Sweet boom!

Five new Clinton grub spots open(ing)

February 12, 2025 by G. Chambers Williams III

The new Happi Hostess Café & Bakery will open at 11 a.m. Thursday (Feb. 13) at 365 Market St. in the former location of Cork & Cover, owner Taylor Bingham said.

Initially, only the bakery side of the business will be open, offering freshly baked goods such as muffins, cupcakes, cookies, and more.

A week later, Feb. 20, the café side will open, providing “a small array of lunch options including homemade soup, sandwiches, salads, and small bites,” according to the business’ website, happihostess.com.

Bingham, who also offers catering services, said the downtown business location will operate from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

This is the third of five new downtown restaurant businesses planned for opening early this year in Clinton.

Last week, Little Bird Macarons opened in the former location of Evans Candy Company at 226 N. Main St., and the Vista De Rio Mexican restaurant opened on Oak Ridge Highway in the former location of the River View BBQ & Seafood restaurant, which most recently had been the Rice Kitchen Sushi and Hibachi restaurant.

Little Bird owner Molly Bookout said her store is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, offering her signature treats – which she calls “classic French macarons handmade with Southern charm and flavor,” along with other desserts and “grab-and-go lunches.”

“Our main thing is macarons, which are gluten-free French sandwich cookies, made of almond flour, egg whites and sugar,” Bookout said. “They are sandwiched together with fillings such as chocolate ganache (fudge), butter cream, banana pudding, cream cheese and more, and there is frosting on some.”

Vista De Rio is open every day from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., serving a full menu of Mexican food favorites.

Also coming soon is the new Hamock’s Restaurant at 425 Eagle Bend Road, the former Real Dry Cleaners location just across the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks from Market Street.

Jason and Danielle Hamock, son and daughter-in-law of Darlene Hamock, owner of the former Hamock’s Perkadeli restaurant in Clinton, are opening the new location.

Workers were on the scene Monday paving the concrete sidewalk in front, as remodeling of the building’s interior was wrapping up.

For the past four months, the Hamocks have been running a takeout-only version of their business from the rear of the new Onyx and Pearl boutique at 364 Market Street, accessed off Freddy Fagan Way.

Also coming this spring to downtown is the Chunky Monkey ice cream shop, which is relocating from Norris to the Spindle Tree building at 303 North Market St., under new ownership.

Troy Shafer, who also owns a computer technology business in Knoxville, is taking over the Chunky Monkey business, whose previous owner announced in October that the ice cream shop had lost its lease at the 139 Little Senator Circle location in Norris.

Shafer said in late December that he had signed a lease with Kathryn Birkbeck on the Spindle Tree building. He previously operated a satellite office of his computer business near the Chunky Monkey, in the Anderson Crossing shopping center.

He said the new Chunky Monkey location will concentrate on ice cream and some baked goods. There is another ice cream shop in the downtown area, Burr-Ville Sweet Treats, but it’s several blocks away, on Edgewood Avenue behind the Walgreens pharmacy.

No planned opening date has been announced yet.

The Market Street location has been used by Birkbeck as a photo studio and event venue for the past several years. She and her husband, James, bought the building in October 2018. It was the location of a short-lived Cajun restaurant just before the Birkbecks bought it.

The longtime owner of the Chunky Monkey, Angela “Angie” Litton, told The Courier News in October that she was closing the ice cream shop, and would not be renewing her lease. She later said she had sold the business to Shafer, but that it would have to move to another location.

As for the Happi Hostess, Bingham obtained a building permit on Jan. 29 from the city of Clinton for $24,999 in “re-occupancy” work on the site of the short-lived bookstore/café known as Cork & Cover on the south side of Market Street.

Cork & Cover was started in late 2022 by Clinton photographer Taylor Martin, but went out of business about a year later. The site previously was occupied by a clock shop, which moved next door. On the other side, in the same building, is the Joy in the Dawn boutique.

“We are so over the moon for this next journey and expansion of our business,” Bingham said earlier.

On the Happi Hostess website, Bingham said: “I started my business with the aim to share my love for cooking and creating beautiful party foods with other people. Ever since I was little, playing in the kitchen, watching cooking shows, going to culinary school, I knew I wanted to do something within this industry.

“After moving to [Tennessee] from [Georgia] in 2023, it was the perfect start to showcase this passion, so soon after came Happi Hostess. We offer a wide array of foods such as charcuterie grazing tables, brunch setups, and small bites that are perfect for events such as bridal showers, weddings, parties, business events and more.”

The café and bakery location for walk-in customers is an extension of Bingham’s catering business, helping to further showcase her passion for cooking and serving food, she said.