Fashion-Forward in Knoxville with Marcus Hall
Marcus Hall, CEO of Marc Nelson Denim, has been bringing high-quality custom fashion to Knoxville for the past 13 years.
Marcus Hall, CEO of Marc Nelson Denim, has been bringing high-quality custom fashion to Knoxville for the past 13 years. Tune into this episode of ConnectTheKnox as he and Julia discuss how his great-grandfather and family ties to Knoxville inspired his journey, his focus on local manufacturing, and the growth he’s seen in Knoxville both as a business-owner and as a downtown resident.
Highlights:
00:00 Intro
01:01 Marcus introduces himself, tells the story of how his great-grandfather influenced his career, and explains why he moved from L.A. back to Knoxville
04:48 Marcus describes the growth that he’s seen in Knoxville over the past 13 years, both in his business and the city overall
07:26 How Marcus developed his talent for designing and tailoring custom clothing
10:32 Why custom clothing is an investment, and how to ensure the pieces you buy will last you a long time
13:13 Marcus shares how he focuses on local manufacturing as well as how his travels have influenced his brand
18:25 Ad - JustHomesGroup.com
21:26 Julia and Marcus chat about the small-town feel of Knoxville as well as the opportunities that come with its tremendous growth
26:27 Marcus answers Julia’s lightning round of questions about his favorite Knoxville hot spots
Links:
- Marc Nelson Denim: https://shopmarcnelson.com/
- Marcus’s Favorite Knoxville Realtor: Just Homes Group
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Transcript:
Julia: Hey everybody, welcome to Connect the Knox. I’m your host, Julia Hurley connecting the nation to Knoxville. Today’s guest, let me just make this introduction; it’s going to be a long one, maybe not so long. But I want to say this: this is one of the most talented clothiers I have ever seen. This man has vision, he has style, he’s got class, he used to have a ladies' line.
I have one of the very last hand-designed skirts from Marc Nelson Denim. I’m going to tell you right now, the man is absolutely talented. Marcus Hall, owner of Marc Nelson Denim, introduce yourself to our crowd because I am so excited to hear your story. And again, I have to say this, one of the most talented design clothiers I have ever seen. So, take it away, Marcus. Tell us a little bit about you and how you ended up in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Marcus: Well, thank you for that amazing introduction, first and foremost. And now you are not a realtor, you are an entertainer, by far.
Julia: [laugh].
Marcus: [laugh]. So, but yes, thank you for having me here. But my story is, my family, originally from Georgia and Ohio and my great-grandparents moved to Tennessee, and so that brought me and my family there. My great-grandfather who Marc Nelson Denim is based out of—or the last name is from, was actually a janitor at the TVA Credit Union, but he wore a suit every day. And he taught me and my brothers no matter who you are—you’re a janitor or the mayor—you always want to leave the house looking like someone.
And so, that resonated with me and that’s why I pay homage to that’s where the Nelson comes from in ‘Marc Nelson,’ from my great-grandfather.
Julia: That’s a good story.
Marcus: So, there you go. Yeah, it’s a beautiful story. Yeah. And as a matter of fact, I was living in Los Angeles before we opened the shop downtown Knoxville, where we’re currently located, and when I came to see the building, it’s literally three blocks from where my great-grandfather lives. So, that all kind of, you know, made me make the decision to move back home to Knoxville. And here we are, almost 13 years later, in business.
Julia: That is a crazy—I had no idea that that was even part of the story here. In my head, I had imagined, like, you were in Milan, Italy, and just some random [unintelligible 00:02:39] fan was wearing a hat and you’re like, “I’ll check that place out.” [laugh]. You actually have a rich heritage here.
Marcus: Yes, absolutely. Yes, my great-grandfather and grandparents. And if you didn’t know, there used to be a Levi’s plant in East Knoxville over on Cherry Street. And that plant was there for decades and actually supplied jobs to the most of the East Knoxville community. And so, that’s how we—the denim even became [unintelligible 00:03:04] for me.
I took tailoring at Austin-East High School so that I could then leave there and go work at that Levi’s plant, but they shut down and started producing in Mexico and China. And so, years later I was like, you know what? I appreciated the feeling that I had and the pride that I had that my family members and other East Knoxville community members worked and made a product at that Levi’s plant that was sold throughout the world. And I wanted to bring some of that pride back and start manufacturing here in the US and bring, you know, community members and family members on board. And we all made a product that potentially could be as big as the Levi’s brand.
Julia: I am so confused and jealous. I absolutely, one thousand percent, never learned a trade in high school. They didn’t teach us anything like that that is—
Marcus: Yeah, so you’re not, you’re not that old yet.
Julia: [laugh]. No, I mean I started—I don’t even know how to sew on a button. It’s just not something that we were ever taught. And they actually had an entire class for that. Wow!
Marcus: Yes, absolutely. Yeah, yeah. Back in the olden days, they you know, they tau—[laugh] Austin-East used to have a brick mason class. They used to have, obviously, like, a Home Ec, but it also taught you how to cook in restaurant environments. They had an auto mechanics class, they had tons of—yeah, heating and air class, they had tons of vocational classes so that you could—for those who chose not to go to college and wanted to immediately go into the work field could do that. And it was, yeah, it was amazing. Absolutely.
Julia: That is absolutely fascinating. I’m going to do a little more research on that. I think our education system can use a little more of that.
Marcus: You know, and now, in this day and time, that’s where—yeah, exactly. Because school is expensive and a lot of kids go on to school and never use that, you know, education to go do anything that they’re doing in the future. They end up doing something absolutely different and they spent a ton of money and time in college when they could have immediately went on to, you know, start making money. And now I’m all for a college education. That’s an amazing deal, but if you’re going to use it and you know what your what’s your path is going to be.
Julia: Right. I agree with that one thousand percent. I remember when you first opened the store in downtown Knoxville. And can you paint the picture for us of when you first opened that building and how everything around you has changed? Like, give us the last 13 years of the growth that you’ve seen in just the downtown Knoxville market.
Marcus: Oh, wow. You know, Knoxville isn’t the same place at all. Thirteen years ago, we opened our shop in the basement of the building that we’re currently in and there was only one food truck, a Sweet and Savory. And we would have First Fridays there and we would get about 300 people because no one else was doing First Fridays. And so much has changed to the fact that you would—if you came to Knoxville then to visit and then came back today, you would think you were in a totally different town.
I mean, the Old City used to be in a place where we couldn’t spark in and get restaurants or any you know, [staple to stay 00:06:11], Market Square. There was only a few things that you could go to for dinery, or you know, just entertainment in general. And now Knoxville is as cool as it’s ever been in my lifetime. There’s food places to eat and fine dining, like Tim Love’s Lonesome Dove, you’ve got the Boyd’s, you’ve Merchants of Beer, you’ve got an athletic club that you can go to that stays open 24 hours. And we haven’t even talked about Gay Street and Market Square now is a thriving area that I’m proud to invite my friends and just in general visitors to come along and stay the weekend. And there’s so much to do now other than to go to Dallas or go on to the Smoky Mountains. You could actually have a full weekend of entertainment in downtown Knoxville. So, I’m so proud. Not to mention that our Vols are kicking butt right now. They’re [crosstalk 00:07:04]—
Julia: Oh, my goodness. I was actually going to segue right into that. I’m so glad you did it because I want everyone that’s watching this to know that you are the number one clothier for the Vols football team.
Marcus: There you go.
Julia: Most of the staff—
Marcus: —Coach Heupel—yes. You got it.
Julia: —the coaches, Pretty much everybody wear Marc Nelson—Marc Nelson Denim. I was trying to put that on one word—Marc Nelson Denim. Yeah, and it’s some of the—so I just so happened to be at your shop, meeting with Derrick Furlow, who was just on—our podcast with him was released yesterday, and you had some of the top senior football players there for fittings. And I’m telling—the quality, these kids are—we’re all—I mean, they know what good quality clothing are, but when they were putting on these clothes. I mean, it was just a consistent, like, “Wow,” “Wow,” “Wow.” I mean, it was just a continuous, “This is so soft.” “This is so nice.” “This fits so well.”
And you hadn’t even made any changes to it yet. You are very talented to be able to even eyeball what somebody’s fit needs to be and cut needs to be. Tell us, how long have you been doing this? And how did you work your way into such a specialty, a rarity in today’s market and clothing, honestly?
Marcus: So again, my mother taught me to sew at twelve. I took tailoring, so it’s something that I’ve had in my blood and been a part of most of my life. But from a professional status, again, I’ve been in business 12 years. And we started with denim and especially denim because we’d have a ton of athletes who have small waist, big butts, and they couldn’t find a jean that [crosstalk 00:08:38]—
Julia: Dang those squats.
Marcus: [laugh]. Yes, right? And they couldn’t find a jean that fit them. And so, I was like, “Oh, wow.” And so, we found stretch denim that obviously helped in that, but they still needed some tailoring.
And we just evolved from there to, you know, suiting and now we’re a lifestyle brand. And one of our biggest deals is it’s not just that, it’s the service part of the deal. Like we don’t want to—we take pride in what we do. Because when you wear our clothing, you represent our brand. And we still are a small brand.
But that being said, the service part of our deal is that we want you to not only look good but feel good. And then we believe that when you look good, you feel good. That being said, with fast fashion nowadays and this online service, I don’t believe that you get the full service out of the deal. So, we keep a full-time tailor at our shop which is needed because again, you’ve got—most people don’t fit a base 32, or 34, or whatever, you know what I mean? There’s you know, either they’re short, or they’re too tall, or they’re—again, you’ve got big waist and no but, or you’ve got no waist and a big butt.
So, it’s important that you get a customer—or a clothier that can provide the alterations and a little tweaks that make that clothing item feel the way it’s supposed to fit.
Julia: I just love your store. I wish that more people understood the quality of their clothing. I don’t think that people, especially my generation, and I know—I know—the younger generation has not a clue how to really and truly take care of custom clothing. It’s not something we’re taught. It’s not something you can read on tags somewhere.
It’s either dry clean only, or throw it away, you know? And once I started getting into custom clothing, honestly, that skirt that you made for me, I have—I should have brought it in here to show the world that skirt looks like it was brand new from 13 years ago. I mean, I’d take such good care of that piece of clothing. And so, I think that that’s something that you also pass on through the conversations, and every person that gets something at your store is also being taught something they’ve never known before. And it’s so rare to have that customization aspect of it and to also feel like you’re still at home in downtown Knoxville.
Marcus: No, no, I agree. Again, quality is—when you go to a clothier and you get custom clothing, it should be something that is an investment, you know what I mean? Like, it’s not something that you’re going to wear one time, and then like you said, throw it away or put it in the back of your closet. And so, we sit down with our clients and we talk about fabrics and what do you do for a living so that the fabric in the cut of your clothing and the meets up or matches up with what you’re doing for a living. We talk about, in the last few years, how has your weight changed.
Or are you planning on losing weight or gaining weight or whatever the case may be because athletes tend to do that, but also dads do, too. I mean, you know, if you’re a new dad [laugh]—
Julia: Dad bod.
Marcus: You may put on a pound, right? You’re going to have a dad bod in a few years. So, we may need to, you know, add for some let-out space. But more importantly, again, yeah, if you invest in a quality piece, it should hold up and it should be something that not only you wear for years, but if you have children, you can pass that garment down. Because I’ve worn tons of my grandfather’s clothes. I remember the first tuxedo that I owned was my grandfather’s, you know what I mean? It smelled like mothballs but it was still—[laugh]—
Julia: I bet it was—I bet in today’s… what am I—what is—that tuxedo was probably the hottest—
Marcus: Trendy.
Julia: —[crosstalk 00:12:36]. If you put it on today—
Marcus: Yeah, you got it. What’s trendy today—
Julia: —[crosstalk 00:12:38], like I have to have that.
Marcus: That 60-year-old tuxedo is really cool right now, except for the mothball smell. But no, a hundred percent. So, when you invest in quality clothing, it will. It should last. And we’d love to talk to our clients about how you keep that up.
And again, it doesn’t take a lot. If you bought something of quality, it should withstand the test of time and short of you, you know, mud wrestling in it or you know whatever the case may be. And honestly, Julia, it’s not good to dry cl—over dry clean your clothing because it breaks the product down and that creates you know tearage or, you know, the spaces where you may have things that threads come out or whatever. So, you don’t want to—because wool or good fabrics are natural and, like, you know if a sheep or whatever, they don’t go to the dry cleaners they just, you know, [laugh] they air out. A good shampoo will do just fine, with some soap and water. But no, sincerely, a great product will last forever if you take good care of it. And you should be able to pass it down and keep it forever. So, there you have it.
Julia: So, we all know that real estate is location, location, location. Our team at Just Homes Group Realty Executives have the true expertise, pairing buyers and sellers with the right opportunities. Whether you’re looking to buy or sell a home right here in Knoxville, Lenoir City, Clinton, or Farragut, we have the expertise throughout every Knoxville surrounding area. Call Just Homes Group Realty Executives today.
Julia: Well, I feel like that you are the epitome of what a Clothier should be, especially somebody that’s local, but national. Tell us about your travels. What have you learned outside of Knoxville and how has that helped you bring that into Knoxville and pass that along?
Marcus: Wow. So yeah, well, travels have been New York, California. And again, we try to produce and manufacture most of our garments in the United States, which has been hard to do. I started off in Los Angeles where we launched our first line, and the a hundred percent of our line was created in Los Angeles. But it was always my passion to come back to Knoxville and use local talent.
And when I—so, we started manufacturing in downtown Knoxville, but we also used a company out of Bristol, Tennessee, LC King, who’s been there for over a hundred years. And that was a great experience when we only did denim. But if you’re going to use wash techniques and use chemicals like the stone washing and the potassium that you use in lightning clothes and all these different washes, there’s only a few places in the United States that you can do that in. And again, Los Angeles tends to be the place. A great story was the fashion editor for The New York Times, was actually in Bristol and saw my line, and she really did a huge write-up of my line and in The New York Times, and that was the biggest weekend of our e-commerce that we’ve ever had.
And was able to—fortunate enough to go up to New York and meet with stores like Bergdorf and Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstroms, and we—I was a little country boy, this was two years into creating the line, maybe three, and we met with Bergdorf and the meeting was going so well, and then this other guy sat down and he looked at our line and says, “This is really country.” Uh—[laugh].
Julia: Oh, [laugh]. Thanks to New York. Love you, too.
Marcus: Right? And we were trying to sell it, and as a grown man, that was one of the very few times I was like, “I think I’m about to cry.” Like, I was—it was like he really hurt my feelings. It was—and he’s like, “Listen, what are you doing with this and that?” And you know, so he shot us down. And that was Friday’s meeting.
Julia: I think at that point, I probably would have snapped back and said, “Well, thank you so much. Dolly Parton said so, too.”
Marcus: [laugh]. I left there with my tail tucked between my—I was like, distraught, like, I’ve made think I’m thinking about not doing this anymore. But I had two more meetings. I had one Monday and—two on Monday and I had to stay in New York the following weekend, and—this is a cool story—I was in Soho, New York, just randomly. And like, “Man, I need a drink.” You know what I mean?
Julia: [laugh]. After that conversation.
Marcus: I was like, “Oh God, I need a drink. Like, that was harsh.” And so, I went to this random bar and I sit down at the bar and ordered a drink. And the bartender looked at me and he goes, “Man, aren’t you that denim guy?” And I’m in New York City, by the way. And this is—like, nobody knows me. And I’m like, looking around for cameras. And I’m thinking, like, somebody’s punking me right now, you know what I mean?
Like, I’m in New York. Nobody knows who the hell I am. I’m in New York. And he goes, “Man, I read your story in The New York Times and I love what you do and I saw your website. Keep doing what you’re doing.”
And it went from, like—right? Isn’t that crazy? Like, that’s amazing. Like, and that was like—and so I knew God was like, he—
Julia: Oh, yeah he was.
Marcus: —sent an angel out to be, like, “Hey, like, don’t let that one experience change you.” So, I went out and bought a Hugo Boss suit that I could not afford that day because I’m like, I’m going to be so on point Monday that they are not going to be able to tell me no. Like, I’m regrouping. And so, put it—kind of restructured everything. And Monday morning, I’m never on time for things, and I was early for this meeting and took a cab and I was sweating because I was in the suit and it was really [laugh] hot outside. And so—
Julia: New York is brutal [laugh].
Marcus: —it’s like—and so I show up and I looking at the—you know, give my spiel to this guy who shows up in a t-shirt and painted jeans and painted holey tennis shoes, like, I’m like I did all this and I was like and he goes, “I love this. I love that. Da-da-da. Change the button on that. I’ll take this, this, this, and this.”
And in 20 minutes, I had an order for, you know, all this stuff. And I’m like it was just the total opposite. So, from a rollercoaster ride of that experience. And just you know, again, New York and that was my experience in New York. But it worked out, you know, and it learned me to, you know, we all have our opinions of what art or fashion should look like, and I think being in the south is an amazing.
And that’s what brought me back home is that we have a great culture. And if you think about denim and you think about farming, and but—you know, so we just started a hashtag #southernluxury, you know what I mean? Because we make luxury items and—
Julia: Oh, I love that.
Marcus: Yeah, yeah. And it’s amazing. We have a store in Florida, currently, that we also and you know denim and now people don’t wear suits anymore, you know? They wear blue jeans, a custom shirt, a blazer, a cool pair of cowboy boots or a loafer or whate—or sneakers, you know what I mean? And so, the world has changed so much. But what is consistent is denim is still here, baby. So, there you go [laugh].
Julia: I just, I think you should write that man that told you that a letter thirteen—exactly thirteen years later and be, like, “From your country friend in Tennessee #southernluxury. These jeans are for you.” [laugh].
Marcus: I’m still here. Yes. So, um but coming back to Knox—yes, “I’m still—hashtag #imstillhere.”
Julia: I’m still here [laugh].
Marcus: But coming back to Knoxville has been truly a blessing, it is, and to see the growth of Knoxville and the fact that I can contribute to making Knoxville a cooler place. Again, our building is situated in downtown Knoxville where you know and I know that we’re building a major baseball stadium now and more—
Julia: Oh, that’s so cool.
Marcus: You got it. It is. And there’s more residential spaces in downtown Knoxville. So, I can’t imagine where we are in the next five years or so in Knoxville because it’s just—yeah, again, you don’t even recognize it. So, I’m so stoked and excited about it.
Julia: I left my condo in Knoxville and I think I sold it for, like, $160,000 which at the time was unheard of.
Marcus: Wow. Yes now—
Julia: One-sixty, everybody was like, “I can’t believe you got that much for your condo.” That same condo is worth $500,000 today.
Marcus: It’s crazy, right?
Julia: A $500,000 condo. 800 square feet. 800 square feet [laugh]. It’s like, come on.
Marcus: Yes, yes. How long ago was when you sold the condo?
Julia: We moved out of downtown Knoxville in 2014. 2015, I think. 2015.
Marcus: So, yeah. So, less than ten years, eight or nine years ago, right? Yeah. So, there you go. It’s amazing, though. But again, I’m proud of Knoxville. And to see that the height of our growth and where, like you said, property value right now, it’s crazy. It’s crazy.
Julia: Yeah. Do you own that building?
Marcus: I do.
Julia: Thank God. Good for you. Could not imagine what the lease would be on something in that space right now. Because I remember when that whole area—when you put that building down there, I was like, “Oh, that’s—” [laugh]—
Marcus: [laugh].
Julia: [crosstalk 00:22:04] when your opening and I walked across the railroad tracks with my dog, and I was like. I don’t know if I need to be [unintelligible 00:22:12].
Marcus: Like, “I’m not coming over here.” Like this is, like—yeah, I agree. It was a puke ugly yellow-green building and we’ve transfo—it was—and we’ve transformed it.
Julia: It hurt [crosstalk 00:22:22]—
Marcus: —[laugh] we painted the building black, and it does. Now, it’s stu—we’ve actually won an award for landscaping, and whatever the case. Yeah, so it is. Yeah, so I was pioneering. I was the pioneer of downtown. I’m the reason Knoxville is so cool.
Julia: I love it. I love it. You were though. You were the brave person that went to that side of downtown Knoxville, and we were all like, “I hope he’s okay.” We were all like, “What? Let’s hope this works out.”
Marcus: [laugh]. I don’t know. You were like my guy at Burgdorf.
Julia: Exactly. Yeah, but we—yeah, you really should write that guy letter and take a picture of your Florida store and your Knoxville store and some awards and send him a free pair of jeans. And [unintelligible 00:23:11]—these are for you, country.
Marcus: No, no, no. No free. No [laugh]—
Julia: It’s one leg. You have to pay for the other leg.
Marcus: Oh, there you go [laugh].
Julia: Negotiate.
Marcus: “Here’s one leg for free.” If you want the other leg. Yeah, that’ll be $200.
Julia: It’ll be $200 for the other half? [laugh]. I love it. I love it. So Knoxville: big small town. I feel like this is an almost overlooked space. So, I’ve traveled all over the country. I was in, I think it was 36 states in 2019. I was coaching other businesses on how to open and do all their stuff, basically a business consultant at that point, and I would always tell people I’m from Knoxville, Tennessee.
“Where’s that?” And I would say, “Dolly Parton.” And they’re like, “I know Dolly Parton.” I’m like, “Awesome.” And that was all they knew. They Memphis because of Elvis, and they knew Dolly Parton because of Dolly Parton. That is all they knew.
And I will talk about Oak Ridge National Lab and I would talk about our teaching hospital and I would talk about our massive campus, and we’re one of the largest colleges in the country. I would talk about our failing football team which is now the best football team in the country. And they had no idea. They all thought we were just country bumpkins with no shoes, and they were always very impressed that I could speak properly with my little drawl?
Marcus: Do you have shoes on right now? Do you have shoes on right now?
Julia: I got on Ons. I got on the Ons [laugh]. But I think that that conversation over time has changed. And Knoxville is more welcoming but still the same small town. I still see the same people everywhere I go, which makes me feel so good about it, but there’s new people every time you turn around. I think Knoxville is an opportunity.
Marcus: Agreed. I recall moving out to Los Angeles for the first time, and coming from Knoxville, A, the traffic is you can’t even imagine, and I mean, in LA, it’s just so—I mean, I literally had a nervous breakdown in my car one day, and I was like, “Oh God, I’m going back home.” But I also remember going to, like you said, a bar or a restaurant and going to the same place multiple times and never being able to have a conversation with anyone. You know what I mean? Like, I felt like, I’m in a city where there’s millions of people, but I felt very alone.
And in Knoxville, there’s no way you can go and not have a [laugh] conversation with someone. It’s like you—everyone is—you never meet a stranger in Knoxville. We all have a common bond and [audio break 00:25:51] each other like family. And so—and being in the downtown and that resonates with me. And I recall, and we have mentioned that, getting in trouble, and getting in trouble for gambling, and having to go to prison for 14 months and coming back home and thinking, “Man, what am I going to do?”
And when I got home, I was shocked at how support and the kindness of the community that, kind of, brought me back to my feet and says, “Hey, it’s all good. We’re going to support you anyway.” And you know, several years later, and so. But I’m from Knoxville and so I think one of the draws if you ever to come to Knoxville is, A, although the cost of living has gotten higher, we’re still very affordable a city. I was in LA two days ago, and gasoline is, like, $6 a gallon. And I’m like—
Julia: No, thank you.
Marcus: Yeah, right? It’s like, what in the world is going on? And so, you pay to be inconvenienced in cities like that. It’s a dirty city and like I said, you’re in traffic for hours. And I think the draw to Knoxville is it is a super clean city, it’s safe, the cost of living is fair. And although it’s rising, rent is rising, but it’s still better than most places in the United States.
You never meet a stranger. There’s so many outlets whether it’s the Chamber of Commerce, you know what I mean, or Knox Business Center. I mean, there’s so many outlets for new businesses and/or new companies. You got ORNL, or the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which, you know, it’s huge.
Julia: Huge. Jobs everywhere. People just opened a pilot corporation this year. Boyd Sports. Boyd Entertainment.
Marcus: Clayton, you got it. [unintelligible 00:27:34] Boyd.
Julia: Dollywood. [laugh].
Marcus: And yes, you got the University of Tennessee. And there’s so much room for growth that yeah, I think Knoxville is a gem. And you know and quietly I don’t want Knoxville to become Nashville.
Julia: There’s no way that our infrastructure—
Marcus: Infrastructure. Right there you go. That’s real. But yeah, I do. I love the fact that—and it’s good. I live downtown, I work downtown. I don’t have to leave downtown Knoxville. I can literally walk, ride a bike. You know, then there’s South Knoxville, which is amazing.
Julia: Blowing up. Love it. I remember I was selling houses in Island Home back in 2014 for, like, $30,000 and couldn’t convince people to buy them. I was calling people all over the country saying, “Hey, you need to get into Knoxville. I can get you a house in Island Home for 30 grand.” “Oh, that’s really expensive. I don’t—Knoxville?” And now they’re begging me for property. And I’m like, “There’s nothing down here, man.”
Marcus: You know with Covid, there was a lot of negative, but people realized that being in a big city like New York and Los Angeles and paying this astronomical amount of rent and not knowing, you know—without the entertainment factor there you know what I mean? Like, if you go to Broadway play or you know, shopping on, you know, in Soho—
Julia: You got to pay $10,000 a month for a maintenance fee on an apartment you can’t leave.
Marcus: You can’t leave, right? What’s the draw? And so, and being able to have a backyard, you know what I mean? And then, like, wow, you can—you know what you were getting in New York and LA for half a million dollars was 800 square-foot of something, now you can get land, and you know? So yeah, I agree.
I think Knoxville is an amazing place, again. And we are nestled at the foot out of the Smoky Mountains which is beautiful, and having traveled all over the United States, again, it’s so green and we have four seasons and unlike most places, you know, Florida or whatever, there is no earthquakes and, you know, you don’t have to worry about tornadoes, hurricanes, all this stuff.
Julia: Perfect [laugh].
Marcus: Yeah, we are. Knoxville is a perfect place to live. Yep, you got it.
Julia: All right. I have less than 30 seconds left. Favorite restaurant?
Marcus: Favorite restaurant is Chivo for casual, and Lonesome Dove for if I want to go to a night out. You got it.
Julia: I love Lonesome Dove. I really get back down there and—
Marcus: Fridays they have that burger special that is cra—it’s like 12 bucks for a burger that is the best burger in Knoxville, hands down.
Julia: Oh, I like that.
Marcus: Yeah, Fridays. Yes.
Julia: Favorite bar?
Marcus: Favorite bar? Chivo for—[unintelligible 00:30:04] yeah, it is. Chivo is my favorite bar. It is. Yes. I like Wagon Wheel when I’m, like—
Julia: That’s the second Wagon Wheel. Mark Jernigan is getting some shout-outs this week.
Marcus: Yeah Mark Jernigan’s place is amazing. But yeah. But I go to Chivo, like, almost every day.
Julia: Marcus Hall, Marc Nelson Denim. Thank you for the opportunity.
Marcus: You got it, babe. Thank you. Oh, favorite realtor?
Julia: Oh, Julia.
Marcus: Right [laugh].
Julia: [laugh].
Marcus: All right. Bye. Have a good day.
Julia: Hey everybody, welcome to Connect the Knox. I’m your host, Julia Hurley connecting the nation to Knoxville. Today’s guest, let me just make this introduction; it’s going to be a long one, maybe not so long. But I want to say this: this is one of the most talented clothiers I have ever seen. This man has vision, he has style, he’s got class, he used to have a ladies' line.
I have one of the very last hand-designed skirts from Marc Nelson Denim. I’m going to tell you right now, the man is absolutely talented. Marcus Hall, owner of Marc Nelson Denim, introduce yourself to our crowd because I am so excited to hear your story. And again, I have to say this, one of the most talented design clothiers I have ever seen. So, take it away, Marcus. Tell us a little bit about you and how you ended up in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Marcus: Well, thank you for that amazing introduction, first and foremost. And now you are not a realtor, you are an entertainer, by far.
Julia: [laugh].
Marcus: [laugh]. So, but yes, thank you for having me here. But my story is, my family, originally from Georgia and Ohio and my great-grandparents moved to Tennessee, and so that brought me and my family there. My great-grandfather who Marc Nelson Denim is based out of—or the last name is from, was actually a janitor at the TVA Credit Union, but he wore a suit every day. And he taught me and my brothers no matter who you are—you’re a janitor or the mayor—you always want to leave the house looking like someone.
And so, that resonated with me and that’s why I pay homage to that’s where the Nelson comes from in ‘Marc Nelson,’ from my great-grandfather.
Julia: That’s a good story.
Marcus: So, there you go. Yeah, it’s a beautiful story. Yeah. And as a matter of fact, I was living in Los Angeles before we opened the shop downtown Knoxville, where we’re currently located, and when I came to see the building, it’s literally three blocks from where my great-grandfather lives. So, that all kind of, you know, made me make the decision to move back home to Knoxville. And here we are, almost 13 years later, in business.
Julia: That is a crazy—I had no idea that that was even part of the story here. In my head, I had imagined, like, you were in Milan, Italy, and just some random [unintelligible 00:02:39] fan was wearing a hat and you’re like, “I’ll check that place out.” [laugh]. You actually have a rich heritage here.
Marcus: Yes, absolutely. Yes, my great-grandfather and grandparents. And if you didn’t know, there used to be a Levi’s plant in East Knoxville over on Cherry Street. And that plant was there for decades and actually supplied jobs to the most of the East Knoxville community. And so, that’s how we—the denim even became [unintelligible 00:03:04] for me.
I took tailoring at Austin-East High School so that I could then leave there and go work at that Levi’s plant, but they shut down and started producing in Mexico and China. And so, years later I was like, you know what? I appreciated the feeling that I had and the pride that I had that my family members and other East Knoxville community members worked and made a product at that Levi’s plant that was sold throughout the world. And I wanted to bring some of that pride back and start manufacturing here in the US and bring, you know, community members and family members on board. And we all made a product that potentially could be as big as the Levi’s brand.
Julia: I am so confused and jealous. I absolutely, one thousand percent, never learned a trade in high school. They didn’t teach us anything like that that is—
Marcus: Yeah, so you’re not, you’re not that old yet.
Julia: [laugh]. No, I mean I started—I don’t even know how to sew on a button. It’s just not something that we were ever taught. And they actually had an entire class for that. Wow!
Marcus: Yes, absolutely. Yeah, yeah. Back in the olden days, they you know, they tau—[laugh] Austin-East used to have a brick mason class. They used to have, obviously, like, a Home Ec, but it also taught you how to cook in restaurant environments. They had an auto mechanics class, they had tons of—yeah, heating and air class, they had tons of vocational classes so that you could—for those who chose not to go to college and wanted to immediately go into the work field could do that. And it was, yeah, it was amazing. Absolutely.
Julia: That is absolutely fascinating. I’m going to do a little more research on that. I think our education system can use a little more of that.
Marcus: You know, and now, in this day and time, that’s where—yeah, exactly. Because school is expensive and a lot of kids go on to school and never use that, you know, education to go do anything that they’re doing in the future. They end up doing something absolutely different and they spent a ton of money and time in college when they could have immediately went on to, you know, start making money. And now I’m all for a college education. That’s an amazing deal, but if you’re going to use it and you know what your what’s your path is going to be.
Julia: Right. I agree with that one thousand percent. I remember when you first opened the store in downtown Knoxville. And can you paint the picture for us of when you first opened that building and how everything around you has changed? Like, give us the last 13 years of the growth that you’ve seen in just the downtown Knoxville market.
Marcus: Oh, wow. You know, Knoxville isn’t the same place at all. Thirteen years ago, we opened our shop in the basement of the building that we’re currently in and there was only one food truck, a Sweet and Savory. And we would have First Fridays there and we would get about 300 people because no one else was doing First Fridays. And so much has changed to the fact that you would—if you came to Knoxville then to visit and then came back today, you would think you were in a totally different town.
I mean, the Old City used to be in a place where we couldn’t spark in and get restaurants or any you know, [staple to stay 00:06:11], Market Square. There was only a few things that you could go to for dinery, or you know, just entertainment in general. And now Knoxville is as cool as it’s ever been in my lifetime. There’s food places to eat and fine dining, like Tim Love’s Lonesome Dove, you’ve got the Boyd’s, you’ve Merchants of Beer, you’ve got an athletic club that you can go to that stays open 24 hours. And we haven’t even talked about Gay Street and Market Square now is a thriving area that I’m proud to invite my friends and just in general visitors to come along and stay the weekend. And there’s so much to do now other than to go to Dallas or go on to the Smoky Mountains. You could actually have a full weekend of entertainment in downtown Knoxville. So, I’m so proud. Not to mention that our Vols are kicking butt right now. They’re [crosstalk 00:07:04]—
Julia: Oh, my goodness. I was actually going to segue right into that. I’m so glad you did it because I want everyone that’s watching this to know that you are the number one clothier for the Vols football team.
Marcus: There you go.
Julia: Most of the staff—
Marcus: —Coach Heupel—yes. You got it.
Julia: —the coaches, Pretty much everybody wear Marc Nelson—Marc Nelson Denim. I was trying to put that on one word—Marc Nelson Denim. Yeah, and it’s some of the—so I just so happened to be at your shop, meeting with Derrick Furlow, who was just on—our podcast with him was released yesterday, and you had some of the top senior football players there for fittings. And I’m telling—the quality, these kids are—we’re all—I mean, they know what good quality clothing are, but when they were putting on these clothes. I mean, it was just a consistent, like, “Wow,” “Wow,” “Wow.” I mean, it was just a continuous, “This is so soft.” “This is so nice.” “This fits so well.”
And you hadn’t even made any changes to it yet. You are very talented to be able to even eyeball what somebody’s fit needs to be and cut needs to be. Tell us, how long have you been doing this? And how did you work your way into such a specialty, a rarity in today’s market and clothing, honestly?
Marcus: So again, my mother taught me to sew at twelve. I took tailoring, so it’s something that I’ve had in my blood and been a part of most of my life. But from a professional status, again, I’ve been in business 12 years. And we started with denim and especially denim because we’d have a ton of athletes who have small waist, big butts, and they couldn’t find a jean that [crosstalk 00:08:38]—
Julia: Dang those squats.
Marcus: [laugh]. Yes, right? And they couldn’t find a jean that fit them. And so, I was like, “Oh, wow.” And so, we found stretch denim that obviously helped in that, but they still needed some tailoring.
And we just evolved from there to, you know, suiting and now we’re a lifestyle brand. And one of our biggest deals is it’s not just that, it’s the service part of the deal. Like we don’t want to—we take pride in what we do. Because when you wear our clothing, you represent our brand. And we still are a small brand.
But that being said, the service part of our deal is that we want you to not only look good but feel good. And then we believe that when you look good, you feel good. That being said, with fast fashion nowadays and this online service, I don’t believe that you get the full service out of the deal. So, we keep a full-time tailor at our shop which is needed because again, you’ve got—most people don’t fit a base 32, or 34, or whatever, you know what I mean? There’s you know, either they’re short, or they’re too tall, or they’re—again, you’ve got big waist and no but, or you’ve got no waist and a big butt.
So, it’s important that you get a customer—or a clothier that can provide the alterations and a little tweaks that make that clothing item feel the way it’s supposed to fit.
Julia: I just love your store. I wish that more people understood the quality of their clothing. I don’t think that people, especially my generation, and I know—I know—the younger generation has not a clue how to really and truly take care of custom clothing. It’s not something we’re taught. It’s not something you can read on tags somewhere.
It’s either dry clean only, or throw it away, you know? And once I started getting into custom clothing, honestly, that skirt that you made for me, I have—I should have brought it in here to show the world that skirt looks like it was brand new from 13 years ago. I mean, I’d take such good care of that piece of clothing. And so, I think that that’s something that you also pass on through the conversations, and every person that gets something at your store is also being taught something they’ve never known before. And it’s so rare to have that customization aspect of it and to also feel like you’re still at home in downtown Knoxville.
Marcus: No, no, I agree. Again, quality is—when you go to a clothier and you get custom clothing, it should be something that is an investment, you know what I mean? Like, it’s not something that you’re going to wear one time, and then like you said, throw it away or put it in the back of your closet. And so, we sit down with our clients and we talk about fabrics and what do you do for a living so that the fabric in the cut of your clothing and the meets up or matches up with what you’re doing for a living. We talk about, in the last few years, how has your weight changed.
Or are you planning on losing weight or gaining weight or whatever the case may be because athletes tend to do that, but also dads do, too. I mean, you know, if you’re a new dad [laugh]—
Julia: Dad bod.
Marcus: You may put on a pound, right? You’re going to have a dad bod in a few years. So, we may need to, you know, add for some let-out space. But more importantly, again, yeah, if you invest in a quality piece, it should hold up and it should be something that not only you wear for years, but if you have children, you can pass that garment down. Because I’ve worn tons of my grandfather’s clothes. I remember the first tuxedo that I owned was my grandfather’s, you know what I mean? It smelled like mothballs but it was still—[laugh]—
Julia: I bet it was—I bet in today’s… what am I—what is—that tuxedo was probably the hottest—
Marcus: Trendy.
Julia: —[crosstalk 00:12:36]. If you put it on today—
Marcus: Yeah, you got it. What’s trendy today—
Julia: —[crosstalk 00:12:38], like I have to have that.
Marcus: That 60-year-old tuxedo is really cool right now, except for the mothball smell. But no, a hundred percent. So, when you invest in quality clothing, it will. It should last. And we’d love to talk to our clients about how you keep that up.
And again, it doesn’t take a lot. If you bought something of quality, it should withstand the test of time and short of you, you know, mud wrestling in it or you know whatever the case may be. And honestly, Julia, it’s not good to dry cl—over dry clean your clothing because it breaks the product down and that creates you know tearage or, you know, the spaces where you may have things that threads come out or whatever. So, you don’t want to—because wool or good fabrics are natural and, like, you know if a sheep or whatever, they don’t go to the dry cleaners they just, you know, [laugh] they air out. A good shampoo will do just fine, with some soap and water. But no, sincerely, a great product will last forever if you take good care of it. And you should be able to pass it down and keep it forever. So, there you have it.
Julia: So, we all know that real estate is location, location, location. Our team at Just Homes Group Realty Executives have the true expertise, pairing buyers and sellers with the right opportunities. Whether you’re looking to buy or sell a home right here in Knoxville, Lenoir City, Clinton, or Farragut, we have the expertise throughout every Knoxville surrounding area. Call Just Homes Group Realty Executives today.
Julia: Well, I feel like that you are the epitome of what a Clothier should be, especially somebody that’s local, but national. Tell us about your travels. What have you learned outside of Knoxville and how has that helped you bring that into Knoxville and pass that along?
Marcus: Wow. So yeah, well, travels have been New York, California. And again, we try to produce and manufacture most of our garments in the United States, which has been hard to do. I started off in Los Angeles where we launched our first line, and the a hundred percent of our line was created in Los Angeles. But it was always my passion to come back to Knoxville and use local talent.
And when I—so, we started manufacturing in downtown Knoxville, but we also used a company out of Bristol, Tennessee, LC King, who’s been there for over a hundred years. And that was a great experience when we only did denim. But if you’re going to use wash techniques and use chemicals like the stone washing and the potassium that you use in lightning clothes and all these different washes, there’s only a few places in the United States that you can do that in. And again, Los Angeles tends to be the place. A great story was the fashion editor for The New York Times, was actually in Bristol and saw my line, and she really did a huge write-up of my line and in The New York Times, and that was the biggest weekend of our e-commerce that we’ve ever had.
And was able to—fortunate enough to go up to New York and meet with stores like Bergdorf and Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstroms, and we—I was a little country boy, this was two years into creating the line, maybe three, and we met with Bergdorf and the meeting was going so well, and then this other guy sat down and he looked at our line and says, “This is really country.” Uh—[laugh].
Julia: Oh, [laugh]. Thanks to New York. Love you, too.
Marcus: Right? And we were trying to sell it, and as a grown man, that was one of the very few times I was like, “I think I’m about to cry.” Like, I was—it was like he really hurt my feelings. It was—and he’s like, “Listen, what are you doing with this and that?” And you know, so he shot us down. And that was Friday’s meeting.
Julia: I think at that point, I probably would have snapped back and said, “Well, thank you so much. Dolly Parton said so, too.”
Marcus: [laugh]. I left there with my tail tucked between my—I was like, distraught, like, I’ve made think I’m thinking about not doing this anymore. But I had two more meetings. I had one Monday and—two on Monday and I had to stay in New York the following weekend, and—this is a cool story—I was in Soho, New York, just randomly. And like, “Man, I need a drink.” You know what I mean?
Julia: [laugh]. After that conversation.
Marcus: I was like, “Oh God, I need a drink. Like, that was harsh.” And so, I went to this random bar and I sit down at the bar and ordered a drink. And the bartender looked at me and he goes, “Man, aren’t you that denim guy?” And I’m in New York City, by the way. And this is—like, nobody knows me. And I’m like, looking around for cameras. And I’m thinking, like, somebody’s punking me right now, you know what I mean?
Like, I’m in New York. Nobody knows who the hell I am. I’m in New York. And he goes, “Man, I read your story in The New York Times and I love what you do and I saw your website. Keep doing what you’re doing.”
And it went from, like—right? Isn’t that crazy? Like, that’s amazing. Like, and that was like—and so I knew God was like, he—
Julia: Oh, yeah he was.
Marcus: —sent an angel out to be, like, “Hey, like, don’t let that one experience change you.” So, I went out and bought a Hugo Boss suit that I could not afford that day because I’m like, I’m going to be so on point Monday that they are not going to be able to tell me no. Like, I’m regrouping. And so, put it—kind of restructured everything. And Monday morning, I’m never on time for things, and I was early for this meeting and took a cab and I was sweating because I was in the suit and it was really [laugh] hot outside. And so—
Julia: New York is brutal [laugh].
Marcus: —it’s like—and so I show up and I looking at the—you know, give my spiel to this guy who shows up in a t-shirt and painted jeans and painted holey tennis shoes, like, I’m like I did all this and I was like and he goes, “I love this. I love that. Da-da-da. Change the button on that. I’ll take this, this, this, and this.”
And in 20 minutes, I had an order for, you know, all this stuff. And I’m like it was just the total opposite. So, from a rollercoaster ride of that experience. And just you know, again, New York and that was my experience in New York. But it worked out, you know, and it learned me to, you know, we all have our opinions of what art or fashion should look like, and I think being in the south is an amazing.
And that’s what brought me back home is that we have a great culture. And if you think about denim and you think about farming, and but—you know, so we just started a hashtag #southernluxury, you know what I mean? Because we make luxury items and—
Julia: Oh, I love that.
Marcus: Yeah, yeah. And it’s amazing. We have a store in Florida, currently, that we also and you know denim and now people don’t wear suits anymore, you know? They wear blue jeans, a custom shirt, a blazer, a cool pair of cowboy boots or a loafer or whate—or sneakers, you know what I mean? And so, the world has changed so much. But what is consistent is denim is still here, baby. So, there you go [laugh].
Julia: I just, I think you should write that man that told you that a letter thirteen—exactly thirteen years later and be, like, “From your country friend in Tennessee #southernluxury. These jeans are for you.” [laugh].
Marcus: I’m still here. Yes. So, um but coming back to Knox—yes, “I’m still—hashtag #imstillhere.”
Julia: I’m still here [laugh].
Marcus: But coming back to Knoxville has been truly a blessing, it is, and to see the growth of Knoxville and the fact that I can contribute to making Knoxville a cooler place. Again, our building is situated in downtown Knoxville where you know and I know that we’re building a major baseball stadium now and more—
Julia: Oh, that’s so cool.
Marcus: You got it. It is. And there’s more residential spaces in downtown Knoxville. So, I can’t imagine where we are in the next five years or so in Knoxville because it’s just—yeah, again, you don’t even recognize it. So, I’m so stoked and excited about it.
Julia: I left my condo in Knoxville and I think I sold it for, like, $160,000 which at the time was unheard of.
Marcus: Wow. Yes now—
Julia: One-sixty, everybody was like, “I can’t believe you got that much for your condo.” That same condo is worth $500,000 today.
Marcus: It’s crazy, right?
Julia: A $500,000 condo. 800 square feet. 800 square feet [laugh]. It’s like, come on.
Marcus: Yes, yes. How long ago was when you sold the condo?
Julia: We moved out of downtown Knoxville in 2014. 2015, I think. 2015.
Marcus: So, yeah. So, less than ten years, eight or nine years ago, right? Yeah. So, there you go. It’s amazing, though. But again, I’m proud of Knoxville. And to see that the height of our growth and where, like you said, property value right now, it’s crazy. It’s crazy.
Julia: Yeah. Do you own that building?
Marcus: I do.
Julia: Thank God. Good for you. Could not imagine what the lease would be on something in that space right now. Because I remember when that whole area—when you put that building down there, I was like, “Oh, that’s—” [laugh]—
Marcus: [laugh].
Julia: [crosstalk 00:22:04] when your opening and I walked across the railroad tracks with my dog, and I was like. I don’t know if I need to be [unintelligible 00:22:12].
Marcus: Like, “I’m not coming over here.” Like this is, like—yeah, I agree. It was a puke ugly yellow-green building and we’ve transfo—it was—and we’ve transformed it.
Julia: It hurt [crosstalk 00:22:22]—
Marcus: —[laugh] we painted the building black, and it does. Now, it’s stu—we’ve actually won an award for landscaping, and whatever the case. Yeah, so it is. Yeah, so I was pioneering. I was the pioneer of downtown. I’m the reason Knoxville is so cool.
Julia: I love it. I love it. You were though. You were the brave person that went to that side of downtown Knoxville, and we were all like, “I hope he’s okay.” We were all like, “What? Let’s hope this works out.”
Marcus: [laugh]. I don’t know. You were like my guy at Burgdorf.
Julia: Exactly. Yeah, but we—yeah, you really should write that guy letter and take a picture of your Florida store and your Knoxville store and some awards and send him a free pair of jeans. And [unintelligible 00:23:11]—these are for you, country.
Marcus: No, no, no. No free. No [laugh]—
Julia: It’s one leg. You have to pay for the other leg.
Marcus: Oh, there you go [laugh].
Julia: Negotiate.
Marcus: “Here’s one leg for free.” If you want the other leg. Yeah, that’ll be $200.
Julia: It’ll be $200 for the other half? [laugh]. I love it. I love it. So Knoxville: big small town. I feel like this is an almost overlooked space. So, I’ve traveled all over the country. I was in, I think it was 36 states in 2019. I was coaching other businesses on how to open and do all their stuff, basically a business consultant at that point, and I would always tell people I’m from Knoxville, Tennessee.
“Where’s that?” And I would say, “Dolly Parton.” And they’re like, “I know Dolly Parton.” I’m like, “Awesome.” And that was all they knew. They Memphis because of Elvis, and they knew Dolly Parton because of Dolly Parton. That is all they knew.
And I will talk about Oak Ridge National Lab and I would talk about our teaching hospital and I would talk about our massive campus, and we’re one of the largest colleges in the country. I would talk about our failing football team which is now the best football team in the country. And they had no idea. They all thought we were just country bumpkins with no shoes, and they were always very impressed that I could speak properly with my little drawl?
Marcus: Do you have shoes on right now? Do you have shoes on right now?
Julia: I got on Ons. I got on the Ons [laugh]. But I think that that conversation over time has changed. And Knoxville is more welcoming but still the same small town. I still see the same people everywhere I go, which makes me feel so good about it, but there’s new people every time you turn around. I think Knoxville is an opportunity.
Marcus: Agreed. I recall moving out to Los Angeles for the first time, and coming from Knoxville, A, the traffic is you can’t even imagine, and I mean, in LA, it’s just so—I mean, I literally had a nervous breakdown in my car one day, and I was like, “Oh God, I’m going back home.” But I also remember going to, like you said, a bar or a restaurant and going to the same place multiple times and never being able to have a conversation with anyone. You know what I mean? Like, I felt like, I’m in a city where there’s millions of people, but I felt very alone.
And in Knoxville, there’s no way you can go and not have a [laugh] conversation with someone. It’s like you—everyone is—you never meet a stranger in Knoxville. We all have a common bond and [audio break 00:25:51] each other like family. And so—and being in the downtown and that resonates with me. And I recall, and we have mentioned that, getting in trouble, and getting in trouble for gambling, and having to go to prison for 14 months and coming back home and thinking, “Man, what am I going to do?”
And when I got home, I was shocked at how support and the kindness of the community that, kind of, brought me back to my feet and says, “Hey, it’s all good. We’re going to support you anyway.” And you know, several years later, and so. But I’m from Knoxville and so I think one of the draws if you ever to come to Knoxville is, A, although the cost of living has gotten higher, we’re still very affordable a city. I was in LA two days ago, and gasoline is, like, $6 a gallon. And I’m like—
Julia: No, thank you.
Marcus: Yeah, right? It’s like, what in the world is going on? And so, you pay to be inconvenienced in cities like that. It’s a dirty city and like I said, you’re in traffic for hours. And I think the draw to Knoxville is it is a super clean city, it’s safe, the cost of living is fair. And although it’s rising, rent is rising, but it’s still better than most places in the United States.
You never meet a stranger. There’s so many outlets whether it’s the Chamber of Commerce, you know what I mean, or Knox Business Center. I mean, there’s so many outlets for new businesses and/or new companies. You got ORNL, or the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which, you know, it’s huge.
Julia: Huge. Jobs everywhere. People just opened a pilot corporation this year. Boyd Sports. Boyd Entertainment.
Marcus: Clayton, you got it. [unintelligible 00:27:34] Boyd.
Julia: Dollywood. [laugh].
Marcus: And yes, you got the University of Tennessee. And there’s so much room for growth that yeah, I think Knoxville is a gem. And you know and quietly I don’t want Knoxville to become Nashville.
Julia: There’s no way that our infrastructure—
Marcus: Infrastructure. Right there you go. That’s real. But yeah, I do. I love the fact that—and it’s good. I live downtown, I work downtown. I don’t have to leave downtown Knoxville. I can literally walk, ride a bike. You know, then there’s South Knoxville, which is amazing.
Julia: Blowing up. Love it. I remember I was selling houses in Island Home back in 2014 for, like, $30,000 and couldn’t convince people to buy them. I was calling people all over the country saying, “Hey, you need to get into Knoxville. I can get you a house in Island Home for 30 grand.” “Oh, that’s really expensive. I don’t—Knoxville?” And now they’re begging me for property. And I’m like, “There’s nothing down here, man.”
Marcus: You know with Covid, there was a lot of negative, but people realized that being in a big city like New York and Los Angeles and paying this astronomical amount of rent and not knowing, you know—without the entertainment factor there you know what I mean? Like, if you go to Broadway play or you know, shopping on, you know, in Soho—
Julia: You got to pay $10,000 a month for a maintenance fee on an apartment you can’t leave.
Marcus: You can’t leave, right? What’s the draw? And so, and being able to have a backyard, you know what I mean? And then, like, wow, you can—you know what you were getting in New York and LA for half a million dollars was 800 square-foot of something, now you can get land, and you know? So yeah, I agree.
I think Knoxville is an amazing place, again. And we are nestled at the foot out of the Smoky Mountains which is beautiful, and having traveled all over the United States, again, it’s so green and we have four seasons and unlike most places, you know, Florida or whatever, there is no earthquakes and, you know, you don’t have to worry about tornadoes, hurricanes, all this stuff.
Julia: Perfect [laugh].
Marcus: Yeah, we are. Knoxville is a perfect place to live. Yep, you got it.
Julia: All right. I have less than 30 seconds left. Favorite restaurant?
Marcus: Favorite restaurant is Chivo for casual, and Lonesome Dove for if I want to go to a night out. You got it.
Julia: I love Lonesome Dove. I really get back down there and—
Marcus: Fridays they have that burger special that is cra—it’s like 12 bucks for a burger that is the best burger in Knoxville, hands down.
Julia: Oh, I like that.
Marcus: Yeah, Fridays. Yes.
Julia: Favorite bar?
Marcus: Favorite bar? Chivo for—[unintelligible 00:30:04] yeah, it is. Chivo is my favorite bar. It is. Yes. I like Wagon Wheel when I’m, like—
Julia: That’s the second Wagon Wheel. Mark Jernigan is getting some shout-outs this week.
Marcus: Yeah Mark Jernigan’s place is amazing. But yeah. But I go to Chivo, like, almost every day.
Julia: Marcus Hall, Marc Nelson Denim. Thank you for the opportunity.
Marcus: You got it, babe. Thank you. Oh, favorite realtor?
Julia: Oh, Julia.
Marcus: Right [laugh].
Julia: [laugh].
Marcus: All right. Bye. Have a good day.
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