Fountain City Jewelers finds new home in former bank

HALLS

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At the ribbon cutting for Fountain City Jewelers on Oct. 17, from left: Jeweler Ty Dawson; sales manager Jerry Bedwell; Flower Gattone; owner and master jeweler, Mark Enix, associate Riley, assistant store manager Lily Martin. 2020

Fountain City Jewelers finds new home in former bank

Ali James, Shopper News

To say that the past year has been challenging for Fountain City Jewelers would be more than an understatement. After enduring months of construction around his former location on Broadway, the jewelry store owner, Mark Enix, said his rent was increased and a new building obscured much of his shopfront.

Fountain City Jewelers has moved three times within the same shopping center since opening in 1999.

“We tried to do sales, but it was hard for my elderly customers to get to us. The shopping center looked great after the construction, but I couldn’t get street signage,” he said. “My rent rose 58% and then COVID hit and I didn’t know what was going to happen.”

Despite the pandemic, Enix said his business has not missed a beat. “I’m blessed to be in East Tennessee,” he said. “I’ll never forget when Tom Hensley came in for a watch battery and I asked him what he wanted to do with the old bank building he owned? It had been empty for two years, so he made me a good offer on the rent.”

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Fountain City Jewelers moved into the new location on the corner of Broadway at 2802 Essary Drive, opposite Litton’s and the Fountain City Lake.

Enix’s new store is on the corner of Broadway at 2802 Essary Drive, opposite Litton’s and the Fountain City Lake. “You can’t beat anything across from the duck pond,” he said.

“The other important thing is that it already had a walk-in vault. It is not any bigger than my other store; it is laid out differently and is a better facility.”

More than 600 bridal designs

Before the Fountain City Jewelers soft opening in October, Enix said they opened up the retail space, removed some office walls, installed new flooring and painted. “It wasn’t a massive remodel,” he said. “We made sure that we had a separate bridal room with over 600 designs for people to pick out the ring they will have forever, in privacy.”

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Fountain City Jewelers new store at 2802 Essary Drive. Dec. 4, 2020.

Gift ideas at all price points

Fountain City Jewelers has a line of sterling silver jewelry starting under $50 and a new selection of rose gold jewelry.

Martini-style diamond earrings trending

“Diamond jewelry is always a great gift,” said Enix. “I always sharpen my pencil to get to where I need to be on price.”

Pinterest-inspired custom work

“We do a lot of custom work because people often walk in now and show us their Pinterest page,” he said. “We often make things or have a big event to have people pick out the diamond they want before our annual diamond buying trip in Antwerp. We travel over 10,000 miles for that special ring.”

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The bridal room at Fountain City Jewelers showcases over 600 wedding ring designs. Dec. 4, 2020.

Niche vintage jewelry

“We buy a lot of estate jewelry; not a lot of people carry it,” he said. “Some of it is from the 1800s and is Victorian or Edwardian. I hate to see people scrap gold jewelry, it is a waste when I can give it a little bit of love and make it new again.”

Next year’s big estate sale will be held a month early in March 2021.

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Fountain City Jewelers carries a large range of vintage jewelry and will host their biggest estate jewelry sale in March 2021. Dec. 4, 2020.

Making the tiniest of repairs

It is handy to know that Fountain City Jewelers uses laser technology to make jewelry and eyeglass frame repairs that are too difficult for traditional repair techniques.

SOUTH KNOXVILLE

Knox seniors stay active one Zoom session at a time

Ali James, Shopper News

Outside, it might have been a cold and frosty Wednesday morning, but thanks to technology, 17 seniors were able to take an exercise class from the comfort of their own homes.

Terri Geiser is one of the Knox County Senior Center instructors leveraging the Zoom meeting app to keep class participants engaged since the area centers closed down back in March.

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Terri Geiser’s SAIL exercise class took 17 participants in the Zoom class to do warmup, modified jumping jacks, squats, strength, cardio followed by balance exercises.

Geiser, a SAIL (Stay Active and Independent for Life) certified instructor with the Silver Sneakers program, holds four classes a week on Mondays and Wednesdays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

“It is a fall prevention program for seniors,” said Geiser. “It has several components, including education around home modifications (lighting, trip hazards, handrails), medical review (talking to your doctor about medications and side effects), and making sure your eyesight has been checked. Then there is an exercise component: strength building, cardio and balance.”

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Terri Geiser, a SAIL (Stay Active and Independent for Life) certified instructor with the Silver Sneakers program, holds four classes a week for Knox County seniors on Mondays and Wednesdays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Dec. 2, 2020.

Some insurance providers give their Silver Sneakers program members credit for attending the classes and pay the instructor a small fee, just as they get credit for getting their flu vaccination or for a well visit.

“A lot of the class members are from the senior centers, but it is open to all seniors,” said Geiser. “It is keeping them mobile and it helps with their mental health as well. It’s important, especially right now.”

Geiser was upset when the coronavirus hit and wondered how she would keep her classes going, when she discovered Zoom as a technological solution.

“The senior centers get the information out to people in their newsletters,” she said. “It is a fabulous tool and opened up so many opportunities. A challenge for the senior population is that some do not have computers and only have flip phones. The fear of technology is probably another downfall. But it is cute when they say they will figure it out when their grandchildren come over.”

If participants do not know how to log in, Geiser offers to have a practice session. “It’s a lot of work and time, but it’s fun and worth it,” she said.

Mindfulness Miniseries   

On Tuesday mornings at 10, Geiser is running an online miniseries called “As Life Happens.” The goal is to keep people connected during the winter months through 15-20 minutes of chat time: sharing tips, talents and ideas. The second goal is to eliminate stress through relaxation and meditation techniques. To find out more or register, email Geiser at [email protected].

More online activities   

In addition to canceling in-person games, arts and crafts, the computer room and the only Knox County Senior Center indoor swimming pool are currently closed at the South Knoxville Senior Center.

“All six centers are doing virtual programs to keep seniors engaged,” said Janet Word, South Knoxville Senior Center Coordinator. “We have offered to teach them how to get on Zoom and we had several who have learned how to do that.”

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South Knoxville Senior Center staff dressed up for the Hoot, Holler and Honk Drive Thru on Nov. 24, 2020.

Virtual classes include line dancing, trivia, cooking, Jaunts with Janet, Crafts with Susanne, Guitar Jam with Lindsey, and happy hour bingo. All activities and contact email addresses for instructors are available through the monthly email newsletter https://knoxcounty.org/seniors/pdfs/newsletters/2020/south/South_Newsletter_12-2020.pdf.

Drive-thru Reverse Christmas Parade

On Wednesday, Dec. 16, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. there will be a Jingle Bell Drive Thru Reverse Christmas parade at the South Knoxville Senior Center presented by Mac’s Pharmacy.

There will be physically distanced floats around the parking lot, and seniors will drive slowly around the lot. “We will have decorated brown bags and filled them with candy canes and fruit, just like an old-fashioned Christmas,” said Word.

Knox County Senior Center activities, including gingerbread house-decorating contests, scavenger hunts and the Seniors’ Angel Tree, are available to all seniors and are promoted at www.knoxcounty.org/seniors and at https://www.facebook.com/Knox-County-Senior-Services-118513268181423.

FARRAGUT

Make the holidays brighter for seniors — here’s how

Gabi Szymanowska, Shopper News

The holidays are usually a time for families to gather with relatives they haven’t seen in a while. 

This year, because of the pandemic, many seniors who live in nursing homes, senior care facilities or even just on their own may not have that opportunity.

However, many of those who work with the elder generation are still trying to make the holidays a special time and help add some cheer to those isolated for their own health.

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Volunteers set up for Senior Angel Tree program.

‘Playing it week by week’ 

Karla Lane, administrator at NHC Place Farragut, said NHC Healthcare is working on plans to make the holidays special, just as they did for Thanksgiving. Lane said staff decorated residents’ doors, handed out Thanksgiving bags with special cards inside from the staff and spent time with the seniors. 

“They’re trying to spend a whole lot of time with them to talk to them about, you know, let’s remember your good Thanksgivings in the past,” Lane said. 

Unlike previous years when families could come visit and reserve tables at the private dining in the facility, this year along with turkey lunch and a ham dinner were handwritten notes from the staff for residents to read.

“We can all pray that in the month of December, Knox County’s positivity rate will calm down and that will allow us to do more for everybody and open up for some visitations,” Lane said. “Honestly, we’re just playing it week by week out here. … but we will be doing more special things all through December for them so they can have a good Christmas.”

Send greeting cards to residents

Lane added that if Farragut residents would like to help make the holidays special, cards are always appreciated. She said that during the beginning of the pandemic, NHC Farragut residents received cards from children, many of which residents still have.

In leading up to Christmas, there are also plenty of other options to help make the holidays just a little more special for some seniors. 

Give to a Senior Angel Tree

The Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee is continuing its usual holiday tradition with the Senior Angel Tree. Each year, seniors are nominated by case workers across Knoxville based on their dire needs, many having fallen into certain life circumstances like homelessness, been a victim of a crime, or transitioning into stable housing. 

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NHC Healthcare staff and residents celebrate the holiday.

“Most of our folks have either no community support, no family support, and really what it comes down to is that they would not have a holiday or would not receive a gift for the holiday without the Senior Angel Tree,” Pohlot said Sam Pohlot, Senior Volunteer Program Coordinator with CAC. 

Some of the most common requests from seniors in the 10 years that the program has been running, said, are blankets, slippers, a set of pajamas, and for many of the seniors who don’t cook for themselves, a microwave. 

Donate gifts or volunteer to hand them out 

While the presents for the Senior Angel Tree were collected until Dec. 4 and then distributed Dec. 7, Pohlot said there are other Senior Angel Trees in Knoxville, including one done by Senior Citizen Home Assistance Service, which asks community members to donate gift cards to Food City, Kroger, or Wal-Mart in the range of $15 – $25. 

And there are plenty of other opportunities to help out the senior community, including the group Grandparents as Parents’ holiday toy and gift drive.

Community members can also help Mobile Meals with their holiday gifts program by donating gift bags to Mobile Meals until Dec. 10. These gifts will then be distributed along with hot meals on Christmas Day. Residents can also volunteer their time to help deliver the meals through December.

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NHC Healthcare staff and residents celebrate the holiday with Senior Angel Tree program.

Pohlot said that since the “stay at home” orders were given in about March, many of the seniors the CAC has contact with feel even more isolated and lonely, something the CAC has spent decades trying to alleviate. Pohlot said that this holiday season, it would really help for the community to take time to help the seniors in their community in any way possible.

“Really any way that we can brighten someone’s day and provide even just a little something to make their lives better — I feel like these really are items that will help a little bit,” Pohlot said. “But if you have the time, if you have the space, if you have the resources to help someone out just a little bit, it makes us feel good as well as helps someone in just a small way.”

OPINION

Life by the numbers

Leslie Snow, Shopper News columnist

There are numbers dancing around my head. Normally I’m a word person, but this week, the numbers have it. I’m counting the days until I can see my children and grandchildren again. I’m counting all the gifts I need to buy for Christmas and Chanukah. I’m counting on a vaccine that will protect my family from COVID-19.

The numbers in my mind point to a strange time in a strange year. And they reflect all the ways my life has changed over the last 10 months.

Here’s a look at my life in numbers.

5: That’s the number of remote controls Buttercup, my Great Dane puppy, has eaten in the last six weeks. Luckily, she spits out the batteries or we would have five matching trips to the veterinarian’s office as well.

3: She also chewed three drip hoses from the flower beds, three socks from the dirty clothes, and three documents in my office.

2: When she was done, she chewed two holes in my two area rugs.

0: The number of times I’ve regretted having Buttercup in my life. Despite the chaos and destruction, she makes me smile every day. Puppies are the opposite of COVID-19.

3: The number of craft projects I started while I’ve been “safer at home.”

0: The number of craft projects I completed while I’ve been “safer at home.”

30: The number of days last month I watched too much “breaking news.” 

30: The number of days last month I promised myself I’d end my news addiction.

9: The number of days this month that prove old dogs can’t stop watching the news.

36: For 36 months I patted myself on the back for eating a low-carb diet, proudly shunning the most comforting bites in the food pyramid. Then the pandemic hit, and medicinal macaroni and cheese became a real thing.

11: When I’m not eating carbs, I’m baking them. In the last four weeks I’ve baked three loaves of bread, one buttermilk pie, one pumpkin pie, chocolate flan, one cheesecake, a chocolate pound cake, an apple cake, banana bread, and a pan of brownies. Sugar is the opposite of COVID-19.

17: The number of bubble baths I’ve taken in the last three weeks. Eating, baking, and bathing is my new three-part stress management system; suitable for all pandemics and presidential elections. 

2: The number of times a clogged drain flooded my basement with bath water.

27: In the last 30 days, I’ve been able to see my parents 27 times.

27: The number of times I’ve been happy to see my parents over the last 30 days. I’m grateful they finally moved to Knoxville.

12: The number of Cleveland Browns games I’ve watched with my folks since they moved to Tennessee.

7: The number of times my dad yelled “hot-diggety” after a Browns touchdown.

2020: A bad year to try to make my parents Vol fans.

1: We had one perfect day of celebration when Ethan and Amanda got engaged. A surprise brunch on a beautiful day and something to look forward to next year. Love is the opposite of COVID-19.

No matter how you do the math, 2020 is shaping up to be the worst year ever. But in just over 20 days, we’ll have a fresh start in a new year. I’m counting on it. 

Leslie Snow may be reached at snow [email protected].

More: Gov. Bill Lee weighs posthumous pardon of Maurice Mays requested by Knoxville City Council | Victor Ashe

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Shopper News blog: Fountain City Jewelers finds new home in former bank