6
ARTS & CULTURE
The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, March 1, 2023
New downtown spot Monkey’s Bar hopes to provide welcoming space ABBIE SMITH Staff Writer
This story begins in October. At 103 W. Depot Avenue, the cocktail bar Central Depot closed its doors. One of its employees became an ultimate opportunist – Ellie Nelson purchased the space and turned it into a bar of her own. This bar, aptly named for Nelson’s golden retriever Monkey, opened its doors on Dec. 23, 2022. Monkey’s Bar, with its industrial yet homey feel, has become a classic meeting place for people of all kinds. After all, that is one of Nelson’s missions for the bar. “Bars are such a place of connection for people, and I really want to see what I can do to help foster that. I want to provide a space for people to come and, whoever it is, to walk in that door and feel like they are welcome here. It’s a place where they can meet their friends, hang out with people they know, or meet new people. You can meet a lot of people in the bar scene, and I love that, so I asked myself what I could do to make that happen,” Nelson said. The bar has become a place to host events, such as the New to Knox group that met at Monkey’s on Wednesday night. Nelson welcomes the groups, especially the partnership with New to Knox. The fact that a group of people who have moved to a new city and don’t know the area or
each other can meet up in a welcoming space reassures Nelson. She also invites more people to take advantage of the space. After graduating from UT in 2016 with a degree in history and two minors in geography and secondary education – not a business degree like one might think – Nelson has worked in the service industry and the construction industry. That has been one of the most difficult things Nelson has faced when opening Monkey’s Bar. “While I was in the process of opening a business, which is a full-time job, I’m working at my full-time job,” Nelson said. “I’m so thankful for the people that have been around me in this experience to help, like my best friends, my family, all of the above … I would have loved to do more of the manual labor myself, but I went through the bureaucratic stuff, and the people around me did the interior design bits.” Monkey’s Bar can seat about 50 people and though they love to host other people’s events, they also host events like trivia on Tuesdays and local artists performing on Wednesdays. Currently, Monkey’s Bar is not open on Sundays or Mondays, but Nelson says that they could open on those days sometime in the future. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays are the busiest days for the bar. The bar features mostly cocktails, with a few snacks on the menu as well. The cocktails are made with an array of liquors, though Monkey’s
Bar has a plethora of bourbons on their menu – because Nelson feels as though she is wellversed in the bourbon world from her years of work in the service industry. Almost all of the cocktails are references to the early 2000s, such as the Jack Sparrow (probably the most obvious connection), which is a rum cocktail with pomegranate, lime, ginger liqueur, a topping of ginger beer and a lime wheel. Another is the Old Miller, named for Nick Miller, a character in the sitcom “New Girl” “Ellie basically is Nick Miller,” said Brooke Martin, the two-time guest bartender at Monkey’s Bar. Martin bartends mostly at Stock & Barrel in Market Square, another bourbon-focused restaurant. Because Nelson has worked in the service industry for long enough to make connections, she has a number of guest bartenders who pick up shifts as the business continues to navigate its opening. Working at Monkey’s is also a breath of fresh air, Martin felt. “I’ve been working at Stock for four years now, and the burnout is real, but I love bartending so coming to Monkey’s just hits different. It’s a great place to start out or even just find a new lease on the job,” Martin said. Monkey’s Bar can be found on Instagram at @monkeysbarknox, as well as online at www. monkeysbarknox.com. They are open from 4
p.m. to 12 a.m. Tuesday to Thursday and from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Meet some people, like Nelson intended, and have a good time. The drinks are inexpensive, and the people are welcoming – Monkey’s Bar is one of the upand-coming places to be.
Monkey’s Bar, with its industrial yet homey feel, has become a meeting place for people of all kinds. Ericksen Gomez-Villeda / Photo Editor
Knoxville becomes pickleball destination amid national craze ANDI JONES Contributor
Co-founder of Pickleheads Brandon Mackie. Courtesy of Brandon Mackie
Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in America. Its popularity increased exponentially during the start of COVID-19 and has continued to rise. According to Pickleheads, a court data provider, there were about 36.5 million pickleball players in the United States in 2022 and 10,320 pickleball facilities nationally. Brandon Mackie, co-founder of Pickleheads, believes pickleball has become popular due to the social aspect of the sport. The sport was created with family-playing in mind, making it popular for all age groups. “Pickleball is a sport for all ages. Anyone from age 5-95 can play and have fun. This makes pickleball the perfect activity for families, especially around the holidays,” Mackie said. Pickleball was created in 1965 by three vacationers. The name originated from one of the vacationer’s dogs, who was named Pickleball. It can be described as a cross between ping pong, badminton and tennis. Given its similarity to other sports, it can be easy to pick up, but the unique aspects of the game keep players interested. “The magic of pickleball is it’s easy to learn but hard to master. Beginners can go out their first time, learn the game, have fun and even win a few games. But advanced players stay challenged and keep coming
back for more,” Mackie said. Knoxville is the most popular city in Tennessee to play pickleball, with 31 pickleball courts in the Knoxville area. Some of the top places to play pickleball in the Knoxville area are TTCA and Pavilion of Pickleball, both of which require memberships. Sam Duff Memorial Park and West Hills Park have been voted two of the best public courts. As the popularity of pickleball continues to grow, more courts are being added to Knoxville. On Jan. 7, the Tennova Family YMCA opened to the North Knoxville community. The facility features rock climbing, exercise classes and its very own pickleball courts. The inclusion of pickleball courts in the new YMCA emphasizes the growth of the sport. Chris Karges is a player in the National Pickleball League as well as an instructor at Pavilion of Pickleball. She first learned about the sport while she was coaching tennis. Compared to tennis, she believes pickleball is more social and even more interactive due to the small court size and ability to switch partners. Since then, she has been heavily involved in the start and growth of Pavilion of Pickleball which is the first indoor pickleball facility in the state of Tennessee. The Pavilion of Pickleball now has 950
members and will soon reopen memberships for individuals, families and students. Memberships allow players 24 hour access to the facility, lessons and the option to play in leagues. Guests are also welcome and can receive six guest lessons. One aspect that Karges enjoys about playing pickleball professionally is that tournaments are open to both new and experienced players. “Pickleball is one of the only sports where you can participate in a tournament as an amateur and the pros are playing right beside you,” Karges said. Pickleball teams are beginning to appear in Knoxville middle school and are likely to join high school soon. As pickleball continues to grow, Karges believes it is important to encourage kids and students to play. “Pavilion of Pickleball is really trying to develop youth pickleball to help the growth of the sport,” Karges said. As a coach, Karges has seen firsthand how pickleball can easily be learned while also challenging experienced players. Karges credits the popularity of the sport with its social aspects and quick pace. “Very social where you’re switching partners. It’s a very fast sport … and it’s a great workout,” Karges said.