A new coffee shop is moving into the Chapman Highway storefront that South Press Coffee vacated in South Knoxville, aiming to reopen the space as a sober, LGBTQ+-affirming gathering spot by the end of October.
“It's go time,” Casey and Zoe Stone said, according to WBIR, describing their excitement to finally move forward with the business. The couple is stepping into a space with deep roots in Knoxville's queer community. South Press Coffee, a sober LGBTQ+ space, began on July 1, 2020, and officially opened in September 2020 in an 800-square-foot former beauty shop before expanding onto Chapman Highway, according to WBIR.
South Press closed permanently this past June after nearly five years in business, with founder Joslynn Fish publicly citing high operating costs as the reason, per the Knoxville LGBTQ Friendly Business Directory. The closure left a gap along the corridor, and per WBIR's reporting, Stone's Throw Coffee is not affiliated with South Press, though the new owners say they intend to uphold some of the same values while pursuing their own vision for the business.
A Sober Space With Harm-Reduction Supplies
Stone's Throw plans to build a fully accessible, sober community space for Knoxville's LGBTQ+ residents, WBIR reported. A need for an alcohol-free queer space was also cited when South Press was being planned. The shop is intended to be an LGBTQIA2S+-affirming environment.
Beyond coffee and programming, the shop intends to offer free Narcan, birth control, victim advocacy contacts, sanitary products, and other necessities, made available in a private area without monitoring, per WBIR's reporting. Tennessee law allows individuals to administer an opioid antagonist when they have a good-faith belief that someone is experiencing an overdose and exercise reasonable care; naloxone may be received and stored under a standing order, according to the UT SMART Initiative.
Building Out the Space and Raising Funds
The owners are also building a stage inside the shop and plan to host local crafters, sourcing supplies from businesses in the surrounding area, WBIR reported. To help cover the costs, Stone's Throw Coffee shared a GoFundMe campaign on social media, with the funds intended to pay for construction and opening supplies.
The Knox Pride Community and Resource Center operates nearby at 4028 Chapman Highway, according to Compass.
Chapman Highway's Broader Makeover
The new coffee shop is opening amid a wider transformation of the Chapman Highway corridor. The City of Knoxville secured a $17.8 million federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant, paired with a $4.45 million local match, to build pedestrian paths, medians, and other safety infrastructure between Blount Avenue and Woodlawn Pike, according to the City of Knoxville. The busiest segment of Chapman Highway carries as many as 39,676 vehicles a day, per Tennessee Department of Transportation data cited by Shawn Wilmoth Commercial Real Estate, making it both a major South Knoxville artery and a key connector toward Sevierville and the Smoky Mountains.
Construction also began in February on the SoKno Rail Trail, a 3.8-mile greenway converting old railroad tracks to link Chapman Highway with Ijams Nature Center, with an initial section expected to open this fall, according to The Fowler Group. For Stone's Throw Coffee, the timing places a new sober, community-focused shop squarely within a corridor being reshaped for pedestrians, cyclists, and the neighbors it hopes to serve.
