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Miracle Maker She has confiscated 14 guns, nine loaded, and has been shot once. Professor Autumn Cyprés has seen it all. You don’t have to tell her about being a principal.
➤ See Sandra Clark’s story on page A-9
Fool’s gold A coach who might know says the Tennessee switch t0 a 3-4 base defense is fool’s gold. It is not magic. It may or may not pressure quarterbacks, disrupt offenses, nail runners for losses, lead to multiple turnovers and dictate the flow of games. The coach, in perfect step with fan forums and call-in radio shows, asked to remain anonymous.
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August 20, 2012
Lakeside overture There was swinging, swaying and a brass band playing and dancing in the park – as demonstrated by Patrick and Laura Kate Stanton – at the August Second Saturday at the Cove. Find out what happened and what’s coming up on page A3 in Farragut Faces. Photo
Sometimes you just gotta know what’s good for you. Ray Fisher talks about the worst job he ever had in the same breath that he tells you it was one of the best things for him and the family business, Fisher Tire Company. “My dad started Fisher Tire in 1948 on Broadway,” says Ray. “It started as a Texaco service station, and the business grew out of that.” See Coffee Break on page A-2
Think local It could have been a tough crowd for Farragut Alderman Ron Honken at the Rotary Club of Farragut last week. Movers, shakers, two former mayors. ... But Ron did fine.
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See page A-13
Index Coffee Break A2 Sherri Gardner Howell A3 Government/Politics A4 Marvin West/Lynn Hutton A5 Community A6,7 Miracle Maker A9 Kids A10,11 Business A13 Calendar A14 Health/Lifestyles Sect B
By Sherri Gardner Howell
by Justin Acuff
Old Kroger center development hindered By Suzanne Foree Neal The story of Brooklawn Shopping Center in Farragut is one of two halves. The Biddle family of Farragut owns the land. The Batson family of Clarksville owns the buildings. Sandwiched in between are businesses that hold leases. That unhappy trifecta is why filling those empties with viable businesses gets complicated. Some of the leases are short-term, others somewhat longer. All will run out by 2019. Kroger, which holds the lease on the biggest empty (49,416 sq. ft.) has decided not to act on its option for an additional five years and will end its seven-year lease option in two years. NAI Knoxville leasing agent Sam Tate says the “For Lease” sign on the former Kroger building will soon come down. The space is listed as “new” on NAI Knoxville’s web site with the notation that the space can’t be leased to a grocery store. While he’s had some interest, the ball is really in Kroger’s court. “There has been a proposal on part of the space, and (Kroger) is looking into determining the best response to that,” Tate said. A Chicago firm is handling
Kroger has decided not to pursue sub-leasing its former space in Brooklawn Shopping Center, instead opting to cut its seven-year lease option to two. Photo by S.F. Neal
Kroger’s properties with Tate serving as the local contact. Bill Setliffe of Wood Properties is leasing agent for two of the small empties adjacent to Farragut Wine & Spirits. Each is about 2,500 sq. ft. One was a medical office and closed about two years ago. The other one has been empty about five years, Setliffe said. “The Biddles don’t sell anything,” he added. “That is their business plan, and I respect that.” Although some-
one could purchase any part of the buildings, Setliffe said that’s unlikely to happen with only seven years left on the ground lease. He says he has had a few conversations with people interested in leasing building space, but no deals yet. Mary Biddle with the MoserBiddle Corp. said the family is open to development, but can’t do anything until the Batson family’s lease on the buildings runs out. “I wish it was up tomorrow,” she said. “We would like to see some-
To page A-3
10512 Lexington Dr., Ste. 500 37932 (865) 218-WEST (9378) news@ShopperNewsNow.com ads@ShopperNewsNow.com GENERAL MANAGER Shannon Carey shannon@ShopperNewsNow.com EDITOR Sherri Gardner Howell gardners@tds.net FARRAGUT REPORTER Suzanne Foree Neal papernews@tds.net ADVERTISING SALES Jim Brannon brannonj@ShopperNewsNow.com Debbie Moss mossd@ShopperNewsNow.com Shopper-News is a member of KNS Media Group, published weekly at 10512 Lexington Drive, Suite 500, Knoxville, TN, and distributed to 33,237 homes in Farragut, Karns and Hardin Valley.
Off the market Garden Ridge comes to Outlet Drive
See Marvin West on page A-5
Meet Ray Fisher
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VOL. 6 NO. 34
IN THIS ISSUE
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Planners give Enterprise green light By Suzanne Foree Neal Enterprise Rent-A-Car may be the next business to call Farragut home after getting the “go ahead” signal from the Farragut Municipal Planning Commission at its meeting Aug. 16. The only hurdles left are two readings of the newly revamped and approved ordinance before the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. An approving look from Mayor Ralph McGill may be an indication of a smooth road ahead. The C-1 zoning needed tweaking to allow that type of business to operate within the town. Enter-
prise has told the town, approve the use and we’ll build here. It will, however, take crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s before Enterprise is willing to invest in property. It will be a freestanding building with the premises marked by decorative fencing. Keeping unauthorized users from driving cars off the lot after hours was Enterprise’s main security concern. The commission discussed a change in zoning for a parcel at 11428 Parkside Drive. Some Sweet Briar residents have expressed concern that the zoning in place
would allow three-story buildings and possibly hotels with balconies to face their homes. Changing the zoning from office-1-3 to commercial-1 will limit building heights to two stories and not allow for hotels. Gretchen Barker, representing Michael Brady, told commissioners they have a client interested in the property for a combination retail/ restaurant development. Owners of Summit View Nursing home at 12823 Kingston Pike received a change in zoning in To page A-3
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With the announcement last Thursday of a shiny new tenant for the former Turkey Creek Public Market, 11221 Outlet Drive, enthusiasm has been high. Not many seem to know exactly what Garden Ridge is, with the only other store in Tennessee being in Memphis, but everyone is pleased that the 163,000-square foot space won’t sit empty. First Commercial Real Estate announced that Garden Ridge, a home décor retail store based in Houston, had taken possession of the former Public Market property. The Market opened in August 2011 and closed last month after a turbulent 11 months. Many vendors, especially the higher-end ones, had left at the end of the first three months. Marketing turned from touting boutique-type vendors to interstate billboards pushing the Market as the state’s largest flea market. Keith Widmer, president of First Commercial, has been “helping Garden Ridge try to locate property in the area for some time,” said Virginia Adams, director of marketing and public relations. As to when the company knew the large retailer would be interested in the Public Market space, Adams said, “I was not a part of the initial negotiations with Garden Ridge. I was not aware of the interest until after the vendors were gone.” In a press release, Widmer said First Commercial Real Estate had assisted Garden Ridge in looking at the Knoxville market since 2011, with the focus being to find a location close to Interstates 40 and 75 with nearby proximity to Turkey Creek. The extension and upgrades of Outlet Drive to Campbell Station Road, which are scheduled to be completed in December, also were major factors in their decision, said Adams. As for a timeline for Garden Ridge, Adams said there was not one available. “Garden Ridge has some renovations to do to the facility and until they receive a Certificate of Occupancy, they won’t announce an opening date. Renovations will include shelving and checkout installation, among others.” Garden Ridge, one of the largest home décor stores in the U.S., offers furniture, patio and garden accessories, art, botanicals, home textiles, housewares, and holiday décor geared toward decorating and entertaining. The company has 23 stores in 19 states, according to the website at www.gardenridge.com. As for employment opportunities, Adams said she did not have an exact number of employees the store will need, but that positions will be retail oriented with check-out, stocking clerks and customer service personnel type jobs available.
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