Locally owned businesses are at the heart of everything our communities do, creating jobs and helping our economies to grow and thrive. Small Business Saturday® is dedicated to supporting these important organizations.
To celebrate this special day, we visited 14 local businesses in the Middle and East Tennessee communities. We look forward to sharing their stories with you, knowing that your support makes a big impact on small businesses.
The Purr-fect Team: The Animal Clinic of Athens
828 Rocky Mt Rd, Athens, TN 37303
This year, pets’ companionship has been especially important, and the team at the Animal Clinic of Athens works hard to keep the community’s four-legged friends happy and healthy. It’s clear how much this incredible team cares for their animal patients, as some of them even bring their own pets to work.
From newborn kittens to Great Danes, the animal clinic’s expert team serves dogs and cats of every size. Dr. Scott Curtis, a co-owner of the clinic, shared a few details about how it got started.
After working in Athens during his veterinary school summers, clinic founder Dr. Mark Workman fell in love with the city and decided to open his very own animal clinic. As a 1983 University of Tennessee graduate, Dr. Workman has deep roots in East Tennessee, and the clinic has experienced exceptional growth under his leadership.
The original clinic “had one exam room and one surgery room,” said Curtis, “and it’s grown exponentially.” After outgrowing the original practice, Dr. Workman and his team purchased a larger building, which had formerly been a dance studio. The building has maintained much of its character, and you can still see several famous musical icons painted on the clinic walls.
Today, The Animal Clinic of Athens has become one of the largest in the area. It’s also one of the area’s oldest clinics, and it has a well-earned reputation for high-quality care and service.
That’s Amore: Joe’s Italian Cuisine
131 Kelsey Ln, Lenoir City, TN 37772
Joe Clement moved from Italy to the United States in 1996 to pursue his accounting degree, but it wasn’t long before he replaced crunching numbers with chopping and dicing classic Italian ingredients. Clement then enrolled in culinary school in Boston, where his talent and dedication to his craft became evident. Following culinary school, he rose through the ranks to become the regional chef for the Macaroni Grill chain of restaurants, with the long-term dream of owning his own restaurant.
Clement’s career in the restaurant industry was quickly gaining speed, and he made plans to open his own eatery in Athens, Tennessee. He’d learned much about food service during his time at Macaroni Grill and decided that he was ready to put his own spin on classic Italian cooking.
His work, however, came to a halt after he learned his sister had been diagnosed with Leukemia. He discovered he was a bone marrow match and set everything aside to support her during that time, telling his wife, “If this {restaurant} is for us, then it will be for us still.”
After returning from caring for his sister nearly two months later, Clement did realize his dream of opening a restaurant and is the current owner and operator of Joe’s Italian Cuisine, a fixture in the Lenoir City community. Now, he also plans to expand into Maryville to share his delicious cuisine with more community members. He explained that he sees cooking as a meaningful way to connect with his guests and that he enjoys creating an exceptional experience for every customer.
Room to Grow: Lanham Furniture & Appliances
215 E Broadway St, Lenoir City, TN 37771
Lanham Furniture & Appliances has been a Lenoir City staple since 1960. Current owner and operator Josh Lanham said he, his brother and mother still have a hand in everything that happens day to day. “I do the ordering, delivering and a little bit of everything,” Lanham said, explaining that he and his brother both started working in the store as teenagers.
Lanham shared that his grandfather started the store as a used television repair shop, then began selling appliances. Since then, both the city and the store have continued to grow while maintaining deep roots in the community. They now offer a variety of products that will appeal to almost any shopper, including home furnishings, kitchen and laundry appliances, a wide mattress selection and more.
Serving Smiles: Don Delfi’s Pancake House and Restaurant
120 West End Ave #2822, Knoxville, TN 37934
In its nearly four years of operation, Don Delfi’s Pancake House and Restaurant has become a regular breakfast and lunch stop in the Farragut community. “Seeing the customers enjoying what you cooked is a feeling that’s hard to describe,” said Ignacio Martinez, the restaurant’s owner and operator.
Martinez began working in the restaurant industry at 19 years old, and he has continued to expand his cooking career ever since. Martinez said he loves to make everything on the menu because his true passion is for bringing people joy through food. The next time you visit Farragut, be sure to stop by for breakfast or lunch at this great location.
If you’ve enjoyed Small Business Saturday so far, then be sure to visit our Small Business Saturday page for details on even more fantastic local organizations!
