Chattanooga Times Free Press - ChattanoogaNow
Station Street next to Choo Choo opens Saturday with food, music
After weeks of digging, moving electrical wiring and plumbing, hauling in tons of rock and brick pavers, Station Street gets its unofficial reopening on Saturday, Aug. 13. There is still some work to be done, and the off i cial grand reopening will be sometime in October.
Formerly 14th Street, the roadway is located between the Terminal Brewhouse and what used to be the loading dock area of the Chattanooga Choo Choo. That space also has undergone major renovation work in the last year and now features patio and entry spaces for Revelry Room, Stir, The Comedy Catch and Back Stage Bar.
It is also close to several eateries and venues on and near Main Street such as the Flying Squirrel, Clyde’s On Main, Slick’s and Cine-Rama.
Saturday’s festivities will include food specials and live music from musicians beginning at 4 p.m.
“This is a way to let people know the street is open and to start bringing them back,” says Comedy Catch co-owner Michael Alfano.
Back Stage Bar is accessible off the street, and Alfano says foot traffic in the area will be “vital to our success.”
On Saturday, buskers from SoundCorps’ Street Stages program will be rotating in front of each place.
“I’m going to have Danimal playing on my back porch, so to speak,” Alfano says, “and drink specials.”
The s t reet will be blocked off to car and truck traffic for the event. Choo Choo President Adam Kinsey has said that he, along with other business owners in the area who have been working with the city on the street project, hope the closings could become a regular occurrence on weekends and for special events like street parties and concerts on Station Street.
Likening it Printer’s Alley in Nashville, Alfano says he believes the street will become a place “where people come in the early evening for a drink and maybe an appetizer, then go somewhere for dinner and maybe a show and then come back for a nightcap.”