Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

Tucked on the backside of Jackson Terminal, down the colorful stairs from the Knoxville Emporium, is a massive shared resources space with private workshops for artists, carpenters, and welders.

From the ouside, you cannot tell the vast amount of space – which is about 24,000 square feet. This includes both private studios and dedicated shared-areas like a wood shop, metal shop, finishing room, photo room, conference room, and more. 

Able Trade has managed to situate itself as a core part of the Knoxville Maker community, and that’s all thanks to the founders Spencer and Melody Ratliff.

They first opened at 203 Jackson Ave. in July 2020. It’s been an interesting five years.

The concept was born from Spencer’s experience as a furniture maker, who recognized the prohibitive costs of equipment and workspace for small businesses.

“I’m a furniture maker by trade. I’ve been doing it for 12 years now through my furniture company, Old North Designs,” he said. “Seven years into it, I decided that working alone was just not as much fun, and wanted a better system.”

So, he and his wife, Melody began brainstorming about creating a shared-space for other woodworkers, furniture makers, and creatives to create.

“It’s a really hard business to be in,” Melody said. “The equipment is extremely expensive. You need a large space, which can be really expensive. And so, it made a lot of sense to create a model where you’re sharing all the tools and sharing the space.”

Opening a business in the middle of a worldwide pandemic was a bold move. But, Able Trade stuck out as a viable business, due to the individal studio model.

It didn’t just gain popularity in Knoxville, but it grabbed the attention of makers across the country.

“Around the end of 2020 thorugh 2021, lots of people were fleeing the big cities due to the lockdowns,” Spencer said. “We had six to eight members that moved to Knoxville specifically because of Able Trade. So, for a period of time, more than half of our members were actually made up of transplants to Knoxville.”

Some of those members came from California, Georgia, Texas, and Illinois.

“People were dispersing, trying to find better places to live and work, and Able Trade actually became a kind of grounding point and a community for them to just immediately be plugged in,” Melody said.

The couple said Able Trade members started doing movie nights, brewery nights, supporting each other at showings, and it organically evolved into a community of its own.

Additionally, each First Friday, Able Trade opens its doors for the community to walk through and get a glimpse of what each artisan is working on. They have music playing, snacks, and showcase new products each month.

“We’ve got a keg of beer that a local brewery usually donates for us, snacks for everyone, and music playing. There’s a lot of high energy. It’s really family friendly,” Melody said.

Celebrating Five Years

Able Trade will be celebrating its five – year anniversary this month.

In February, the Ratliff’s attended the Knoxville Chamber Morning Momentum series to seek help on how to better-market the space. They had a couple long-time members out-grow their studios, and needed to fill back up about 17,000 square feet.

Just months later, they not only filled that space, but have a growing waiting list for the private suites.

The Ratliff’s said the business has been such a blessing for their family.

“We are married and have two kids,  so Able Trade very much is a family business. In fact, we started Able Trade this same year that our first son was born,” Spencer said. “Some people say to not to start a business with your friends or family, but we really enjoy working together.”

Spencer handles the technical aspects of the workshop, while Melody manages administration and community outreach. Together, they’ve created more than a workspace—they’ve built a thriving creative ecosystem that empowers local artisans and entrepreneurs.

Learn more about Able Trade.

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