The scoop shop beside the St. Elmo station still has a line on warm evenings. The flavors and the name over the door are new. Clumpies had served cones from that space at the foot of the Incline Railway, and since July 9 it has been Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. The change started with a vote by a public transit agency's board in January. The board picked a new operator for the station, and the operator picked the new tenant.
The station sits at the center of St. Elmo's small commercial district, and it doesn't follow the same rules as the shops around it. Once that's clear, this year's changes start to add up.
A Transit Board Picked the Operator
The Incline belongs to CARTA, the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority. For years Rock City managed the ticket counter, gift shops and food service. When Rock City chose not to renew, CARTA's board voted on Thursday, January 29, 2026, to give a three-year contract starting March 1 to the Reinert Group. That's the local company behind the Southern Belle riverboat, the Chattanooga Ducks and the Mayor's Mansion. Chattanoogan.com reported that the contract covers ticket sales, retail and food at the stations, the rental space Clumpies had occupied, and photo sales. Reinert also planned to keep the Rock City employees already working there.
| Item reported at the January 2026 CARTA vote | Figure |
|---|---|
| Estimated annual ticket revenue, all kept by CARTA under the Reinert deal | $3,304,947 |
| Ticket revenue the previous year | Just over $3 million |
| Competing bid from SSA Group, ticket plus non-ticket, paid to CARTA | About $2.9 million |
| Current yearly non-ticket sales at the Incline: food, retail, photos | $1,911,185 |
CARTA's Brent Matthews said Reinert was selected because it is local and offered the best deal for the agency.
Look at the bottom row. Food, gifts and photos at the Incline already bring in close to $2 million a year. Ticket revenue goes to the transit agency, which leaves the concessions as the part of the station that can grow. That's why the new operator talks about the station as a place to spend an afternoon, not just a place to board.
Clumpies Closed Because the Contract Changed
Chattanoogan.com reported on February 1 that Clumpies would close its Incline store at the end of February, "in conjunction with Rock City not renewing its contract with CARTA." The closing was tied to the concession changing hands. Clumpies still runs its original shop on Frazier Avenue on the Northshore and a Southside location on South Market Street at the Grand Hotel.
The new operator filled the space with its own pick. Visit Chattanooga says Jeni Britton Bauer founded the brand and that the St. Elmo shop is run by the Reinert Group as Jeni's first franchise location. The Chattanooga Times Free Press identified Jeni's as based in Columbus, Ohio. The shop at 3917 St. Elmo Ave. is the brand's first in Chattanooga, and its July 9 grand opening ran from 6 to 10 p.m. with free scoops.
Reinert has said it is building for both visitors and neighbors. "We're trying to make this a more elevated experience to where, you know, not only is it a great opportunity for tourists to come and visit, but for the locals to kind of come hang out," Dillon May, the company's director of operations, told News Channel 9 in March.
The plan reached the top of the mountain too. Chattanoogan.com reported that John Reinert told Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, commissioners the upper station's entry level would be split between souvenirs and a pizza, snack and ice cream counter, with a bar and pizza restaurant upstairs. The Incline's own site now lists SoHi Pizza and Mountain Top Bar at the upper station, serving pizza and craft cocktails, and Jeni's at the St. Elmo station.
Before this year, a ride up the mountain ended at a gift shop and a snack bar. Now a ride from St. Elmo can end with a cocktail.
What the Station Costs a Neighbor Now
The official fare page doesn't list a resident discount. For someone who lives a few blocks away, the annual pass is the closest thing to one.
- Round trip: $24.99 for adults and seniors, $12.99 for children 3 to 12. Children 2 and under ride free with a paying passenger.
- Annual pass: $75 for adults, $40 for children. An adult pass costs about as much as three round trips, so a fourth ride in a year makes it worth buying. The child pass works out about the same.
- Winter senior fare: $11 from December through February for qualifying riders over 65 with the required ID.
- Groups of 20 or more: $20 per adult and $10 per child.
The Incline FAQ lists St. Elmo station parking at $3 for up to three hours and $5 for longer. The same page gives hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends, with the last car leaving 40 minutes before closing. It also says the railway is closed Mondays and that hours can change without notice. Check before you plan a Monday ride or a late afternoon one.
The Rest of the Block Changes for Different Reasons
The station's tenants come and go when CARTA rebids its contract. The storefronts across the street change for ordinary reasons: buildings, leases and owners' plans. The year's other big closing shows that.
1885 Grill closed its St. Elmo restaurant suddenly on March 4, 2026. Chattanoogan.com reported that owners Miguel and Leslie Morales pointed to building maintenance needs, including a required in-ground grease trap, and parking costs. The couple bought a building in downtown Chickamauga for their next restaurant. No new tenant has been announced for the St. Elmo space.
Two closings within a week of each other drew one response in The Pulse's March roundup: St. Elmo still had plenty to eat. Most of the independent block is still in place this fall, and each business below has a current official site:
- The Tap House, 3800 St. Elmo Ave.: food, beer, wine and cocktails. The Pulse counted more than 30 taps.
- Mr. T's Pizza & Ice Cream, 3924 Tennessee Ave.: open since 1989. The Pulse noted a recent fresh coat of paint and a new oversized ice cream cone statue out front.
- The Hummus Bowl, 3931 St. Elmo Ave.: The Pulse described gyros, bowls, wraps and falafel.
- Scenic City Wine, 3933 St. Elmo Ave.: a wine shop two doors from The Hummus Bowl.
- Little Coyote, 3950 Tennessee Ave.: chef and owner Erik Niel's smoked meats and house-made tortillas, which earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
- Purple Daisy Picnic Cafe, 4001 St. Elmo Ave.: barbecue, sandwiches and Southern sides next to the station. Sources disagree on its Sunday hours, so check before you go.
Sower, the boutique at 3929 St. Elmo Ave., is the clearest example of an independent shop putting down roots. Alexis and Cam Muilenburg opened it in August 2024. On August 29 it threw a free second-anniversary block party with a Flower Boy Coffee cart and its first branded T-shirts and tote bags. The Pulse reported that Alexis Muilenburg is looking at ways to host public and private events and asked the community for ideas.
The station and Sower are going after the same thing from different directions. Each wants to be somewhere a neighbor stops by on a weeknight. Reinert is doing it under a three-year contract, and Sower is doing it one block party at a time.
Evenings Farther Down the Avenue Through Early November
About 15 blocks south of the station, The Woodshop Listening Room at 5500 St. Elmo Ave. has a full early-November calendar. Its schedule is live and can change.
- Friday, October 30: Magic Birds. Doors at 5 p.m., show at 6 p.m.
- Saturday, November 7: a free concert from ArtsBuild and Freedom Sings USA featuring DANIMAL and other performers. RSVP is requested.
- Sunday, November 8: the original play Anywhere, Suddenly, with a 2 p.m. matinee and a 7 p.m. evening show.
On a Saturday this fall, you could have dinner on Tennessee Avenue, get a cone at the station, and catch a show at the far end of St. Elmo Avenue without leaving the neighborhood. The Reinert Group's contract runs through early 2029, so the station's lineup should stay put for a while. The empty 1885 Grill space is the open question on the block.
If you own a home near the Incline and want to know how this year's changes at the station and along St. Elmo Avenue might affect your plans, Lawrence Team Homes follows this corner of the neighborhood closely. Talk to the Lawrence Team.
