business
Shopper news • OCTOBER 21, 2013 • 7
Business is ‘ongoing reunion’
North side of Millertown Pike is complete.
Millertown bottleneck uncorked How many times have you sat through 3 or 4 traffic light cycles on Millertown Pike, in order to travel a quarter mile and get over that narrow creek bridge at rush hour? “Too many” is probably your answer!
Business by
Nicky D.
Between the initial traffic light queue, as you get off the I 640 exit, and the two traffic lights at the Kinzel Way and Loves Creek Road intersections sandwiched between the narrow bridge, it seems like the bottleneck creep was endless. Cheer up! Your days of dodging those orange and white traffic barrels will soon end. Work on the north side of Millertown is done and that newly-paved lane is open. Work on the south side is moving forward expeditiously. Weather permitting, the overall project target completion date is Nov. 17. That is when the new bridge and protective wall on the south side, and some 1,330 feet of widened and paved roadway improvements should be finished, according to the city’s top civil engineer, Tom Clabo.
He reports that the nearly $900,000 road job will sport three 12-foot wide lanes, a sidewalk, and turn lanes and new traffic controls at Loves Creek Road. There will also be a left turn lane for both approaches on Loves Creek Road to help eliminate the wait there. Soon, you will purrin’, instead of cussin’, on your commute or shopping visit. The Millertown Pike project will help our expanding East Area shopping destination thrive. As reported recently, the Time to Shine car wash is open and running smoothly. The building pad for the dentist office and eye doctor next door on the Matlock tract is graded and appears ready to start construction. Sam’s Club is almost ready to throw the doors open on its massive store addition. Engineer Robin Tipton is encouraged with the road’s progress now that KUB has moved its power lines and AT&T has reworked its fiber optic cable, and removed the old line poles. The shopper no longer needs wonder if you’ll ever reach Food City’s modern grocery store on Millertown – you can get there any time of day. Better traffic flow will encourage more shopping visits and quick-stop trips, while traffic snarls often cause folks to shy away. Brick by brick, the East
Bridge work on southbound Millertown Pike
Turn lane at Loves Creek Road Area is expanding its shopping zone. The East Towne Area BPA has selected officers, and is ready to begin launch advertising and area promotions. Yes, the east side is open and on the move!
Pellissippi State Community College aims to help its students achieve academic goals and reach personal goals through extracurricular activities and educational events. That’s the point of the Oct. 21-25 Relationship Week at PSCC Magnolia Avenue campus. “We’re going to talk about healthy relationships: dating, family, school peers, spouses and the whole, broad spectrum – and about keeping relationships healthy and safe,” said Rosalyn Tillman, Magnolia campus dean. The Clothesline Project, featuring shirts designed by Pellissippi State students, will be on display in the lobby. The Clothesline Project gives women affected by violence an outlet to express their emotions by decorating a shirt. “Sometimes it’s just a few words or images,” said Tillman. “We’ll display shirts designed by students last year.” Monday, Oct. 21, opens with representatives from UT’s Relationship Rx program discussing ways to keep relationships healthy. Relationship Rx will have a table in the lobby with information and giveaways 11:15 a.m.-1 p.m. Also Monday in the lobby, 11:50 a.m.-12:45 p.m., Pellissippi State faculty and staff will lead students in “Relationship Trivia.” The game includes broad trivia on all types of relationships
– romantic, friendly and acquaintance related. Tuesday features a Question Persuade Refer presentation, designed to facilitate suicide prevention and awareness. Suicide is now the third leading cause of death among 15- to 24-yearolds and is the second leading cause of death among college-age students. Approximately 1,100 college students die by suicide each year. The QPR presentation is open to the public. It takes place 12:55-1:40 p.m. in the
Community Room. On Wednesday, YWCA representatives are in the Community Room to discuss domestic violence and to allow students the chance to ask questions and receive personal counseling. YWCA victim’s advocates Judith Wyatt and Pat Boorse will be joined by Maria Mendoza, a bilingual advocate.
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gains. They have “the best prices on baby food and formula” and carry not only consignment items but new items as well. Becky and Fathi make a great team. Both beam while talking about their four children who range in age from 15 to 23. Two sons were valedictorians at South-Doyle High School. Their older daughter graduated cum laude from UT and their youngest child, a daughter, is a student at the L&N STEM Academy. The best part of owning Wee Care Shoppe is seeing some of their original customers coming back with their now grown children who have a new baby. Becky says owning this business is like an “ongoing reunion.” Check out the latest updates on Facebook, Wee Care Shoppe or call 5734218.
Becky and Fathi Husain at Wee Care Shoppe Correction: We misnamed the theater on Millertown Pike in the last column. It’s Carmike and we’re glad it is here. Nick Della Volpe represents District 4 on City Council.
News from Pellissippi State - Magnolia
Relationship week
Fathi and Becky Husain met while students at UT. After they married and started a family, owning a business was their dream. Wee Care Shoppe was started 22 years ago after they were faced with the huge expense of items for their first baby. They wanted a fun, kid-friendly place where they could take their own children to work. They also had a desire to help other parents find the items they needed at reasonable prices. Their current location, 2537 Chapman Highway, is in the same center as the Disc Exchange. As soon as you walk in to their showroom, it becomes evident parents can find everything they need. From maternity clothes, baby books, baby equipment, cribs and toys – the selection is unbelievable. There is a huge selection of assorted shoes and clothes ranging in size from preemies all way to young adult. Halloween costumes and decorations plus bikes for all ages, even adults, are currently available. Fathi loves to “wheel and deal” and gets great bar-
The Rev. Daryl Arnold, pastor of Overcoming Believers Church, speaks on the topic “What Men Want, What Women Need,” 9:4510:35 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, also in the Community Room. Arnold’s talk is open to the public. On Friday, the campus staff and faculty again administer the “Relationship Trivia” game, this time so that students can self-test on what they learned about healthy relationships. Info: 329-3100.
News from Rural/Metro
Blaylock is R/M chief chief. The position opened when Jerry Harnish was named Rural/Metro of Tennessee regional manager. Harnish called Blaylock “a proven leader” for the company’s 15 local fire stations. Blaylock said he took a job as a firefighter while attending college and enjoyed it so much he made it his career. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business from UT. He was a member of the first freshman class at the old Doyle High School and continues to live in South Knox County. He and wife Debra have a son, Logan, who is a firefighter with Rural/Metro stationed in Bluegrass.
Gene Blaylock, a longtime firefighter who joined R u r a l / Metro Fire Department when it began its Knox County operations in 1977, has been named Knox CounBlaylock ty fire chief. Blaylock started his career as a firefighter at Station 26 on Strawberry Plains Pike and rose to the rank of assistant fire chief. He has served at five stations and received numerous promotions, culminating in his recent advancement to fire
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