Gone but not forgotten: Knoxville area restaurants and retailers we miss.

[Ted]

That's a good one, Mad. Balloff's was a premium menswear retailer that started in LaFollette in the 50's.

The store in your pic was in downtown Knoxville (412 Clinch Ave. in the Valley Fidelity Bank building at that time). There was also a Balloff's location in Oak Ridge, as well as in both West Town and East Towne Malls. I remember seeing the original one in LaFollette back in the 80's.

Their last Knoxville location closed in 1989. It was located at 141 N. Peters Rd. The mall locations had both closed at this point.

Louis Balloff started the company in 1921 and was succeeded by his sons, Edward and Sam Balloff. Edward passed away in 2014, and Sam a year ago at age 100. Here is Sam's obituary. He had quite a life!

Bonus: In web searching for Balloff's, I found these:

West Town (not yet mall): A look back at the first shopping season of 1972

It wasn't called a "mall" yet. What were the first stores?

www.knoxnews.com

East Towne Mall was Knoxville's next big thing after 1982 World's Fair

100,000 people visited what is now Knoxville Center Mall on opening day. JC Penney, Millers, Proffitt's and Sears were some of the favorite stores.

www.knoxnews.com

Balloff's were among the opening stores in both West Town and East Towne Malls. Apparently the East Towne store didn't do well in that location and closed three years later. The West Town store lasted into the mid-80's.

Mad, here is an interview with Sam Balloff that I came across. You'll enjoy this: http://volweb.utk.edu/~wpcsws/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/2004-Balloff-Sam-transcript.pdf

 

[MAD]

That's a good one, Mad. Balloff's was a premium menswear retailer that started in LaFollette in the 50's.

The store in your pic was in downtown Knoxville (412 Clinch Ave. in the Valley Fidelity Bank building at that time). There was also a Balloff's location in Oak Ridge, as well as in both West Town and East Towne Malls. I remember seeing the original one in LaFollette back in the 80's.

Their last Knoxville location closed in 1989. It was located at 141 N. Peters Rd. The mall locations had both closed at this point.

Louis Balloff started the company in 1921 and was succeeded by his sons, Edward and Sam Balloff. Edward passed away in 2014, and Sam a year ago at age 100. Here is Sam's obituary. He had quite a life!

Bonus: In web searching for Balloff's, I found these:

West Town (not yet mall): A look back at the first shopping season of 1972

It wasn't called a "mall" yet. What were the first stores?

www.knoxnews.com

East Towne Mall was Knoxville's next big thing after 1982 World's Fair

100,000 people visited what is now Knoxville Center Mall on opening day. JC Penney, Millers, Proffitt's and Sears were some of the favorite stores.

www.knoxnews.com

Balloff's were among the opening stores in both West Town and East Towne Malls. Apparently the East Towne store didn't do well in that location and closed three years later. The West Town store lasted into the mid-80's.

Mad, here is an interview with Sam Balloff that I came across. You'll enjoy this: http://volweb.utk.edu/~wpcsws/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/2004-Balloff-Sam-transcript.pdf

Nice info.
I remember the owners. My parents knew them pretty well.

 

[MAD]

I found this fascinating.


Helma's restaurant owner Helma Gilreath shows off a buffet in the 1960s. Gilreath's restaurant was one of the first in the county to end the policy of segregation in the 1960s.



Helma's restaurant on Asheville Highway is pictured in the 1960s.


Article from 2013

Milestone remembered: Helma's eatery a leader in 1963 desegregation

Looking back 50 years ago this Friday, Jean Underwood wonders what all the fuss and consternation was about when 32 Knoxville restaurants opened their doors to black customers for the first time.

archive.knoxnews.com

Jean Underwood visits the former the Helma’s restaurant which was owned by her mother, Helma Gilreath, on Wednesday in East Knox County. The Asheville Highway landmark was one of the first in the county to end the policy of segregation in the 1960s.


Looking back 50 years ago this Friday, Jean Underwood wonders what all the fuss and consternation was about when 32 Knoxville restaurants opened their doors to black customers for the first time.

The agreement to desegregate on July 5, 1963, was hammered out by a negotiating committee that met with the executive committee of the Committee for Orderly Desegregation of Public Facilities in Knoxville and a committee of the Restaurant Association.

Underwood's mother, Helma Gilreath, the owner of Helma's restaurant on Asheville Highway, was one of the committee members who championed the push for integration.

Not only was it the law, but it was the right thing to do, according to Gilreath and the other restaurant owners.

Some of the city's best-known eateries of the time were on the list to integrate, including Regas, Rathskeller, Pero's, Wright's Cafeteria, Louis' Drive-In Dining Room, S&W Cafeteria and the Tic-Toc Dining Room.

Underwood said the staff at her mother's East Knoxville eatery was apprehensive as the first carload of black patrons pulled into the parking lot in the early afternoon of July 5, 1963.

"I remember my mother telling me about a waitress calling her all panicked, saying a carload of black people had just pulled up," said Underwood, now 83.

"The waitress said to my mother, ?What do we do, what do we do?' "

Underwood said that her mother quickly calmed the jittery staff.

"My mother said: ?What do you normally do when we have customers? Imagine they're white people.' She didn't want anything to be out of the ordinary."

The pangs of anxiety quickly disappeared as the black patrons filed into the restaurant, ate and left in orderly fashion, Underwood said.

"Everybody was well-dressed and polite," she said. "They tipped well and everybody was on their best behavior."

Underwood said she remembered going to committee meetings with her mother, who'd predicted that the desegregation of Knoxville restaurants would proceed smoothly.

"I was at every Restaurant Association meeting with her, and she said we need to address this. She said everyone agreed that this would not be a problem."

Gilreath's words proved prophetic, as Helma's went on to build a strong following of black patrons over the years.

Underwood chuckled when recalling an incident in the mid-1970s when University of Tennessee basketball great Bernard King, who is black, showed up unannounced to eat at Helma's buffet.

"We had all of these white men who were arguing over who would buy Bernard's lunch," Underwood said. "I thought, ?We've come a long way.' I still laugh about that."

Although her mother sold Helma's in 1985, Underwood said she still wonders what happened to that first carload of black patrons from 1963.

"I always wished they would come back," she said. "I'd love to talk to them."

 

[Ted]

Here's Helma's in 2023. The building still sits empty after all these years.

 

[SuzyVol]

I found this fascinating.

View attachment 698619
Helma's restaurant owner Helma Gilreath shows off a buffet in the 1960s. Gilreath's restaurant was one of the first in the county to end the policy of segregation in the 1960s.

View attachment 698620

Helma's restaurant on Asheville Highway is pictured in the 1960s.


Article from 2013

Milestone remembered: Helma's eatery a leader in 1963 desegregation

Looking back 50 years ago this Friday, Jean Underwood wonders what all the fuss and consternation was about when 32 Knoxville restaurants opened their doors to black customers for the first time.

archive.knoxnews.com

View attachment 698621
Jean Underwood visits the former the Helma’s restaurant which was owned by her mother, Helma Gilreath, on Wednesday in East Knox County. The Asheville Highway landmark was one of the first in the county to end the policy of segregation in the 1960s.


Looking back 50 years ago this Friday, Jean Underwood wonders what all the fuss and consternation was about when 32 Knoxville restaurants opened their doors to black customers for the first time.

The agreement to desegregate on July 5, 1963, was hammered out by a negotiating committee that met with the executive committee of the Committee for Orderly Desegregation of Public Facilities in Knoxville and a committee of the Restaurant Association.

Underwood's mother, Helma Gilreath, the owner of Helma's restaurant on Asheville Highway, was one of the committee members who championed the push for integration.

Not only was it the law, but it was the right thing to do, according to Gilreath and the other restaurant owners.

Some of the city's best-known eateries of the time were on the list to integrate, including Regas, Rathskeller, Pero's, Wright's Cafeteria, Louis' Drive-In Dining Room, S&W Cafeteria and the Tic-Toc Dining Room.

Underwood said the staff at her mother's East Knoxville eatery was apprehensive as the first carload of black patrons pulled into the parking lot in the early afternoon of July 5, 1963.

"I remember my mother telling me about a waitress calling her all panicked, saying a carload of black people had just pulled up," said Underwood, now 83.

"The waitress said to my mother, ?What do we do, what do we do?' "

Underwood said that her mother quickly calmed the jittery staff.

"My mother said: ?What do you normally do when we have customers? Imagine they're white people.' She didn't want anything to be out of the ordinary."

The pangs of anxiety quickly disappeared as the black patrons filed into the restaurant, ate and left in orderly fashion, Underwood said.

"Everybody was well-dressed and polite," she said. "They tipped well and everybody was on their best behavior."

Underwood said she remembered going to committee meetings with her mother, who'd predicted that the desegregation of Knoxville restaurants would proceed smoothly.

"I was at every Restaurant Association meeting with her, and she said we need to address this. She said everyone agreed that this would not be a problem."

Gilreath's words proved prophetic, as Helma's went on to build a strong following of black patrons over the years.

Underwood chuckled when recalling an incident in the mid-1970s when University of Tennessee basketball great Bernard King, who is black, showed up unannounced to eat at Helma's buffet.

"We had all of these white men who were arguing over who would buy Bernard's lunch," Underwood said. "I thought, ?We've come a long way.' I still laugh about that."

Although her mother sold Helma's in 1985, Underwood said she still wonders what happened to that first carload of black patrons from 1963.

"I always wished they would come back," she said. "I'd love to talk to them."

Did Wright's Cafeteria exist in 1963?

 

[MAD]

Did Wright's Cafeteria exist in 1963?

Wright's started in former grocery​

According to the elder Wright, the business started at the site right after World War II, but in a different realm. His father, J.B. Wright, had opened a grocery store there and ran it for about 20 years.

At some point, David Wright’s mother, Ella Mae, decided to start operating a small “meat and three” restaurant in the southwest corner of it.

It apparently went so well that in 1966, the entire grocery was converted into a cafeteria, which was a very popular style of dining in Knoxville and elsewhere for decades.

 

[MAD]

See historical photos of Neyland Drive in Knoxville through the years

See pictures of Neyland Drive, near the University of Tennessee along the Tennessee River in downtown Knoxville through the years.

www.knoxnews.com

 

[Ted]

Mad, thanks for the Neyland Drive pictures link. It was very interesting to see the two bridges in these old photos. I liked that this piece had more recent pictures as well, such as the pics from 2011-2012 when the Henley Street bridge was closed and being redone. Gosh, that was a huge mess here in town when Henley/Chapman was closed, for those of you who weren't here for that. Then.. came the horrid apartment buildings down there on the south side. Awful.

Also, in the article, there were references to Anderson's Cajun Wharf restaurant, which apparently occupied the building where Calhoun's is now. Those of you who were here in Knoxville in the 1970's and 80's, did Anderson's build the building? Or was it around before them?

Anderson's was a small Southeast chain, and went out of business some years ago. Here's the website, which is still around: Cajun's Wharf Apparently, the original Little Rock location was a big place for the Arkansas politicians to meet and schmooze and deal and so forth. A favorite place of Bill Clinton's.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Calhoun’s might have originally been Buster Muggs when it was built. I think that it was Bill Mullins of Bill Mullins Tobacco Wsrehouses that developed it. Mullins had warehouses on Prosser Road as well.

Cajun’s Wharf might have been between Buster Muggs and Calhoun’s.

 

[Ted]

I researched the timeline of 400 Neyland Drive. TGO, you're right that the building was constructed by Bill Mullins, in 1980-81. It was originally a seafood restaurant called Mullins' Landing. Anderson's Cajun Wharf took over in Nov. 1981. So they were there during the World's Fair.

Buster Muggs Old Place was in 400 Neyland after Cajun Wharf closed. They opened in February, 1983. Buster Muggs closed sometime in 1985 and the building sat empty for almost a year.

Real Seafood Co. went in there next. They opened in 1986. Then came Calhoun's on the River in 1987.

Man, Buster Muggs must have been a hoppin' place in its time. That was one of the bigger live music venues in Knoxville in the early-mid 80's. Hopefully some of you know about Buster Muggs and can share some stories.

 

[Ted]

Came across this:

 

[Ted]

Did Wright's Cafeteria exist in 1963?

There was a Wright's Cafeteria in the Broadway Shopping Center (2037 Broadway) in the very early 60's. First mentions I saw of a Wright's Cafeteria being at the Middlebrook Pike location were in 1967. I don't know if it is the same family of Wrights, it must not have been, but an interesting coincidence.

Edit: I did more looking, and it appears that Wright's Cafeteria (the Middlebrook Pike one) started as a grocery store (as Mad said) on Cumberland Avenue in the 1920's.

Here is a nice article about Wright's from 2019: Wright's Cafeteria surviving on old-fashioned philosophy since opening shortly after WWII You might not want to look at the pictures if you are hungry! Boy, Wright's sure had good food. I didn't eat there nearly enough before they closed.

The KNS article said the grocery store was in Bearden, which is not really Cumberland Avenue, but there does appear to be some confusion about where the original location was, and what year it opened.

 

[utvolpj]

There was a Wright's Cafeteria in the Broadway Shopping Center (2037 Broadway) in the very early 60's. First mentions I saw of a Wright's Cafeteria being at the Middlebrook Pike location were in 1967. I don't know if it is the same family of Wrights, it must not have been, but an interesting coincidence.

Edit: I did more looking, and it appears that Wright's Cafeteria (the Middlebrook Pike one) started as a grocery store (as Mad said) on Cumberland Avenue in the 1920's.

Here is a nice article about Wright's from 2019: Wright's Cafeteria surviving on old-fashioned philosophy since opening shortly after WWII You might not want to look at the pictures if you are hungry! Boy, Wright's sure had good food. I didn't eat there nearly enough before they closed.

The KNS article said the grocery store was in Bearden, which is not really Cumberland Avenue, but there does appear to be some confusion about where the original location was, and what year it opened.

Thanks for the pic. I grew up next door to the Wrights. Later in life I took a few of my out of state college friends there so they could get an authentic local meal

 

[MAD]

 

[UT_Dutchman]

There was a Wright's Cafeteria in the Broadway Shopping Center (2037 Broadway) in the very early 60's. First mentions I saw of a Wright's Cafeteria being at the Middlebrook Pike location were in 1967. I don't know if it is the same family of Wrights, it must not have been, but an interesting coincidence.

Edit: I did more looking, and it appears that Wright's Cafeteria (the Middlebrook Pike one) started as a grocery store (as Mad said) on Cumberland Avenue in the 1920's.

Here is a nice article about Wright's from 2019: Wright's Cafeteria surviving on old-fashioned philosophy since opening shortly after WWII You might not want to look at the pictures if you are hungry! Boy, Wright's sure had good food. I didn't eat there nearly enough before they closed.

The KNS article said the grocery store was in Bearden, which is not really Cumberland Avenue, but there does appear to be some confusion about where the original location was, and what year it opened.

So the Wrights also had a cafeteria in kingsport, Calvin Wright Sr. ran it, I went to school with his son Calvin Jr. they were family friends. When it closed Sr moved back to Knoxville and so did Jr . Jr franchised a few sonics in the oak ridge area. Sr passed away a few years ago. Great people. Still see Jr on occasion.

 

[Ted]

So the Wrights also had a cafeteria in kingsport, Calvin Wright Sr. ran it, I went to school with his son Calvin Jr. they were family friends. When it closed Sr moved back to Knoxville and so did Jr . Jr franchised a few sonics in the oak ridge area. Sr passed away a few years ago. Great people. Still see Jr on occasion.

Calvin's obit- Calvin Wright Obituary (1946 - 2020) - Andersonville, TN - Knoxville News Sentinel

 

[MAD]

Photo from 1978

Title	View west toward downtown from Hyatt Hotel
Description	UAB/First Tennessee Tower and City County Building under construction in background. Four Seasons Park in foreground, Center City Redevelopment Project

The park and fountains were built in 1974, but the fountain started leaking in 1978. Water erosion caused the concrete to sink and collapse and the fountain was never refilled with water. In 1985 the concrete was removed and gardens were planted in it's place. The Women's Basketball Hall Of Fame now sits on the location of the former park.

 

[MAD]

Looking northwest on Gay Street from the top of the Andrew Johnson Hotel 1974​

Title	Looking northwest on Gay Street from the top of the Andrew Johnson Hotel
Description	Trailways in the foreground. Center City Redevelopment Project