Rustic Yet Modern Dinnerware
Maryville potter Leanne McQueen snared a runner-up honor in Garden & Gun’s 2016 Made in the South Awards for her speckled dinnerware (above), which can be seen (and used) at J.C. Holdway downtown. “I strive for the work to be clean, classic, and timeless,” she says on her website. This five-piece place setting is $190.
INFO: mcqueenpottery.com
Courtesy Gritty Blades Stunning Handforged Knives
John Phillips creates knives that are also works of art, with dazzlingly etched blades and beautiful wood handles. “Hard to believe a week ago this was a pile of scrap metal and some fire wood…” he writes about one such piece on Instagram. You can find his work online under the handle “sunset.ltd,” which is also the title of a Cormac McCarthy play. (Coincidence?)
INFO: instagram.com/sunset.ltd
BUY (SOON): Sign up for his mailing list at grittyblades.com.
Courtesy Pioneer House Kitschy Dish Towels
Julie Belcher’s Pioneer House on Gay Street may be known as Knoxville’s primary outlet for Western wear, but it also continues her tradition of down-home letterpress design. Here’s a dandy dish towel that any Southern cook can appreciate, screen-printed in a variety of colors at $15.
INFO/BUY: etsy.com/shop/PioneerHouse
VISIT: 413 S. Gay St.
Courtesy The Happy Envelope Delightful Knoxville Poster
Sarah and Ty Pattison create many lovely prints, cards, calendars, and more for sale at their downtown shop the Happy Envelope, but for the proud Knoxvillian there is a clear choice: the “Knoxville, TN” poster (from $40). It’s a veritable word cloud of all the things that make Knoxville a place to remember.
INFO: thehappyenvelope.com
VISIT: 310 W. Jackson Ave.
Editor Coury Turczyn guided Knoxville's alt weekly, Metro Pulse, through two eras, first as managing editor (and later executive editor) from 1992 to 2000, then as editor-in-chief from 2007 to 2014. He's also worked as a Web editor at CNET, the erstwhile G4 cable network, and HGTV.
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