Given the British Isles heritage that runs deep in East Tennessee and the traditions that have helped shape the culture here, it seems appropriate that Maryville will soon welcome a Scottish pub. Partners Alice Basler and Eric Chadwell agreed, and that was reason enough for the couple to invest their efforts and their finances in creating one. It’s called Wells Tavern, located at 114 East Broadway Avenue, with Two Doors Down on one side and Brackins Blues Club on the other. It occupies one of Downtown Maryville’s oldest structures, built in 1887 and later expanded in 1906.
The tavern will offer a cozy pub-like atmosphere, authentic Scottish food and drink, and Downtown Maryville’s first real rooftop bar.
Once Basler and Chadwell noticed the property was up for sale, they made an immediate decision to buy it and bring the idea to fruition.
“We originally talked about an English pub,” Basler noted.
Chadwell agreed. “Alice was just driving down the street, and she liked the building,” he recalled. “She said, ‘I like this building, and what do you think about buying it and putting a bar in it?’ I agreed, and we went and looked at it the next day. That’s pretty much it. We just did it, and now we’ll see what happens.”
Chadwell said they envisioned a concept that had yet to be tried.
“We knew this was needed for sure,” he said. “There was a real kind of void for a certain kind of place made for people of a certain age that don’t want it to be super loud. We felt that was the missing element.”
Basler agreed. “We’re targeting people ages 35 to 70 that don’t want to yell and scream at each other, and just want to be able to talk without loud music playing. It might appeal to anyone who just wants to come in and enjoy a nice place to go after dinner.”
Both have the experience needed to satisfy their ambitions. Basler is a designer who renovated some 26 homes for resale in the Fort Sanders area, while Chadwell has past experience as a bartender, businessman, and mortgage broker. The two reside in Maryville.
“It was a division of duties,” Chadwell said. “You do the decorating and the interior design. I’ll do the business management. That was sort of the business strategy.”
“I’ve done renovations over and over and over again,” Basler said. “This is just on a bigger scale. The construction part for me is nothing.”
Joe Stott, who formerly worked for The Casual Pint, and Trisha Hilliard, onetime general manager of Gatlinburg Brewing Company, have been hired as house managers. In addition, Andrew Morris will oversee the kitchen’s operation.
“It’s really going to be teamwork around here,” Chadwell said. “I’ll be here constantly. Alice will be here a lot too, especially in the beginning. I might be spending a lot of time here cleaning toilets. Who knows what I’ll do? I might be cooking as well. If so, I’ll actually wash my hands. No… just kidding. I won’t clean the toilets.”
In the meantime, there’s been plenty of preparation prior to opening. The site has undergone considerable construction and refurbishing since July 2024, all of it the work of Lamon & McDaniel Builders, a Maryville-based construction company.
Let’s Be Blount was given an exclusive preview of the pair’s plans and a tour of the new pub’s interior. The anticipation surrounding its arrival ought to prove well founded.
Although the building had been unoccupied for seven years, a stained-glass mosaic from its previous incarnation remains above the portico.
Indeed, the amenities are impressive down to the last detail. Bold custom-made ceiling panels evoke the warmth and intimacy of an actual Scottish pub. The tabletops of the 20 booths that line the downstairs wall across from the bar are made from the wood of antique doors, many of them more than 200 years old. Over the bar, the word “Slainte” stands out in big, bold letters. It’s an Irish and Scottish Gaelic word that translates as “health.”
The care shows in every nook and corner, from a private room on the first floor with its formidable wooden door and a three-dimensional mural of a well-stocked bookshelf, to the gilded antique picture frames displayed throughout.
A flight of stairs (a possible hazard for those who can’t handle their libations) leads to the building’s upper levels. The second floor boasts a private gathering area that can be sequestered with a sliding door that once hung in an old English church.
The top floor serves as a balcony that provides scenic views of the Blount County Courthouse and its environs. Faux hedges shield a private outdoor lounge area, while a mural of figures in Scottish regalia faces the space below: an outdoor courtyard with a large brick fireplace and room for meeting, mingling, and eventually live music.
“We’re definitely going to have live music,” Chadwell explained. “However, we don’t really have that planned out yet. It’s not going to happen in the first six months, or maybe even a year, but eventually, we’ll maybe have live music once a month. We’re going to try to refine everything first, get the place up and running, dial in the staff and the food, and then we’ll try to move into that. If, after three or four weeks, it seems like things are going smoothly, then maybe we’ll start trying to do something.”
As for the sounds and styles the venue may eventually offer, Chadwell said it will be a mix.
“We’re definitely gonna have some traditional Scottish music, but we’re also gonna have a little of everything,” he said. “That area will function mainly as just a place where you can sit by the fire.”
The pair say Wells Tavern will accommodate approximately 200 people while still leaving room to socialize comfortably. The bar will pour eight imported beers, three IPAs, and 45 brands of Scotch, and the kitchen will turn out pub-style cuisine with table service. The owners expect to employ 15 or 16 people.
Hours will be 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays. The tavern will be closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
A soft opening is planned for early September, with a general opening to follow shortly thereafter.
“You want to be sure that everyone has the best experience possible,” Chadwell said. “You have to make sure that every single person who walks in the door is happy… You have to be sure that the food’s good and everything is working the way it should. We want it to be all about the vibe, and a very nice, relaxing place. We’ve talked about that a lot.”
