KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — The face of Market Square is constantly changing, and with new food and retail places coming in, it's really helping to boost Knoxville's economy in a big way.
Overall, there has been a lot of growth in the downtown area as whole in the last two to five years.
There's about 101 places to grab something to eat or drink and around 54 retail businesses currently, according to Michele Hummel, the Executive Director of Downtown Knoxville.
As of Monday, brunch spot Ruby Sunshine had opened up where Blue Coast used to be on Market Square, the restaurant Space Head is opening up in mid June, and there's no word yet on when Petro's is opening where I Love Juice Bar used to be.
With all the booming business downtown and in Market Square, the last two years downtown Knoxville has seen double digit growth in its retail sales tax numbers.
"When you look at downtown as a whole and compare the city as a whole for which downtown is in, downtown has been increasing the numbers and has done better than the city, which is great because it's helping the city as a whole itself," Hummel explained.
Of course, events like concerts, plays and the farmers market help bring people to the area as well, boosting Knoxville's economy even more, a trend Downtown Knoxville wants to continue going forward.