It's been said, A city is more than a place in space; it is a drama in time.

It was time to open some new doors. I was long overdue. After obsessing over Realtor.com listings for months, trying to redefine my new home, there it was. It couldn't be more appropriate - Over The Black Heart.

My new address, sits in a building dating back to 1927, once known as the Betty Gay. The Black Heart Salon—a hip hair salon with a distinctive facade and quaint outdoor garden—occupies the ground floor. It's right next to Wallace News, a historical Kingsport landmark currently undergoing renovation, and across the street from Macado's, a local bar and restaurant. This is where my 25-step climb leads to a 1,300-square-foot loft, perched perfectly above downtown Kingsport, providing a front-row seat to Broad Street, the heart of Kingsport, Tennessee.

This isn't my first rodeo on Broad Street. During high school, we would "cruise Broad" on weekends. My brother and I kickstarted our media careers around the corner on Commerce Street at WKPT. Not too long ago, we also had our Times Digital Group offices just a couple of doors down. Before that, I had the pleasure of working from an office on the corner of Main and Broad in the historic Bank of Kingsport building.

Downtown Kingsport has played a pivotal role in my personal and professional journey in East Tennessee for decades. This new loft marks an entirely new chapter, allowing me to fully immerse myself in the city's pulse.

John and Angela Vachon breathed new life into this building not too long ago, emphasizing its broad windows, soaring ceilings, and exposed brick walls. Their renovations brought renewed vitality to these historic structures, with their distinctive signatures evident throughout.

It was as if destiny had paved the way to Broad Street because I was immediately captivated by this opportunity. I viewed the loft on a Friday, signed the lease on Monday, and moved in by Friday. Settling in took a couple of weeks, but the new month of May begins afresh.

Downstairs next to the hair salon, the old Wallace News is waiting for a new tenant - which may happen soon, and I've heard (most appropriately) a gourmet popcorn shop. There's a tattoo studio on the corner, and the Clinchfield Railroad announces the presence of the long hauls from the mountains at any time of the day - like it has for generations.

To the right, there's a cupcake shop, a game room, espressos, and Christian Counseling. Church bells from Broad Street ring on the hour.

By most measurements, downtown Kingsport is close to 40 blocks blocks in size. It’s the perfect small downtown landscape with quite a history and is the heartbeat of our community of 55,000 people. According to Mayor Pat Shull, nearly 3,000 people live in downtown Kingsport.

My family always enjoyed "people-watching" at the grocery store, and we'd often sit and observe. Perhaps that's why this new loft intrigues me so much—there are endless stories unfolding right before my eyes.

From this vantage point, I can see parking spots shuffle throughout the day like a time-lapse video. Hundreds of brief conversations float up like echoes. It's rowdy sometimes, too. On most evenings, it's like the allure of many townships: outsiders ride into town to see what's going on.

People still cruise Broad Street every day. It's a different parade now than it used to be. Gone are the long lines of cars going in circles and people parked in their open cars playing tunes and watching the circling parade. Today's Broad Street cruising is characterized by DIY monster trucks, a procession of motorcycles rumbling down the street, and the occasional need to make some noise. Macado’s across the street is more of a bar than a restaurant, and this saloon attracts a regular crowd.

There's a balance of bar banter most nights and a range of karaoke attempts late every Saturday. Add a cadre of fire engines, police sirens, and occasional train couplings - you get the soundtrack. Yet, when the city lights dim, downtown becomes tranquil from midnight to late morning until the street cleaner makes its rounds at sunrise.

A few things stand out about this experience so far.

The first thing that strikes me is how vibrant our city is. After living on a farm for more than a year with nothing but the roar of jet engines and coon dogs and no visitors - downtown is a bazaar of activities, entertainment, people, selfies, and a community all its own.

The second distinction about Kingsport's downtown is the age metrics, which lean heavily toward young people and the working class. Kingsport lives up to the “City of Industry” identity to get to where it is. This still holds true as Eastman is still our largest employer.

With all of the antique shops, you'd think the retirement folks would spend more time downtown, but that's just not so. Most people I see walking the streets to most venues—6 out of 10—are under 40.

I start most of my mornings and the end of the evenings by the window. These large windows have accelerated my reading. It's better than any Starbucks, too, as the city comes to and shuts the door on the day like clockwork. There are friends with dogs and visitors who come to town to eat, listen to music, or walk around the shops on a weekend of activities across the city, and that sounds good to me.

It wouldn't be fair to talk about the vibrancy and youth of our downtown without speaking to the homeless in our community. These folks also have their routines—all within view of the Black Heart perch. Our town is no different than any other. The City of Kingsport, local ministries, and many of the area's churches are there to help.

Every city faces this challenge, which makes downtown life interesting to me. There's diversity in the streets of Kingsport, and that's a good thing. It keeps us grounded.

The warm weather is preparing to open the doors to the best parts of living downtown. Friday night concerts begin soon, and the schedule sounds like another good reason to gather with friends. There are regular festivals on the weekends, from car shows to parades and fireworks to lighted trees near the holidays. My new loft will welcome many friends and families to share some of the best our city offers.

So, goodbye to country life. It's time for a new chapter. My first month has been filled with live music, a brooding comedy circle, the growth of Commerce Street, and several other rumors of new businesses opening soon.

The flag is up over the Black Heart. It's not a Jolly Roger, but it got me thinking about Captain Jack Sparrow's saying, "There's more to treasure than gold and silver."

That has never been more certain. Let the drama continue.