Business recap: What opened this year, looking ahead to 2026

KINGSPORT — This past year brought an influx of new restaurants and businesses to the Kingsport area. Most notably, Kingsport's own Rural King opened in April at the Fort Henry Mall's old JCPenney location. The city's first cat cafe, Boops & Beans Cat Cafe, celebrated its opening weekend in March. Other new business openings this year included: Sneaks & Geeks (217 Broad St., Suite 108) Haven Booksellers (1880 N. Eastman Rd, Suite 250) Un1fy Fitness (121 Hill St.) On Center Yoga (125 W. Center St.) Steer Clear Driver's Ed (304 Cherokee St.) Three Creeks Luxury Spa (2505 S. Wilcox Dr., Suite 1) Gypsy Bean Leaves & Things (115 E. Market St.) BANQ (255 Broad St., Suite 200) Elevate Barber College (405 E. Market St.) On the restaurant side, downtown Kingsport added several new eateries. Southern Craft BBQ (252 E. Main St.) moved into the former Main Street Pizza spot and Ole Crow Tavern (215 Commerce St., Suite 200) opened up beside King City Distillery. Galaxy Pizza (121 Shelby St.) made the move into a new location downtown and Momma D's officially opened its doors to the public this year. East Stone Commons added Eggs Up Grill (2003 N. Eastman Rd., Suite 210) and Thai House (2003 N. Eastman Rd., Suite 10) to its dining options. Some other restaurant/food additions in Kingsport this year were Marco's Pizza (1001 E. Stone Drive, Suite K), Creamery at Grace Meadows Farm (200 Clinchfield St., Suite 200), The Blended Pedaler (1825 N. Eastman Rd.) and Kingsport Junction (134 Cherokee St.) -- a food truck park downtown. What's coming in 2026? Several Kingsport businesses are already slated to open in the new year. Construction of the IMAX theater at the mall continues, with a mid-summer opening anticipated. Dutch Bros is set to open a Kingsport location (1501 E. Stone Drive) in the second quarter of 2026. A Dutch Bros spokesperson said the new location will employ around 40 people. The BlueCross Healthy Place at RiverWalk Park has been under construction for nearly a year. In the original February 2024 announcement, the park was expected to include an inclusive play area, community pavilion, sports courts, water features, fitness area, recreational water access, art installations and restrooms. BlueCross last reported the park should be open by Spring 2026. Domtar's anaerobic digester project, which is being built to help with odor mitigation, is set to be completed by the end of 2026.