Hello!
If you’re receiving this magazine for the first time in your mailbox, welcome to our growing community. If you currently receive our magazine at your home and are surprised at our new masthead, we want to reintroduce ourselves.
Let us tell you a story.
We Outgrew Our Name
In May 2020, a veteran healthcare sales executive and fine arts professional and seasoned podcaster stepped into the Knoxville publication scene… and never looked back. Publisher Marc Rochelson and Managing Editor Amy Campbell lead a team celebrating five and a half years of growth, grit and grace for their print and online publication, West Knoxville Lifestyle. The next exciting chapter holds a name change for a venture that quickly outgrew its own mission, one that more comprehensively reflects the full terrain of community coverage. Knoxville City Lifestyle.
Rochelson, who drives the magazine’s commercial engine, explains, “What we do is so much bigger than West Knoxville. We’ve always been more than a neighborhood magazine, focusing on all kinds of things that matter to Knoxvillians with hyperlocal content and stories told from many different perspectives.”
“With all the new people moving in from out of state, it’s even more relevant to showcase the best Knoxville has to offer. Our cultural center is our whole town. Our archival issues represent just that. Knoxville is growing. So are we. Knoxville City Lifestyle mirrors that expanding mission.”
Elevate the Good
As Managing Editor, Campbell is the creative heart and soul behind the magazine. “I think of our magazine as more than a platform, actually more of a home for sharing the everyday goodness of our community—people, some high profile, some working behind the scenes, using their God-given talents to make our community shine,” Campbell says.
“We are the same team with the same core purpose: a commitment to supporting local business, a passion for deep dive storytelling and a commitment to spotlighting the vital work of local nonprofits.” Building strong relationships among readers, advertising partners, local businesses and nonprofits, and the community members featured in its pages is a top priority for Campbell.
“We appreciate our readers investing their time, reading loyalty and purchasing power with our ad partners who make sharing these stories about the best of Knoxville possible month after month. It helps us spread the goodness!”
Backstories Behind the Storefront
Knoxville City Lifestyle is blessed, Campbell believes, to partner with so many local businesses that have track records of giving back to their communities in truly impactful ways.
“It is a badge of honor to spotlight our advertising partners who work with dedication and discipline, persevere to start a business, build something lasting from the ground up, and endeavor to bring excellence to everything they do for the clientele and community they serve,” Rochelson adds.
Just a few examples of these powerful stories behind the brand include Company Distilling, an East Tennessee spirits distiller, whose corporate mission to Gather Around giving is the powerful directive that spills over into their national nonprofit grant program. Or, financial advisors PYA Waltman, who contribute a monthly guest column to the magazine, and with time and treasure, support nonprofits like Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee. Or, Dr. Tom Gallaher, a board-certified plastic surgeon, who hosts an annual pig roast and music fest on Veterans Day weekend on his family farm to support Tunnel to Towers and Southern Foodways Alliance.
Opening the door for readers to see behind the success stories of these talented Knoxville business leaders connects them closer to the community that supports their enterprise.
Family Acts
Knoxville is a town filled with families whose humility, hard work and reputation in their chosen field get handed down, and then, as is so often the case, get taken to the next level. It’s a privilege for the magazine to share generational stories, like beloved Cruze Farm Dairy, now led by daughter Colleen and husband Manjit Bhatti, with its fresh churned ice cream and signature red and white gingham; or, Southern culinary legend Allan Benton of chef-worthy Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams, whose son Darren left a medical career to return and become his father’s right-hand man.
Readers have been introduced to the mother and daughter duo behind acclaimed Patricia Nash Designs; Britton Colquitt (now in Gulf Coast real estate) of the father and sons’ trio of Super Bowl champion punters; the Klonaris family of restaurateurs and event managers; and three generations of the Saah family of fine furniture tradesmen whose story began with immigration to Knoxville in the 1970s.
Family, faith, culture and heritage skillfully passed from parents to sons and daughters in every compelling story.
Nonprofits Standing Strong
Launching a new enterprise in the first year of Covid was daunting, something the magazine has in common with many Knoxville nonprofits. In covering arts organizations like Tennessee Theatre, Clarence Brown Theatre, Knoxville Opera, Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville Children’s Theatre and Dogwood Arts Festival, the story took a turn when the executive director reminisced, “And, then Covid hit.” The resiliency to survive that grows deep in Knoxville soil showed up in these resourcefully creative nonprofits, coming out on the other side stronger than ever.
Heroes come in all sizes in the stories. Little heroes like Andrew, who have an expert team on their side in Children’s Hospital NICU with its preemie-bonding Milk Drops program. Or big heroes like VFL, NFL Quarterback and Aerospace Engineer Josh Dobbs, whose ASTROrdinary Dobbs Foundation introduces Girls Inc. of TN Valley to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Space Camp.
To anchor readers with the perspective of a 240-year-old history, the magazine’s educational partner, Knoxville History Project, monthly chronicles the city’s stories, many of which have not been previously told, connecting the city to the world.
The Curious Business of Q&A
Since 2014, Campbell built a loyal following for her podcast, The Tennessee Farm Table, interviewing some of East Tennessee’s savviest farmers and foodies, artisan bakers and local chefs, gardeners and growers, makers of all sorts of regional agriculturally based products. A format that translates well in companion pieces in the magazine.
Readers enjoy the casual sit-down Q&A chat that drills down the “how” and “why” behind a personal passion: from legendary University of Tennessee coach and beekeeper hobbyist Phil Fulmer to world-renowned Blackberry Farm’s Master Gardener John Coykendall, whose sage advice on heirloom seeds and generational planting practices are a regular feature.
Local writers and artists, designers, remodelers, brewers, builders, physicians, financiers, established names and budding entrepreneurs like Rayanne Streeter, who recounts her journey from pop-up truck to bookstore and a 65,000+ Instagram following in less than a year. Must-read interviews keep Knoxville City Lifestyle readers in the know about the community’s up-and-comers and movers and shakers.
Turning the Page
“We’re privileged to support local businesses and showcase the goodness that surrounds us in Knoxville,” Campbell says. “Reflecting on five incredible years of local storytelling, partnerships and growth, we’re reminded this magazine is about more than pages—it’s about people and connection.”
“To our advertising partners, your trust and collaboration make it possible for us to spotlight this community with purpose, creativity and consistency. We could not do this without you,” adds Rochelson.
For first-timers and old friends alike, thank you for welcoming us into your home, taking the time to read through stories each month, and discovering new possibilities for every area of life. We’re grateful that our readers and ad partners feel they have a relationship with us and have found a home with us. It’s the highest honor you could give us. After all, home is where the people who know you best have your back and encourage you to realize your dreams.
Thank you for being part of our story.
“Your trust and collaboration make it possible for us to spotlight this community with purpose and creativity.” —Marc Rochelson.
“We appreciate our readers investing their time, reading loyalty and purchasing power with our ad partners who make sharing stories about the best of Knoxville possible month after month.” —Amy Campbell.