In Knoxville, art is more than something to be admired from a distance, framed on walls, or displayed behind glass—it’s something you can experience. Here, the heat of a furnace warms the cheeks of travelers blowing their own glass beside working artisans. Cocoa-dusted small-batch chocolates and locally distilled whiskey invite tasting before getting hands-on with clay and a wheel in neighborhood pottery studios.
Designated by Etsy as its first “Maker City”—a designation recognizing collaboration between local government and creators to support entrepreneurship, sustainability, and responsible manufacturing—Knoxville is home to an abundance of artists, builders, and small-scale manufacturers who shape the city’s cultural fabric. Some, like Glitterville Studios founder Stephen Brown, have found television fame. Others are waiting to be discovered on a Maker City Tour through the heart of Knoxville that winds past the studios of fashion designers, distillers, and screen printers.
For those who embrace shopping locally or simply love to find creative inspiration, the city also offers several independent boutiques.
Taste locally made chocolates
Knoxville’s nearly century-old candy-making legacy lives on today. Chocolate lovers can delight in handmade, hand-painted confections at Coffee & Chocolate, which pairs niche, pour-over brews with single-origin truffles, gooey caramels, and fruit-infused ganache.
Chewy turtles and toffee are specialties at Bradley’s Chocolate & Gifts, where it’s worth heading in early for a chance to get the signature milky dipped strawberries. Master chocolatier Brad Hamlett started the confectionery with his wife, Joy, and expanded over the course of two decades to offer made-in-Knoxville gifts and home goods.
Sip Knoxville-crafted spirits
Pretentious Beer Co.
Courtesy of Visit Knoxville
Tennessee is renowned the world over for its whiskey, and in Knoxville, small labels give aficionados a true taste of local culture. Old City’s Knox Whiskey Works includes a generous pour on behind-the-scenes tours that provide context to the state’s distilling legacy. At Drop Zone Distilling, former U.S. paratrooper Rod “Sarge” Parton blends the rye and corn flavors of his grandfather and father to make small-batch moonshines and whiskeys in collectible Mason jars.
Craft beverage aficionados who favor lower-alcohol options can hit up Knoxville’s Ale Trail, a veritable treasure map, including made-on-premises ciders, like at Barrelhouse; German ales and lagers at Schulz Bräu; and hop-forward IPAs, such as those at Printshop Beer Co.
Luthier Paul Sherry at Able Trade
Courtesy of Visit Knoxville
Learn more about brewing your own at Able Trade, Knoxville’s industrial maker space. The shared Brew Lab equipment helps homebrewers connect and create in-person, and it has membership-based wood and metal shop that gives entrepreneurs the tools, space, knowledge, and community needed to create and grow.
Take a glassblowing or pottery class
The gallery art Pretentious Glass
Courtesy of Visit Knoxville
You’ll find distinctive beer glasses at many of the craft breweries around town, thanks to places like Pretentious Glass. It’s where brewer and glass artist Matthew Cummings sells his hand-blown glassware and leads make-your-own workshops.
Another way to get hands-on with artisans in Knoxville is at Mighty Mud pottery, where local “Macramé Momma” Victoria Walsh holds popular workshops. You can also turn to two community arts centers with rotating immersive classes for all ages. Appalachian Arts offers the chance to weave, whittle, and blacksmith, while Fountain City Arts Center holds classes in oil or acrylic painting, watercolors, and freehand drawing.
Shop independent boutiques
If “the more sparkle, the better” resonates, head to Glitterville, a store filled with gifts and home décor by author and judge on TLC’s Craft Wars, Stephen Brown. The 65-hour candles in slivered glass bowls are among the top sellers.
More soothing scents await with vegan brand All Y’all Skincare. Founder Mel Mullins blends smoke and vanilla for her Fireside soap bar, and juicy green apple with gentle lily in the bright Clear Start bar. Pick one up at the weekly Market Square Farmers Market or at KnoxFill, a storefront that’s grown into a community space with products like Knoxville-made refillable soaps, hair care, and detergents.
Buy custom denim, graphic tees, and local art
Marc Nelson of Marc Nelson Denim
Courtesy of @james_gustin/FeteLifestyleMag.com / Visit Knoxville
The city has a style all its own, with many well-dressed men, in part thanks to Knoxville native designer Marc Nelson. For more than 10 years, he’s been making small-batch denim jeans and custom-tailored suiting.
More casual options include the soft, worn-in tees from graphic designer Justin Helton at Status Serigraph. He’s also the artist behind posters for the Avett Brothers, My Morning Jacket, Phish, and other household-name bands.
Holiday seasonal markets make it especially easy to shop directly from artists and makers themselves. The Retropolitan Craft Fair features vintage, upcycled, and retro-inspired finds, including posters, hats, pillows, and scarves. Homemade jewelry, jams, and jellies fill the tables at the old world-style Knoxville Christmas Market. And this year, the city will once again host the Knoxville Holiday Market over two bustling weekends at the Convention Center after its inaugural event in 2025.
