Shopping

Shopping venues in Knoxville and surrounding counties like Sevier continue to expand, providing shoppers with an array of stores and restaurants.

Development in Turkey Creek, one of the area's newest shopping destinations, has sparked competition among retailers in West Knoxville.

Located on Parkside Drive between Lovell and Campbell Station roads, Turkey Creek has provided more than 300 acres of space for retail shopping stores, restaurants, office space and Regal Cinema's new multiplex.

Another development within constantly evolving Turkey Creek is the Colonial Pinnacle center. Colonial Pinnacle will add a variety of stores, ranging from fashion retail to upscale restaurants, when it opens by summer.

Some retailers expected to locate at Colonial Pinnacle are Talbot's, Chico's, Victoria's Secret, New York & Company, Borders Bookstore, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Kirkland's.

Regional department store chain Belk will be an anchor tenant of Colonial Pinnacle.

Belk is entering the Knoxville market for the first time after acquiring the Proffitt's department store chain last year. By purchasing Proffitt's, which was founded in Maryville and has headquarters in Alcoa, Belk will be in West Town, Knoxville Center, Oak Ridge and Foothills malls.

The North Carolina-based retailer is already in Sevier County, which has a strong retail presence and attracts shoppers from around the region to its outlet malls.

The acquisition last year of East Tennessee's two leading retailers - Knoxville-based Goody's Family Clothing and Proffitt's - by out-of-state companies points to the competition for the shopper's dollar.
Consolidations and mergers also are occurring elsewhere in the retail business.

"Retailers need to get sharper and really pay attention to their customer base and ask what will benefit the customer," said Cole Piper, an executive in residence in retail consumer science at the University of Tennessee.

Piper said Knoxville is a growing retail market that can attract a wide variety of retailers that local shoppers have yet to see.

Downtown Knoxville's Market Square is recognized for its entertainment events that occur year-round, such as the Dogwood Arts Festival and Sundown In the City. Market Square merchants have been renovating and restoring retail shops and restaurants in hope of attracting more customers. Two large additions to downtown are a Regal theater and Mast General Store, both scheduled to open on Gay Street.

The latest shops recently opened in Market Square are Bookers Home Accent, an art gallery; Village Market Place, which sells goods from around the world; and World Grotto, which showcases art and world goods.

World Grotto is featuring its newest addition, an underground bar and restaurant called the Grotto that has Moroccan-themed decor and a cave-like ambiance.

Scott West, owner of World Grotto, believes Market Square's atmosphere and history offer shoppers a completely different experience.

"Market Square's shopping district has historic buildings over 100 years old. They are the skeletons and ghosts of Knoxville's history. That is something you don't see with Turkey Creek, because their buildings are implied history, a fake reality," West said.

West hopes to attract more customers to Market Square with all the recent retail additions and renovations, another example of the area's array of shops.

"From a consumer's standpoint, the retail industry in Knoxville has more to offer than it has ever had for the retail consumer. With all the retail possibilities and availabilities in Knoxville, it can become a regional destination people will be willing to make the drive to," Piper said.