retro

Capitol Coffee

Location: Maryville, Tn

This is the absolute coolest coffee shop I have ever entered! They have taken the old Capitol Theater and renovated it to make a venue and a coffee shop. The owners and designers did it right! Even if we are totally stuffed from our wonderful meal at Sullivan’s Downtown, we make it a point to stop by here. This place has so much character, you feel like you’ve stepped back in time as you walk through the door.

The coffee shop itself is really fun with the special coffees all having a name from a famous retro film, and they have even created a photo booth with costumes, hats and attire to make your pose picture perfect. The coffee is delicious, too. As with everything in the place, they have put forth their absolute best.

The theater itself has been made over into an absolutely gorgeous venue which can be rented for parties, weddings and other special occasions. Standing in the back of the room, you feel as if Cary Grant or Audrey Hepburn might just walk across the stage at any given moment.

Now, if you’re really lucky, one of the managers or owner will take you down to the “Man Cave.” The first time we went, they were just filling this up with all the interesting and intriguing artifacts of days gone by. The last time we went, the room looked a bit different from this, as they have added more and organized a bit beyond to accommodate the feel and clientele they wish to attract. It is really something to see.

If you’re looking for a memory-making venue, this is the place. You’ll not regret stopping by, even if it is only for a warm cup of joe and a walk down memory lane.

Find their location and venue information here.

Don’t you miss the days when you actually had to have singing to sell an album…when the music had to be live and in sync? Don’t you miss the day when you had to act, sing AND dance to obtain the role in a movie? Don’t you miss the days when you had to be a true patriot to become president…when the politicians had to love God, Family, and Country to succeed in office? Don’t you miss the days when the kids started their school days with The Pledge To Allegiance and ended the day with their bedtime prayers? Don’t you miss the days of fresh milk, fresh farm eggs, fruits and veggies…when it was easy to find less ingredients with better quality?

In all our striving to achieve and gain more, I think maybe we’ve lost something and gained less. Sure, I love the new technology, the new lights and the new transportation. I am blogging via internet right now, and we drive two new 2013 vehicles; so, I am definitely not anti-improvement nor anti-success! I just think, sometimes, in all our seeking the new, we tend to throw out some really good “old things” …like quality service and hardworking attitudes and homemade biscuits and farm grown produce and character, integrity and authenticity. Yeah, this list might not seem to “flow” right when looked at first glance, but stay with me a minute.

I didn’t grow up on a farm, and I wasn’t raised to make homemade biscuits, but when I’ve visited a well working farm, and I’ve eaten warm, homemade biscuits slathered with butter and a touch of honey, it sure reminds me of home. When I sit down to watch an old western or an old black and white Audrey Hepburn movie, it sure makes me think of goodness in the world. When I see an old veteran, tattered and worn from the memories of the war, it surely makes me appreciate him a little more, and it creates within me a grateful heart that my babies still live in a free country today. When I do hear the rare moment of an elementary-aged child reciting his Pledge of Allegiance with strength and dignity, my heart swells with pride, and I stand a little taller, knowing someone else still holds my heartland dear.

Yeah, maybe I am just old before my time, and maybe I just need to get to caught up with the “latest and greatest,” or maybe, just maybe, I’m onto some profound truth….think about it.