JC – Stir Fry Group to Open Downtown Restaurant (Johnson City: theater, university)

[jabogitlu]

Hey, IMO some REALLY good news for downtown JC!

From the Stir Fry Facebook page:

Coming this February, One 12 Downtown, brought to you by The Stir Fry Cafe Group. We will be holding full staff interviews for One 12 on January 23rd, from 12-4 PM at 124 Tipton Street in downtown Johnson City. Were looking for experienced kitchen staff, servers, bartenders, bussers and hosts, so come on out on January 23rd!

Also, the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra is in the process of moving their headquarters/offices from a Bristol Highway complex to the Professional Building on Myrtle Ave (near Roan/Watauga). It sounds like the director is very supportive of downtown:


The move from the JCSO’s office off the Bristol Highway to its new location at 112 E. Myrtle Ave. will provide the orchestra with the extra parking, storage and office space it needs. The staff and board also wanted to be part of the burgeoning downtown cultural district.

“If there is going to be a consolidation of the performing arts and the arts in general, then it did make sense that we would be down here with everybody else,” she said. “The central location may be more accommodating.
JohnsonCityPress.com - Local Entertainment - Johnson City, TN (http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Entertainment/article.php?ID=73252 - broken link)


One more biggish thing. Looks like the First Friday January saw the opening of PROJEXx (yeah, weird name, I know) on Tipton St. PROJEXx is:

[A center for] for do-it-yourself and outsider arts, music and underground films, crafts and performance art. Visual artists Darruth Padilla of Broken Robot Designs and Brad Ward of Leviathan Glass Creations are the in-house artists and Nikki Hamblin serves as proprietor and curator.
JohnsonCityPress.com - Local Entertainment - Johnson City, TN (http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Entertainment/article.php?ID=73093 - broken link)


So between the new restaurant and gallery, looks like Tipton St. is taking off. And evidently there's an arts district a-brewin' over near the library as the Hands-On! Museum is relocating over there, as is the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra. The walk/bike trail between ETSU and downtown is partly complete (west of University Parkway) and the eastern portion is underway as well. Oh yeah, and I heard that the Main Street Pizza Factory is now open in the old Russo's building.

Just a few things to brighten up everyone's perceptions of downtown Johnson City. Though we frequently give it a bad rap, for all the lack of planning, government sponsorship, and general attention that Johnson City downtown suffers from, it has proven to be very resilient even in very tough economies. For our size and seeming indifference to arts here, we have a fairly good cultural base down there - the Blue Moon Dinner Theater, artopia, Nelson Fine Art Gallery, JC Beadworks, PROJEXx, the public library.

Now we've gotta start workin on a venue. Johnson City needs its version of the Orange Peel. I think part of the old General Mills complex should be devoted to this project.

[mbmouse]

Very good news! Thanks for sharing that.

[rccrain]

Do they run these names past anyone? One 12 - why?

But I do like the PROJEXx name and the concept.

[JoeyBooth2]

112 Tipton St = One 12

[rccrain]

Oh, said the interviews were at 124 Tipton .. threw me off. Still not a lively name, IMO.

[pineywoods]

Thanks for sharing the good news, Jab! I'm with ya on the need for a quality venue for concerts. I vote for a really cool amphitheater. And one more thing...a restaurant on Bristol Highway with a view of Boone Lake. That view is 5-star, with the mountains all around it. Maybe a conference center/restaurant there? They'd get my business, because I'm a sucker for eating/drinking with a view.

[jabogitlu]

I'm not really sure about the Tipton St addresses. Maybe 124 is a smaller office-type place where they'll have their interviews? Dunno.

One 12 is a little uninspiring, but if the restaurant is a success it'll enter into everyone's vocabulary and we won't think twice about it.

I hope some of the flooding issues are addressed soon. Downtown's renaissance is growing enough to finally be able to spill over into the west side. I've always felt that downtown is much prettier over on that side anyway - everything just needs a deep revamp.

[SarahSal]

Yahoo!! So happy to hear this...
They almost went into our building - but just happy they'll be downtown..

[jabogitlu]

Personally, I would've preferred them in your building. I just like that location better; nothing against Tipton St. or the redev there.

Do you know anything you can share, Sarah?? I can't find ANY info - like what kind of restaurant it'll be (certainly faux upscale like Stir Fry), if there's gonna be a dance floor or patio kind of thing, or if it's like 2-3 stories...

[SarahSal]

No, Jab, I know nothing -- after our contract failed, I'd just heard rumors they'd go into the Tipton Street location.. (I don't think there's room for a patio).. And, yes, I think our building would have been better, too, but frankly I'm just happy they're coming to the downtown!