Alice in Appalachia, the Wonderland-themed cocktail bar and boutique that helped anchor Market Square, is packing up its teacups and reopening this week in a new storefront on South Gay Street. The retail side will greet customers first, with the bar and full cocktail service set to follow a few weeks later.
The owners are staggering the reopening so they can transfer beer and liquor permits and finish dialing in the new space, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel. The West family told the paper they expect to invest roughly $1 million in the Gay Street build-out before the bar officially starts pouring.
West Family Secures Gay Street Space
Scott and Bernadette West bought 413 S. Gay St. in 2022, paying about $2.9 million for the property as part of a broader downtown strategy that also involves their Market Square businesses. The purchase and early plans for the building were detailed by Inside of Knoxville.
What The New Shop Will Look Like
The Gay Street location will keep the whimsical, fairytale look fans know, just in a larger and more visible spot. At Market Square, Alice in Appalachia paired a cocktail bar called “Down the Rabbit Hole” with a retail room dubbed “Through the Looking Glass.” That mashup of craft cocktails and curated shopping is a big part of the brand’s identity, according to Downtown Knoxville, and the owners say the same concept is headed to Gay Street.
Timing And What To Expect
The Market Square outpost closed at the end of December, and local coverage pegged the Gay Street relaunch as the first phase of the move. The retail opening was expected “within the next week or so,” with cocktails and brunch service to follow afterward, according to 865today.
