SAUL YOUNG/NEWS SENTINEL From left, Art Carmichael, Sam Lenoci, Kathryn Clark, and Terri Lenoci learn about cheese making during a Ms. Moffatt's Curds & Ways cheesemaking class at The Central Collective on Wednesday, Aug. 10. Carmichael is a frequent participant of the events and classes that are held at the Collective.

By Mary Constantine of the Knoxville News Sentinel

Dale Mackey needed a commercial kitchen in which to prepare pies for her business, Dale's Fried Pies. Her husband, Shawn Poynter, wanted space to expand his freelance photography work through Shawn Poynter Photography.

They found the answer at 923 N. Central Street, a building the couple purchased in 2013. It took two years of remodeling before the grand opening occurred in October 2015. They named the new location The Central Collective.

During the two years of redesign, Happy Holler, a section of town along North Central Street near their building, continued to repopulate, which drew other businesses to the area.

"We bought it when Magpies and Glowing Body were around but in the time between buying it and opening it, Holly's Corner opened up, and so did Hops and Hollers," Mackey said.

And they quickly put into place not only their original plans for the building, but also an expanded dream.

"Shawn and I have diverse interests more than just in the way we make our money. Yes, there was a practical reason that we needed the space, but there was a fun and creative reason, too. We wanted the space to be an umbrella for all these different things we find interesting and for it to be a place for other people to explore their interests, too. I like to call the space a little creative factory," she said.

Less than a year after opening, The Central Collective has hosted herb and cooking classes, culinary dinners, including food truck pop-up events, art exhibits, yoga classes, cinema night, poetry and prose classes, and a monthly "Good Sport" event.

"We love fun and curiosity, and Good Sport night is my favorite of the things that we do," Mackey said.

To participate in a Good Sport event, guests sign up little or nothing about the event except for a few hints provided on the announcement.

"We try to give people enough information so that they know the physical activity level, if it's centered around alcohol and things like that. We do say in the description that if you show up and just can't or won't participate we will refund the ticket price but we encourage people to give it try. The people who are buying these tickets are usually people who are up for anything," she said.

So far the Good Sport event has included an egg-drop activity from the rooftop of the building; a walking tour of the neighborhood led by historian Jack Neely; a game show with audience participation; a bus trip and tour of Williamswood Castle; and a night of swing dancing.

"We are getting ready to launch a new series called "As I Understand It" that's going to have amateurs talking about things they are passionate about that are not their job. It's like a TED talk for amateurs and will be a fun chance for people to talk about things they are interested in," she said.

In addition to hosting special events, much of the space at The Central Collective is available to rent except for the upper floor, which is occupied by The Center for Rural Strategies, a nonprofit organization for which Poynter serves as visual editor for the online publication, The Daily Yonder.

"We've had memorial services, anniversary parties, kids' birthday parties and we have a wedding coming up. There are definitely some nice places like the Standard and the Jackson Terminal to hold special events but if you don't have an enormous group we are a very nice in-between space," she said.

Mackey also rents out time for others to use her commercial kitchen.

"Right now we only have two people using our kitchen but our goal has never been to be someone's permanent kitchen. We want to give them a leg up to get started so they have an idea of what they might want in their own space," she said.

While overseeing the operation of The Central Collective, Mackey continues her Dales Fried Pies business, but she's no longer a one-woman show.

"I was so overwhelmed because I was essentially doing two jobs with Dales Fried Pies and The Central Collective. I'm glad that happened though because I'd been a little reluctant to have employees. It became a necessity, and now I have great people helping me, and it's fun having co-workers," she said.

In addition to participating at each Saturday Farmers' Market and the monthly Food Truck Park at the Southern Railway Station, Dales Fried Pies is available for private weddings, parties and corporate events.

She also offers mail-order pies through www.goldbely.

"This company contacted me and ,because they deal with the shipping part, it made it feasible for me to do it, but it's still very expensive to buy online," she said.

As for what is next for The Central Collective, Mackey said "who knows?"

"Our motto is "Better Together." We think of this place as a collective space, a space where people can gather, explore their ideas, share their ideas or get new ideas. We are already far beyond where we thought we would be less than a year from opening, and that's great."

THE CENTRAL COLLECTIVE

Address: 923 N. Central Street

Phone: 865-236-1590

UPCOMING CLASSES

Aug. 17: Wonderful Wednesday Restorative Yoga, 5:30-6:30 p.m., $12

Aug. 21: Rooftop Yoga, 6:30-7:30 p.m., $10

Aug. 22: Sunrise Yoga on the Roof with Juice, 7-8 a.m., $20

Aug. 24: NoKno Cinematheque: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, 7:30-10 p.m., free

Aug. 26: Good Sport Night, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Aug. 26, $20 with cocktails; $14 without