KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The opening date for the new Kern's Food Hall in South Knoxville has been delayed once more. Developers said construction on the former Kern's Bakery site will continue at least until early spring.
Alex Dominguez, a developer for the Kern's Food Hall, admitted they will not meet their deadline of opening by the end of December 2023.
"So if you look around, there is no way we could open this month," he said. "And if we did, you would have to drive a Jeep to get in here."
Timothy Martin, a broker who has been heavily involved in revitalizing the space and bringing the food hall to life, said they have faced many obstacles in the process of preparing the site for opening. Those challenges include the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues, weather, and the labor market.
"If you just drive around South Knoxville, there is so much construction going on," he pointed out. "So just that mere manpower has been a bit of a challenge as well."
Dominguez also explained how complicated preserving the historic building turned out to be.
"One example is this room we are standing in, every six inches there is a bolt," he said. "There have to be 2,000 to 3,000 bolts put into this and that took a lot of time for structural beams. We have over a million dollars just in this room alone to preserve it historically."
But as challenges and delays persist, business owners who have signed leases at Kern's are ready to get the show on the road. Among those entrepreneurs is Kristen Heath, who owns Mae Lee's Boutique.
"We originally signed our lease in December of 2019 hoping we would be open in fall of 2021," she remembered. "But then COVID hit."
Those setbacks forced her to get creative and get the ball rolling by doing things like setting up shop in different local markets and opening her online store. She has described the waiting game as a time of much learning.
"I have definitely learned that patience is not my virtue," Heath confessed. "I am trying to make the best of it, but we are definitely ready to open."
Lauren Fenske is also looking forward to opening her store, Mellow, inside Kern's Food Hall. She told 10News she signed a lease in March after touring the site and falling in love with its potential.
"We took a look around and we loved the architecture of the old building and the brick and the industrial nature of it," she said. "And we just thought, 'Oh, this will be a great place to really cement our flagship store.'"
Even though she is also looking forward to moving into the place, she said she is taking advantage of the delayed opening.
"At this point we are just kind of zoning in on when our shop will be ready, which you know, has a lot of logistics in terms of like getting a builder's permit, getting contractors, things like that," she explained.
The opening of the Kern's Food Hall has been a long time coming. Developers said they have been working on the space for more than five years. The broker mentioned they are thankful for people's patience despite all the setbacks.
"If I lived in Knoxville I would be tired of hearing about Kern's coming," he added. "I just would not even pay attention anymore because it has been going on for seven years. And so when they (people) do show up, I want them to know it was worth the wait."
Vendors like Heath are also holding on tight to the belief that the years-long wait will pay dividends.
"We have definitely looked at other places, but there is just such a great energy about this building, the build-up of it, and also just the history," Heath said.
According to developers, Kern's Food Hall is about 90% leased and will include retail spaces, restaurants, a fitness center and even a dog park.