KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Change is constant along Knoxville’s busy Cumberland Avenue, and business owners say they’re working hard to keep up.

“Cumberland has and will skyrocket and with that we just are encouraged and challenged to be the very best we can be for this group,” Helen Morton, treasurer for the Cumberland Avenue Merchants Association and owner of University Liquors, said.

With more than 40,000 University of Tennessee students enrolled this fall, the stretch of road known as “The Strip” is seeing more competition than ever as new businesses move in.

“Great for the students, great for the community,” Kevin Bachman, owner of Brenz Pizza, said. “But you know, it makes it more challenging — I think — for restaurant owners to compete like that when you're not used to it.”

Joe Burger a

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