County’s only bait-and-tackle store, along Concord Road, closes
The little shop, nestled in a space just north of the Northshore Drive roundabout, had been at the 1122 Concord Road location for 13 years, selling live bait and fishing tackle to area fishermen.
“Our landlord sold the building, and (the new owners) did not want to keep us,” Romines explained. “When my customers asked, ‘why didn’t you relocate?’ Well, it’s because of the property market that we’re in.
“Farragut is very high priced, and I’m on the border of the Farragut line,” she added. “I (got) Farragut privileges, but I’m technically in Knox County.
“So, if I were to move up 300 yards (north toward Farragut) I would pay an extremely big amount of money. Then, if I go Northshore into Knox County, that’s residential.”
The market “is what we all face whether you’re commercial or residential,” she said. “2023 (was) a bad time.”
Romines had already been crying that morning as she packed up and tried to sell off items.
“It’s a hard day today,” Romines said.
“It’s sad,” she added about the closure. “Honestly, I feel bad for the community being here on the lake. There is no other fishing store in Farragut, let alone Knox County.”
Former customers will have to travel to neighboring counties, namely Loudon, Anderson (along Edgemore Road) and Blount, to get their bait-and-tackle items.
A C& C Outdoors customer, who declined to be named, said the Concord Road store is the only bait-and-tackle store in the area. “Everybody goes there,” he said.
Romines said her last post on Facebook will list of all bait-and-tackle shops within 45 minutes of Concord Road.
She was a partner with Mike Vineyard, owner/founder who ran a C & C Outdoors, 2940 Topside Road in Louisville (Blount County), before he sold it to Stinnett Outdoors, which still operates it as a bait-and-tackle shop.
“We started out with two locations,” Romines said. “I came in as a partner in this (Concord Road) location in February 2011,” when that location opened.
The Louisville location was Vineyard’s location.
