A year ago, Emory Place was mostly a daytime block. The gallery kept afternoon hours, and the vintage and design shops did their trade before dinner. Mother Bar opened at 15 Emory Place in October 2025, and within weeks the owners could see the block's busiest hours moving later. This month is the bar's first anniversary. The space upstairs has gone from a gift shop to a second bar, and on some Sunday nights a brewery across the street has a jazz combo playing.
Emory Place has become an evening address. Most of the daytime businesses are still open, and their closing hours now line up with the time the bars start filling.
The Hour That Moved
Jade Adams and Dylan Pacifico opened Mother Shop upstairs at 15 Emory Place in March 2025. It was a small gift boutique meant to introduce the bigger plan, which was the bar on the ground floor. In November, Adams described the change to Inside of Knoxville once the bar opened.
"We used to see traffic earlier in the day. Now it skews to five, six, seven o'clock. Folks come to the bar, then head upstairs to shop."
She told the outlet the team often kept the lights on later, and that some evenings turned into a "late night sip-and-shop."
What draws the evening crowd comes from Adams's first business, Oglewood Avenue Plant Shop, which she has run since 2020. She told Inside of Knoxville that people there wanted to linger among the plants, and she went looking for a place where they could relax without feeling any pressure to buy. Adams designed Mother Bar herself and built the moss wall that anchors the room, with plants hanging from the ceiling and climbing the walls. Pacifico put it simply in the same article: "It is not a party-hard spot. It is a place to be with your people."
The menu fits that idea. The couple make about a dozen syrups in-house. The Lavender Haze is built on their house lavender syrup. The Silk Chiffon, with raspberry, vanilla, a little cream and a pink sugared rim, began as a bartender's pop-up drink and became the top seller. There's no full kitchen. Last fall the food was paninis, including a pizza panini, a classic prosciutto and a vegetarian caprese, and the owners said they planned to adjust the food lineup that January. The themed nights follow pop culture releases, and the gaps get filled with throwback nights. The current menu and calendar are posted on Mother Bar's Instagram.
Why the Gift Shop Became a Second Bar
The evening crowd caused a capacity problem. Inside of Knoxville reported that Mother Bar was reaching capacity most nights. The owners' answer was to close Mother Shop at the end of 2025 and turn the upstairs space at 17 Emory Place into Daughter Bar, so guests would have a choice of rooms and the team would turn fewer people away. The announcement said the shop's brands would move to Oglewood Avenue, which was expanding its gift section.
In their announcement, the owners called Daughter Bar "a little dark, a little moody, and the rebel child of Mother." The plan included rich red fabric, a more intimate layout and more seating, all without construction. They described it as quieter than the room downstairs, with slower music, more jazz, vinyl record nights and a menu built around creative martinis. They expected its hours to center on Thursday through Saturday.
On June 2, 2026, the Knoxville News Sentinel restaurant roundup reported a downtown jazz cocktail lounge opening and said Emory Place is growing. Lilienthal Gallery's visitor page now lists Daughter Bar next to Mother Bar among the block's businesses. Hours can change, so check the bar's own social accounts before you climb the stairs on a weeknight.
The Daytime Block Hands Off
Lilienthal Gallery at 23 Emory Place lists its neighbors as NOI Knoxville, French Fried Vintage, Design AF, Crafty Bastard, Mother Bar, Daughter Bar and Downtown Knoxville Veterinary. NOI Knoxville is at 3 Emory Place, French Fried Vintage at 7, and Design AF at 9–11. Downtown Knoxville Veterinary opened at 27 Emory Place on the last Monday in June 2025, Inside of Knoxville reported.
On a normal weekday, the handoff on Emory Place happens in the late afternoon, using each business's posted hours:
- Noon: Lilienthal Gallery opens Wednesday through Sunday.
- 4 p.m.: Crafty Bastard at 6 Emory Place opens its taproom Tuesday through Thursday. On Mondays it opens at 5.
- 5 p.m.: Lilienthal closes on regular days.
- 5 to 7 p.m.: Mother Bar's owners say this is when traffic now peaks.
- 10 p.m.: Crafty Bastard closes Monday through Thursday. On Fridays it stays open until 11.
The gallery holds one exception. On the First Friday of each month, Lilienthal stays open from noon to 8 p.m., three hours past its usual close. That one night a month, the art side of the block keeps going well into the bar side's evening.
The gallery is also a back entrance to Knox Walls Mural Alley. The alley was created with Dogwood Arts and holds more than 7,000 square feet of large-scale, permanent murals by artists from across the country. You can enter at 609 N. Central Street or walk through the gallery itself.
What Crafty Bastard Has on the Calendar This Week
Crafty Bastard's October listings lean toward the same slower, music-first evenings Daughter Bar was designed for. The Inside of Knoxville 10-Day Planner lists these at 6 Emory Place:
| Date | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, Oct. 14 | Crafty's Lap Crafts Association | 8 p.m. |
| Thursday, Oct. 15 | Vinyl Night | 5 p.m. |
| Sunday, Oct. 18 | Crafty Jazz Night with Chris Canada | 7 p.m. |
Crafty Jazz Night has turned up on Sunday evenings in more than one listing. The planner also listed one for Oct. 11, and a WBIR events roundup listed one for Sunday, Aug. 2. None of the sources confirm a fixed weekly schedule, so check the planner before you plan a Sunday around it. Crafty Bastard closes at 9 p.m. on Sundays, which leaves about two hours of music after a 7 o'clock start.
Putting Together a First Friday on One Block
The next First Friday is Nov. 6. Because the gallery stays open late that night, it's the easiest evening to fit the whole block in without moving the car. Here's one way to do it, using the posted hours:
- Before 8 p.m.: Start at Lilienthal Gallery, 23 Emory Place, while its First Friday hours are on.
- Through the gallery: Walk out into Knox Walls Mural Alley and take in the murals while there's still some light.
- Back on Emory Place: Mother Bar at 15 Emory Place is a short walk. Ask for the Silk Chiffon, or a mocktail. The owners told Inside of Knoxville you can "have a cocktail, a mocktail, a glass of wine, or nothing at all."
- Upstairs: If the ground floor is full, Daughter Bar at 17 Emory Place was built for exactly that night, and Friday falls inside the Thursday-through-Saturday focus the owners described.
- Across the street: Crafty Bastard at 6 Emory Place stays open until 11 p.m. on Fridays, the latest closing time any business on the block lists on its own official page.
Every stop above is on one short street, and four of the five are within a few addresses of each other.
Emory Place's evening hours are one of the details we pay attention to when we talk with clients about the historic districts on the north side of downtown, along with the porches, the brick and the walk to the Old City. If you live nearby and are curious what the past year's changes mean for your home, Foster‑Boline Group can put together a free home valuation or set up a neighborhood consultation. We're happy to meet you on Emory Place.
