Trillium Cove modeled after Appalachian village

By Iva Butler
of The Daily Times Staff

Trillium Cove, a development modeled after a vintage Appalachian village on East Lamar Alexander Parkway in Townsend, contains a wide variety of boutiques and other shops, selling everything from jewelry to custom stained glass.

The shops are:

Ravenwood Jewelry

Pat Large, a former seasonal ranger in the Smokies, and husband, Jim, opened their jewelry shop in August 2005, the first business to locate in Trillium Cove.

She uses semi-prescious stones in a rainbow of colors in her own unique jewelry designs.

Her display cases have items made of turquoise, unakite, quartz, jade, smoky quartz, abalone, malachite, pearls, snowflake obsidian, tigers eye, onyx and other stones.

The jewelry styles range from a whimsical with a frog on a silver lily pad to a turquoise and sterling silver squash blossom necklace to an elegant mother of pearl and silver necklace.

Often her creations are matching necklace, bracelet and earrings.

A love of nature is evident in her creations.

She uses hand-crafted artwork, including such things as faces and carved horses, by a Connecticut company, Sajan.

"They are the only other artist I work with," Large said. "They only do so many designs and then destroy the mold. They are an exclusive company."

Ravenwood Jewelry, as well as the other businesses in Trillium Cove, offer items in a wide range of prices.

Serenity Salon and Gift Boutique

Pat and Noah Holland opened their business July 5, 2007.

They moved here from Tampa, Fla., where Pat Holland was a hair stylist for 35 years.

She operates a beauty salon in a portion of the business - doing hair, manicures, pedicures, and is available to do bridal parties. The business has tiaras and hair jewelry for sale or rent.

She has clients from not only Townsend, but Maryville, Knoxville and LaFollette, as well as two women from Alabama and Ohio who wait until they come to Townsend to get their hair done once a month.

In the boutique section the Hollands sell Elite and Reverse-A-Purses, which come with a reversible, removable cover. Flip the cover or leave it off depending on your mood. All purses feature zipper closures, pockets and the signature Reverse-A-Purse riveted button. Additional covers in different designs are also for sale.

The shop also sells a wide variety of baby items from stuffed bears to photo frames and clothing.

There is also a section for pets, which offers clothing, collars, balls, even Swarovski crystal collars.

Tableware, jewelry, candles, French parasols with mix and match handles and reading glasses are other unique items are scattered throughout the shop.

They sell Durance soap, what Noah called "the No. 1 soap in all of Europe. It is almond oil based, which is supposed to be the best in the world for the skin."

Cabin Treasures

Becky and Carl Goodman each operate a business in the same structure in Trillium Cove. They have been here since the end of October 2007. She has a custom stained-glass shop and sells cabin accessories and home decor.

Becky Goodman ran a stained glass studio and custom shop for 14 years in the Rochester, N.Y., area.

In addition, they sell their own Cabin Treasures line of soaps and shampoos.

There are fish fly pins and earrings, cards, stuffed animals, rugs, pillows, multiple black bear items, suncatchers and a lot of smaller items that can serve as a keepsake or heirloom of a visit to Townsend, said Carl Goodman. "They are high quality items."

The ISAAC Network

Upstairs in the cabin, Carl Goodman operates The ISAAC Network, which he has done for 14 years.

This is a human resources and consulting firm for companies of all sizes, throughout the U.S. and Canada.

He advises companies on recruiting, employment, lawful practices, international training, performance management processing, Web-based employee surveys and employee retention.

Some of his clients include Exxon Mobile, Pfizer, Cox Communication, Prax Air and Thermal Fisher Scientific.

Blackberry Briar Unique Antiques, Gifts and Collectables

Kyle and Raina Kant have been operating The Blackberry Briar Unique Antiques, Gifts and Collectables for more than two years.

They sell antiques, Vera Bradley purses and paintings by local artists.

The store holds an eclectic group of items for sale, including colorful hand blown hummingbird feeders from the Czech Republic, baby items, wood sculptures, candles, jewelry, crystal and potpourri.

Stephanie Woodings of Maryville, who works in the store, pointed out that they sell picnic baskets in backpacks that are good for people who like to hike in the mountains. The baskets contain place settings for two or four people.

Just recently the Kants also opened Razberries on Court Street in Maryville.

Townsend Barber Shop

Michael McDade opened the Townsend Barber Shop in September 2006, relocating here from Palm Beach, Fla,

This is the only barber shop in Townsend and the closest one in a 15-mile radius. Most of his clients are from Townsend, Wears Valley and Walland.

Before opening in a cabin in Trillium Cove, McDade worked at the Everglades Club, the oldest continuously operating barber shop in Florida.

Parkside Realty Services, Dogwood Cabins

These two businesses of Chad Rochelle operate out of the same building in Trillium Cove.

They have been in that location for a little over a year.

Parkside Realty is a full-service real estate company with eight full-time agents.

Dogwood Cabins is a property management company with four employees, including Rochelle.