NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Amber Greer has been serving up homemade popcorn in East Nashville for more than 15 years. She opened Kernels Nashville Popcorn on Gallatin Avenue with her two sisters, Jennifer and Erica, in 2008, not far from where they were raised.
"I did grow up in East Nashville, Inglewood area, I went to all the public schools. I went to Inglewood, Dalewood, Litton, Stratford," Greer said. "I'm a definitely an East Nashvillian."
As East Nashville grows and attracts new residents, so does its businesses.
Increased tourism has been a positive for Kernels, as many Nashville hotels, Airbnbs and shops stock their popcorn. But Greer said she's seen longtime businesses close, including the shoe store that used to be next door.
"I know others are not as fortunate, but we definitely have been blessed," Greer said.
"The first house I bought was right up Woodland; it's a little Victorian shotgun house that I bought in '94 for $88,000," Beth Thorneycroft said.
Thorneycroft moved east from downtown 30 years ago when it wasn't the hot spot it is now.
"There weren't a lot of restaurants. There wasn't much here, except tobacco shops and dive bars," Thorneycroft said.
But she loved the community and the diversity. She's seen that change, though, as some neighbors have been priced out.
"There aren't as many Black and brown people in the neighborhood," Thorneycroft said. "The change in diversity and the sadness that I feel for people who have been forced out is pretty strong."
Gentrification has been happening for decades in East Nashville, but long-time residents will tell you it was sped up by two natural disasters, the tornadoes of 1998 and 2020. Many people whose older homes got destroyed didn't rebuild and left the neighborhood. Developers replaced them with pricey new-construction homes, attracting higher-income buyers.
"I love that all income levels are here, all colors, all walks of life, all orientations, that's what I love about East Nashville," Anna Boneh said.
Boneh is on her third stint living in East, as a single mom with four daughters. She loves it much more now than as a teen.
"It was the rough side of town," Boneh said. "I got into lots of trouble; there was lots of trouble to be gotten into. In the high school, there was gang activity. I got shot at at Shelby Park; the golf course that's all beautiful now, was not."
Boneh sees the changes as more positive than negative and said gentrification is happening all over the city, but East Nashville has found a way to maintain its character and creative spirit.
"Other parts of town we've lived in, they're beautiful and they have their own charm and all of that, but it just felt a little too squeaky clean," Boneh said. "I wanted a little more mix and grit, even with all the good and bad that comes with it."