Greg Wood: Wide variety of revelers go tonkin’ at Toots Little Honky Tonk

Photo by By Greg Wood/Knoxville.com

Curtis Adams and Porsha Kimble are among those who enjoy the vibe at Toots Little Honky Tonk.

Photo by By Greg Wood/Knoxville.com

Amybeth Spielmeyer and Ryan Kelley like the karaoke at Toots Little Honky Tonk.

Photo by By Greg Wood/Knoxville.com

Jessica and Blake Shults sidle up the bar at Toots.

You could blink and miss Toots Little Honky Tonk, a neighborhood bar off of Central Ave in North Knoxville.

I drove past the bar several times on a recent Saturday night before finding it. The small, non-flashy rectangular building sits adjacent to a neighborhood, across from a gravel parking lot, and doesn’t have an illuminated sign out front. From the street it’s nearly impossible to see inside the bar (drapes obstruct view through the windows) unless you’re hunched down and looking from a specific angle.

Needless to say, Toots keeps a low profile.

But as I approached the bar, muffled-yet-recognizable sounds of music vibrated through the front door. And on the inside was a well-concealed throw down.

Toots is a one-room facility hardly larger than a studio apartment. Yet there’s still space for a pool table near the front door, a lengthy bar to the left, and dart board in the back right corner with a jukebox sitting a few feet away. Sparsely-placed high tables stand throughout the center of the room.

The bar manages to cover all its bases despite the small room.

As I strolled in Saturday night I opened the front door right into a makeshift “stage” where someone sang karaoke. The scent of flavored pipe tobacco wafted through an obtrusive cloud of Camel Filter smoke, hitting me directly in the face. But after recovering from the olfactory assault I found the tiny bar packed.

A group of 20-somethings occupied two card tables next to the dart board as couples danced directly behind them, enjoying the karaoke. People lined the bar, two men in their 50s played pool, and a group of four young women chatted by the jukebox.

The diversity of the crowd shocked me. Since it’s a neighborhood bar I expected to find customers who casually strolled down the few blocks from home to catch a few drinks on a Saturday night, and not the kind of people out for a night on the town.

Instead, most of the crowd was well-dressed and highly animated, completely letting lose (though several unkempt regulars were present).

Illuminated beer signs gave a mysterious club-like ambience with blue and red hues filling the room, while the drab concrete walls and hand-made signs clarified the place is anything but a $20-cover-charge New York dance spot. Singers lurked in the dark front corner, sharing their best country singer impressions against a red backdrop. A flickering, static-y TV set awkwardly displayed song lyrics to the rest of the crowd.

I took a seat at the bar and ordered a Coors Light (the bar is beer only) from the recognizable bartender and owner, Bonnie. I struck up a conversation with the people sitting next to me, and fortunately Ryan Kelley and Amybeth Spielmeyer gave me the run down on Toots.

They explained they’re both regulars despite not living in the immediate area because they’re fond of the owners. “Bonnie is this place,” Ryan said. He explained that their jukebox has an extensive selection of country music, as does their karaoke list (adding he does a great Johnny Cash impression). Amybeth told me every other Tuesday night local musician Samuel Williams plays a live show (new for Toots), and frequently brings in other local musicians.

“If you come early on a weeknight, this place is real laid back,” she said, suggesting those were her preferred times of attendance and adding that Tuesdays are $1.75 Miller High Life night.

The only times I’ve been previously have been too laid back for me. But my recent outing showed me I prefer a thriving Toots — crowds dancing, pool balls cracking, Southern drawls pouring through the tiny PA.

Toots manages to do a lot with very little and holds its own in the growing Happy Holler area, even with its modest approach.

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