tickets to Grains & Grits, visit the event website at grainsandgritsfest.com.

FOOD & WINE

+ Brie with local honey comb

+ Manchego Cheese

WELCOME TO NEXT-LEVEL CHARCUTERIE

Graze Away ARTICLE JENNIE TREADWAY-MILLER PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED

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West Knoxville Lifestyle | September 2020

+ To f f e e b i t e s

+ Hard Salami

+ Pepperoni

IT ISN’T EVERY DAY THAT A BUSINESS TAKES OFF DURING A PANDEMIC, BUT SUSAN EHLER ISN’T COMPLAINING. “It all sort of started by a fluke,” she says. “Last fall, my husband and I decided to start a micro-wedding business out of a converted horse trailer. We were gonna fix it up and do the cake, flowers, and grazing

+ Sage Derby Cheese

table to a couples’ elopement location. We did a bridal show in January, and I put up a grazing table display.

People like the micro-wedding idea, but more people came by the grazing table. I had tons of people asking if I’d do the grazing table without the micro-wedding.”

Susan took Amazing Graze on Live at Five at Four on WBIR in March, a move that worked out in her favor. There was immediately a lot of interest, and suddenly she was booking events for upcoming months. Then, COVID-19 shut everything down, and the cancelations started rolling in.

“I decided to keep the name relevant and started offering small grazing boxes the first week of April.

I sold six. By Mother’s Day weekend, I sold 60 of them,” says Susan. “It exploded from there, and then I turned in a two-week notice at my full-time job.”

Susan is mostly self-taught when it comes to charcuterie, but she’s also a graphic design graduate, so some of this is born out of innate creativity and experimentation.

“It’s really been amazing. From the get-go, I’ve had repeat customers. During quarantine, I had people pick up grazing boxes from me and take them to a friend’s house for Zoom parties,” she says.

AmazingGrazeTN.com

“I’ve always liked to entertain. I want people to look

Instagram: @amazegrazingtables

at [the grazing tables] and think it’s too pretty to eat but it also looks so good that they’re gonna eat it.”

CityLifestyle.com/WestKnoxville

13

LOCAL LIMELIGHT

The Threlkelds Sell Knoxville ARTICLE JENNIE TREADWAY-MILLER PHOTOGRAPHY WKL TEAM

EVERY THREAD OF THE THRELKELD’S LIFE IS TIED TO WEST KNOXVILLE. They are second and third generation Knoxvillians.

They are both Webb graduates. They chose to build a real estate business where they know all the back roads.

It wasn’t a hard call.

“Our strength is the niche of this West Knoxville area. We both grew up here. It’s our community,” says Hailey. “We have our finger on the pulse of what’s going on. So many homes get sold before they go on the market.

That’s our strength.”

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West Knoxville Lifestyle | September 2020

Robert got into real estate in 2012, and the couple married the year after. It wasn’t long before Hailey joined the business officially, the Threlkelds were on their way.

“It’s grown organically, and we’ve just let things develop as naturally as they would,” she says. “Businesses grow and don’t always have the resources to service their clients, but we always want to make sure we have the right support with the client in mind.”

The Threlkelds started with Keller Williams Signature in 2018 and specialize in Bearden, Rocky Hill, and other West Knoxville zip codes, with Robert as the primary listing agent and three agents Hayley Relford, Heather Moffett, and Jennifer Goucher - who work exclusively with buyers. Also on the team are Ashley Clevenger, marketing and listing coordinator, and Teresa Dolak, administration and client care coordinator. Hailey, according to Robert, is “the brains of everything.”

“That’s the tricky part,” says Hailey, “making sure everyone on our team has a quality of life, because that’s hard to balance [in real estate]. When Robert and I first started, it was a grind.”

“It’s not sustainable to maintain that level,” Robert adds. “Now everyone is able to have a semi-balanced life and our clients are more well-cared for.”

The Threlkelds and their team strive to give every client firstrate service, to go above and beyond, to meet their needs before the need even arises.

“We help sell Knoxville,” says Robert. “If we can raise the tide of Knoxville, it’s going to be great for everybody.”

CityLifestyle.com/WestKnoxville

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LOCALLY OWNED

THE HAPPY ENVELOPE DELIVERS ON ST YLE AND S U B S TA N C E SEVENTEEN

YEARS

AGO,

NEWLY-

WEDS SARAH AND TY PATTISON WERE ENJOYING THEIR FIRST SEASON OF LIFE TOGETHER, SHE AS A GRAPHIC DESIGNER AND HE AS AN INTERN FOR YOUNG LIFE. Then, the design company Sarah worked for folded, and they knew they were going to need a new plan.

“I was actually the breadwinner, so when we got that news, it was a huge blow,” says Sarah. “But Ty encouraged me. I am a graphic designer by degree, and I love design. I’d always had this idea to do stationery and start a stationery line. My husband said to just give it a shot.”

At the same time, Sarah had a friend, a fellow University of Tennessee graphic design graduate, who’d landed a job in New York City at Kate’s Paperie, which 16

West Knoxville Lifestyle | September 2020

Sarah and Ty Pattison

ARTICLE JENNIE TREADWAY-MILLER PHOTOGRAPHY ILYIN MAPP had five locations across Manhattan at the time. She offered up all the first-hand knowledge about print runs and running a stationery shop. Sarah decided to take a leap of faith and give it a go.

Though it was crucial to develop a business plan and set a budget, Sarah was also keen to develop the right brand for The Happy Envelope to make sure that the work she was offering the community reflected her personal aesthetic but also the mission of the company.

“Our brand is always evolving. It’s fluid, in terms of style. And it’s not even just as time changes but as we become more confident in what we want The Happy Envelope to be. In the beginning, I remember having a conversation with another designer, and I said, ‘I feel like Happy Envelope has to go outside Sarah Pattison. It has to stand on its own outside of my brain.’ I look back, frankly, at things we designed and sold 15 years ago and I’m aghast,” she says, laughing. “Now, we’ve sort of come to a place where we’re pretty clear on our mission, and that influences our designs.”

As the business grew, so did Ty’s role in the company.

Early on, Sarah outsourced her stationery to other printers. One afternoon, she visited a printer who had an old letterpress in the back of his shop. He said she could have if she could move it. The next day, Ty got a tow truck and delivered the letterpress to their garage, where it proceeded to collect dust for the next six months.

“I finally said, ‘You have three months to get that thing working,’” she said, laughing. “He signed himself up for a class in Atlanta, intro to letterpress or something, and spent a whole summer driving down there and learning everything he needed to know. Now he has three working letterpresses.”

Style-wise, Sarah is careful not to jump on trends and curate the next cookie-cutter shareable style. She doesn’t do “whimsical” and instead goes for “concrete,” something grounded yet soft.

CONTINUED >

CityLifestyle.com/WestKnoxville

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LOCALLY OWNED (CONTINUED)

“I love typography. There’s a science to it. There are some rules, but there’s also an art. I love fonts so much, so for the sake of branding, I need to not go outside, say, ten [fonts], so we’re not going too trendy with whatever the latest cool thing is,” she says. “I just taught typography to a group of juniors at UT last year. I told them, ‘You are graphic designers, and when you go out in the world, you’ll set yourself apart with typography.’ There’s so much quick design out there, and there are pros to that. But that’s different from what I do, just like there’s a difference between hiring an interior designer and arranging your furniture yourself.”

Prior to COVID-19, the bread-and-butter of The Happy Envelope was custom wedding invitations. This is particularly where their mission - to offer peace of mind and a guiding hand through all of life’s occasions - really shines.

Sarah says she’s always thinking about how to word things, how to help customers know just what to say, and present that information in a way that represents both them as a design company but also fits the needs of the client.

Of course, when wedding events started to reschedule, and some cancel altogether, Sarah and Ty knew

Our core is still about holding hands and offering peace of mind, even

they’d need to shift gears, if only a little, to keep their

when we’re not doing invitations,” says Sarah. “We have about 2,000

business afloat.

people who get our email blasts, and another 5,000 on Instagram,

“Our focus shifted this year. It was a heartbreak, and

and so many of these people are people we know. We’ll have done a

after we had our panic attacks in March and April - you

wedding invite for them ten years ago and now they’re buying a tea

just feel so badly for these brides and their families - we

towel. People come back again and again. It’s relational. I love the

got our heads up and thought, well, now is the chance,”

story. It’s so much better than the product.”

says Sarah. “We always loved product design. We have

The small staff of five at The Happy Envelope works hard to make the

a great staff, we had the time, so we shifted things into

customer experience enjoyable at every turn, from brainstorming ideas

product development. My hope and prayer is that we’ll

and delivering the finished product to the shopper’s experience online

look back two years from now and see it was the best

and in-house, as well as watching Ty work on the letterpress machines.

decision for our business.”

“One thing I love, and people don’t know until they get here, is that

Sarah’s passion for lettering and typography trans-

we have these large glass windows so they can watch Ty print. It’s

lated seamlessly from stationery to the myriad gifts they

like a working museum here,” she says. “We have a letterpress from

sell, from tea towels and city posters to journals, note-

1893. Local people will bring in folks from out of town because it’s

pads, and calendars. They’ve cast a wider net beyond

a fun shop to be in with these printers working in the background.”

those who need event-related materials and now offer

“The most important thing is that we are differentiated,” Sarah con-

their carefully-crafted products to a larger community

tinues. “We put a lot of thought into our products. We don’t slap things

both in Tennessee and online.

together and get them printed in China. We have a slower, methodical

“We are pretty big believers in organic growth. We send

process, so we help people slow down and put thought into their gifts.”

out an email about once a week with updates and new products. Whenever we send out emails, we get orders.

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West Knoxville Lifestyle | September 2020

Learn more at TheHappyEvelope.com.

CONTINUED >

CityLifestyle.com/WestKnoxville

19

LOCALLY OWNED (CONTINUED)

Anna Kate Stanley (front) with Lauryl Brisson 20

West Knoxville Lifestyle | September 2020

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CityLifestyle.com/WestKnoxville

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West Knoxville Lifestyle | September 2020

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STYLE, SOPHISTICATION, AND INNOVATION HOW M.S. MCCLELLAN STAYS RELEVANT ARTICLE JENNIE TREADWAY-MILLER PHOTOGRAPHY ILYIN MAPP

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West Knoxville Lifestyle | September 2020

I’D SEEN STORES IN CHARLOTTESVILLE AND CHAPEL HILL THAT WERE A LITTLE MORE UPBEAT AND VIBRANT, SO THAT ’S WHAT I USED.”

Bob McClellan

IN 1966, MATTHEW MCCLELLAN SET OUT TO BUILD A BETTER MOUSETRAP. The metaphor he uses applies to all entrepreneurs - the desire to take an existing idea and morph it into a better version of itself.

Menswear wasn’t a novel idea in the 1960s, but Matthew looked around Knoxville and knew he could offer a new kind of store something with a little more life.

“I guess my complaint about most of the clothing in Knoxville was that it had little color. Ivy League clothing was relatively dark back then,” he recalls. “I’d seen stores in Charlottesville and Chapel Hill that were a little more upbeat and vibrant, so that’s what I used. I was going off of that.”

At the time, Matthew and his wife were expecting their son, Bob. Only a couple of years out of college, with some clothing store experience under his belt, Matthew became a father and business owner in the same year. It’s just the sort of thing an ambitious, driven person would do, someone with a vision. Hansom House was the original M.S. McClellan, born on Cumberland Avenue.

CONTINUED >

CityLifestyle.com/WestKnoxville

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ST Y LE , SOPHISTICATION , AND INNOVATION (CONTINUED)

By 1972, the store had a new name and a new location, nestled inside West Town Mall. As it turned out, it was a better mousetrap.

“We had new bags, new labels, and a new name.

We got off the ground quickly. We were in the mall for 14 and a half years,” says Matthew. “The first five were really good. It allowed us to expand our reputation. The second five were okay, and by the third five, most of our money was coming off the parking lot, not from inside the mall. So, I bought a piece of property off of Kingston Pike in Bearden and built this store as an anchor.”

Bob cut his teeth on the store while it was still in the mall, a perfect summer and holiday job for a kid coming of age in the 1980s.

“There was always a fun, high-energy crew here,” Bob remembers. “I went to UT and we opened up another store on campus, so I worked there. It was a lot of fun.

I can’t say it’s what I always wanted to do, but it was a lot of fun.” Eventually, Bob moved to Nashville, but he Julian Nash

returned in 1992 and has been in Knoxville since.

M.S. McClellan is known for its men’s clothing and sportswear, carrying brands such as Canali, Zanella, and Barbour. Over the years, Matthew was always

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West Knoxville Lifestyle | September 2020

careful to stay on trend but avoid fads. He credits the Italian influence as their baseline of sophistication. It’s a business model and vision that’s worked year after year.

Of course, for all of the McClellan’s experience in traditional mens’ (and eventually, womens’) clothing, including the Knoxville market, nothing could’ve prepared them for the strange shift the entire world experienced in 2020.

COVID-19 threw every business-owner for a loop.

“We are learning on the fly. We’ve worked on planning what to buy and what to mark down. There’s no way to plan for this. From late March to the present, every day is a different bag,” says Bob. “That’s what the facemasks were all about. We furloughed a couple of people in March, and our tailor, who’s an older gentleman, wanted to step out. So, we kept on two tailors for the alterations we had and brought on another tailor to

PART OF THE UNIQUE E XPERIENCE AT M.S. MCCLELLAN IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A SINGULAR PIECE OR AN ENTIRE SUIT MADE ENTIRELY FOR THE CUSTOMER .”

help with facemasks. The response was a lot greater than we anticipated.”

Everytime the phone rang, it was a customer asking about masks. It was a natural next step as well as an opportunity to give back to the community. Each mask

You can go online or around town and beat our prices,

sells for $20, and 60 percent of the proceeds are donated

but you can’t beat our quality or service. You’ve never

to Second Harvest Food Bank.

been able to,” says Matthew. “If you have a problem,

“It seemed like the right thing to do to offer a hand to

there’s someone to take care of it.”

them. We were keeping people employed and giving a

Bob adds, “The person who gives us that chance out

hand to people who needed help. When we reopened

of necessity, for an event or something like that, they’ll

in May, we still had some people asking for masks, but

find the experience or the goods - they can’t put it into

it slowed down. Then numbers started going up in July,

words, but it’s pretty special.”

so the calls went up again. Thus far, I’ve already sent two

Part of the unique experience at M.S. McClellan is

checks to Second Harvest, roughly $14,000,” says Bob.

the opportunity to have a singular piece or an entire

“That’s a lot of masks, over 1,500. As long as you need a

suit made entirely for the customer. Started last fall,

mask to go places, we’ll keep making them.”

McClellan By Design is a program where everything

It’s common for passersby to overlook M.S. McClellan

from the lining in the pockets to the label width can be

and assume the clothes are out of their price range, a

selected. From buttons to stitching, the end result is a

reputation Matthew and Bob are well aware of. The

one-of-a-kind piece or suit.

acknowledge their price structure pushes the envelope, but not to the point of being exclusive.

“People in general got a feeling that they couldn’t afford us, but if they try us, they’ll see that they can.

“I’m not in here everyday since I’ve been quarantined, but in my opinion, we’ve done better through this thing than I would’ve thought,” says Matthew. “It’s a testament to the people. We have good people here.”

CityLifestyle.com/WestKnoxville

27

FINANCIAL BUZZ

c o n fe s s i o n s of a refined shopaholic ARTICLE HANNAH BRYANT

I REMEMBER MY FIRST (AND LAST) STORE CREDIT

I will search my closet for something I have not worn in a six-

CARD. I had just begun a job at my favorite retail store and

month-to-one year timeframe and donate or sell it in order to

was instantly approved for a shiny new card that gave me

make room for something new.

seemingly magical access to beautiful new clothes with a simple swipe. A word of caution to those of you who love

+ Online Shopping: I do recognize the limitations of ecom-

fashion: working in retail puts your willpower and budgeting

merce. However, something I have learned is I do less impulse

skills to the test every minute of each shift. Add on a store

spending when I limit shopping to the comfort of my home.

card, and you are a goner.

Some additional benefits include not having the opinions of oth-

I started off strong, only buying those items that came in

ers influence your decisions, more time to think

at a reasonable price with my discount. However, as time

on the purchase, and the potential to save more

went on, justification came naturally. Each time I would try

money from coupon codes not offered in stores.

on a new item, my coworkers would shower me with compliments. The excuses flowed easily; I kept buying, and rational

+ Cash Back Browser Extensions: Cash

thoughts were nowhere to be found.

back from purchases sounds too good to be

My month-long shopping extravaganza came to a

true. I can personally verify it is legit, though. I

screeching halt when I received my first statement with an

use Rakuten and earned over $100 from online

amount almost tripling my wages. I was mortified. As an

purchases during the holiday season last year.

aspiring financial advisor, this was the epitome of behavioral finance I had learned was potentially harmful to long-term

+ Renting vs. Owning: A few renting-specific

financial freedom. During my next shift, I made a comment

websites and retail stores offer the option to rent

to a coworker about my own personal “Mount Debtrest,” and

clothes and try new styles via monthly subscrip-

her response of, “Oh, my card will always have a balance on

tion. You can choose pieces to try, keep them for

it,” gave me a glimpse into how easy rationalizing these pur-

a month, and then ship them back or purchase for a discounted

chases could become if I did not change.

price. Renting is a great option for people who like to try trendier

The good news is loving fashion and being financially

styles without the risk of only wearing something once.

responsible do not have to be mutually exclusive if I can implement a few safeguards to keep me accountable. These are tools I use to keep my shopping habits in check:

Some of you may roll your eyes at this entire story. Loving fashion may seem materialistic, but it feels like a hobby to me. Regardless, the core issue is limiting your purchases

28

+ FIFO: For those of you who chose to enjoy college and not

in general to pieces you truly love, whether it is a pair of

study accounting, this is a term for inventory systems mean-

shoes or a new car. Whatever your hobby, being practical

ing “first in, first out.” I decided to adopt this method for my

and responsible with it will make your financial journey feel

closet. When I am interested in buying an article of clothing,

like walking a path instead of climbing a mountain.

West Knoxville Lifestyle | September 2020

Hannah Bryant

The opinions expressed are those of PYA’s Investment Team. The opinions referenced are as of the date of publication and are subject to change due to changes in the market or economic conditions and may not necessarily come to pass. Forward-looking statements cannot be guaranteed.

PYA Waltman Capital, LLC (“PYA”) is an investment adviser registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. More information about PYA’s investment advisory services can be found in its Form ADV Part 2, which is available upon request. PYA-20-50

CityLifestyle.com/WestKnoxville

29

CULINARY CREATIONS

E A T

KEEP YOUR PLATE IN STYLE WITH THESE FOODS THAT WILL HELP YOU LOOK + FEEL GOOD

ARTICLE HAYLEY HYER

P R E T T Y 30

West Knoxville Lifestyle | September 2020

VITAMIN A IS ESSENTIAL TO PROTECTING THE CORNEAS OF OUR EYES. By taking care of your corneas, you can extend the health of your eyesight and reduce vision loss with age. An easy way to remember what to eat for healthy eyes is to look for orange foods. Carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and butternut squash are all high in vitamin A.

H E A LT H Y EYES

/// CARROTS / / / S W E E T P OTATO E S /// PUMPKIN /// BUTTERNUT SQUASH

CONTINUED >

CityLifestyle.com/WestKnoxville

31

CULINARY CREATIONS (CONTINUED)

/// FLAX SEED /// WALNUTS /// CHIA SEEDS /// FISH

H E A LT H Y SKIN

Did you know that vitamin A is also imperative for skin health? So while you’re caring for your corneas, you’re also boosting your outer glow. If you want to kick it up a notch, be intentional about eating plenty of foods with omega-3 fatty acids to reduce acne and inflammation and help your skin produce its own collagen. For your healthy fats, go for flax seed, walnuts, chia seeds, and fish.

32

West Knoxville Lifestyle | September 2020

SWEET P OTATO SCRAMBLE (FOR ONE)

M I X INGREDIENTS

+ 2 eggs + A dash of flax milk + Cumin + Salt + pepper + ½ sweet potato, cubed + ¼ green onion, chopped + ¼ cup spinach + Handful of broccoli florets + Ghee butter or avocado oil for cooking

TOPPING IDEAS

+ Cooked salmon + Hot sauce + Chia seeds or flax seeds + Fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS 01 Whisk together your eggs, milk, and spices.

02 Prepare a skillet over medium heat with your ghee butter or avocado oil.

Cook the sweet potato, green onion, and broccoli for 5-8 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for 1 more minute.

03 Pour your egg mixture into the skillet and scramble together until the eggs are your desired texture, roughly 3 minutes.

04 Immediately add your cooked salmon, seeds, parsley, or hot sauce and enjoy while it’s still hot!

I T

U P

CONTINUED >

CityLifestyle.com/WestKnoxville 33

CULINARY CREATIONS (CONTINUED)

For soft, flowing tresses, make sure you’re getting an equal amount of B vitamins in your diet. We naturally get plenty of B-6 because it’s in most grains, but it’s easier to end up with a biotin or B-12 deficiency if you don’t pay attention. Focus on foods like salmon, eggs, spinach, and broccoli for a healthy balance of B vitamins for your hair.

H E A LT H Y HAIR SALMON /// EGGS /// SPINACH /// BROCCOLI ///

34

West Knoxville Lifestyle | September 2020

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