Month: December 2016

Categories
Opinion Viewpoint

Saving Aleppo

CREDIT: Chris Noble | Dreamstime.com

Mentions of Syria bring forth jarring images of people washing up ashore, constant bombings, and endless bloodshed. Thinking of Aleppo, my family’s home in Syria, brings tears and heartache. Last Thursday, during a bombing that killed 45 civilians, the regime dropped flyers on Aleppo that read, “This is the last hope… Save yourselves. If you don’t leave these areas quickly, you will be annihilated. You know that everyone has left you alone to face your doom.”

I was born and raised in Memphis. I went to Dogwood and Farmington elementary schools, and Houston Middle and High School. Many of my fondest memories are of my classmates and teachers in Memphis. Upon introductions or reading my name for attendance, classmates and teachers would often ask me where I was from, to which I proudly responded, “Syria!” I was outgoing in high school and was voted “most likely to be remembered.” I wonder if these teachers and classmates remember me now when they see Syria in the news.

My parents were born and raised in Aleppo. Throughout my childhood, I visited Aleppo many times with with my parents and four siblings. I had major culture shock when I first arrived. It was overwhelming at first, but soon I found myself loving Syria and looking forward to visiting. I can still smell the delicious aroma that filled my grandmother’s house when she would cook for us and our big extended family; it was such a festive event.

Chris Noble | Dreamstime.com

After dinner, we would sit at a long table on my grandmother’s balcony, our aunts and uncles sharing funny stories and memories and laughing together. I would stand against the rail of the balcony, listening to the constant beeping of cars and watching the endless stream of people walking the streets. I loved the bustle and excitement of Aleppo. A bomb hit my grandmother’s house about a year ago, leaving it a vacant, empty shell of memories.

My last summer in Aleppo was 2007, and I wish I’d hugged my cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents a lot tighter when I left. I wish I’d gone back to Syria again before the war began, and what I wish most is for the war to be over. Three of my grandparents passed away after the Syrian Revolution started, and I wasn’t able to spend time with them in their last years or hug them one last time before they were gone. It is very painful to know that they spent their last years witnessing their beloved home country become engulfed in bloodshed.

I am writing this not for your pity, but because I know the majority of American people want to see this bloodshed come to an end. When the photo of young Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi, washed up on the Greek shore, surfaced, hearts broke and everyone wondered what they could do. As a founder of the Syrian American Council Memphis chapter, I’ve brought speakers to raise awareness about the conflict, held clothing drives, and supported Syrian refugee families resettling here. However, as many political activists have told me, “Humanitarian aid is like putting a Band-Aid on a wound. You’re not healing the problem. You are just covering it.”

As chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Senator Bob Corker can put his support behind the Caesar Syrian Civilian Protection Act. This bill would place sanctions on individuals aiding the murderous Assad regime and support feasibility studies for civilian protection measures in Syria such as a no-fly zone or safe zones for civilian protection.

On November 15th, this bipartisan bill passed unanimously in the House, and now we just need it to pass through the Senate. As Tennesseans, we must call upon Senator Corker to either hotline the bill, bringing it directly to a vote on the Senate floor, or ensure it is put on the Foreign Relations markup schedule immediately.

If I could ask for one thing to happen in Aleppo, it would be a no-fly zone. My aunts and uncles tell us they feel like they are the living dead. My 8-year-old cousin told me that if she doesn’t hear the sounds of bombs, she feels worried because it has become a constant — something they are used to hearing. If they leave the house, they have to avoid snipers from the Assad regime and pray to God they don’t get killed that day. They deserve to know what safety means.

Should Senator Corker take a stand, it’s possible we could soon see an end to their suffering. I can only hope that soon my family will finally be able to visit our dear relatives in Syria and see joy on their faces — the joy of long-awaited freedom and peace.

Emanne Knefati is the founder of the Memphis chapter of the Syrian American Council.

Categories
Music Music Features

Rest in Peace Jerry Gibson of River Records

CREDIT: Jameson Sweiger

Last Thursday afternoon someone entered River Records and fatally shot longtime proprietor Jerry Gibson during what police suspect to be a robbery. Police were called to the store around 5 p.m. and found Gibson unresponsive and bleeding just inside the front doorway. They have no suspects as of this writing but are canvassing the area and reviewing nearby security/CCTV footage for any evidence.

Jerry’s brother, Lowell, is the founder of Gibson’s Donuts but also spent many years managing the store’s comic book inventory, while Jerry handled the mountains of vinyl on hand. Local musicians Jeffrey Evans and Greg Cartwright of the Oblivians and Reigning Sound both logged several years as employees of River Records.

Jameson Sweiger

Jerry Gibson

River Records’ veritable maze of bins (under and atop tables) and shelves and leaning towers of records attracted vinyl hounds from around the world. Many of us in town harbor great memories of blocking out an afternoon to engage in said activity while simultaneously enjoying some conversations with Gibson, who regularly spun (true) tales of A-list celebrities and famous musicians who’d shopped at the store. Jameson Sweiger, a local DJ and store regular, remembers his relationship with Gibson as a close one.

“When I first moved here, I was a daily customer, just coming in every day. When I left Memphis, he would send me letters around the holidays, and he even sent my mom a letter once with $20 in it,” Sweiger said.

“A lot of people might not have that charming view towards him, but once you got to know him, you’d see that he was a very happy and positive person. He always talked highly of his regulars when they weren’t there. It was the first place I stopped whenever I came in town.”

Categories
Theater Theater Feature

Tennessee Shakespeare and GCT offer holiday alternatives.

The term “chamber theater” is usually reserved for stage adaptations of literary work that rely on much of the author’s original text. And even with that stricter definition in mind, I think it’s fair to apply that term to the kind of work Tennessee Shakespeare does when the company goes indoors at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens to perform epic plays in a room where plays were never meant to be performed. In a review of All’s Well That Ends Well, I said the cast’s performance style was less like ensemble acting than group storytelling. The same holds true for the company’s charmingly intimate Much Ado About Nothing, which feels like a show created for living room performances. If anything, Dan McCleary, who also directed Much Ado, has gone out of his way to amplify the show’s narrative quality.

Using the simple convention of talking to the audience, McCleary invites ticket-holders into the play and treats them like guests at a series of staged parties and public events. In Much Ado, which revolves around victory parties and weddings, it only makes sense.

Carey Urban and Tony Molina Jr. spar convincingly as Beatrice and Benedick. Their humane performances stand out in a tight, tiny ensemble of quality clowns and top shelf actors.

The Dixon’s Winegardner Auditorium isn’t the most changeable or accommodating theater space, so scenic design and lighting have been smartly de-emphasized in ways that frame the company’s biggest asset — its actors.

Much Ado is as fine example of how Shakespeare can surprise us with his modernity. Although the romantic comedy is best known for its witty banter, Urban very nearly stops the show with Beatrice’s clear-eyed assessment of gender inequality — “I cannot be a man with wishing, therefore I will die a woman, with grieving.”

Much Ado About Nothing through December 18th

First, I’d like to do something I almost never do and start this review with a standing ovation. Hooray for Germantown Community Theatre. Hooray for being brave and doing things differently during the holidays when nobody ever does anything especially brave or very different. While other playhouses pull out beloved Christmas classics and reel in customers who attend theatrical performances somewhere between once a year and once a lifetime, it makes good sense for a clever company to cash in on regulars looking to escape all the Bah humbugs and God bless us every ones.

There’s a problem, though. From its violent beginning through a long, somber curtain call (set to the loping tune of Alfred Hitchcock’s TV theme), Germantown’s Rope never feels like a gift of any kind.

Rope‘s a funny fish to begin with. Modern audiences may be familiar with the show by way of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1938 film starring Jimmy Stewart as a morally ambiguous college professor coming to terms with a pair of decadent students who’ve misunderstood Nietzsche and done something awful. It’s based on Patrick Hamilton’s chatty, 1929 play, which tells the same story. Set in the period of original production, and loosely based on the Leopold and Loeb murder case, Rope was Hamilton’s portrait of a dangerous and narcissistic class, happy to make games out of sex and murder. It also functions a kind of platonic dialogue on nihilism. Think of it as a gay American Psycho set in post-WWI Britain with an au courant ideology standing in for watermarked business cards.

GCT’s production is well-intentioned but short on color. The lust for a life less ordinary that drives this hot chiller is largely desexualzed and less compelling than it might be.

James Dale Green holds his own in the pivotal role Rupert Cadell, an irascible, hard-drinking poet shaped by the original war to end all wars. But for a man full of drinks and dangerous ideas, he’s never allowed to be more than a scamp. Nor is anybody else, regardless of whom they may not have killed, or why.

As Hitchcock once noted, the best films are made from mediocre source material. Rope‘s no real exception.

Categories
Cover Feature News

Memphis: Sports Talkin’

As a media market, Memphis ranks 51st in the United States, according to Nielsen, behind several cities of comparable size. However, when it comes to sports-talk radio, that rating number shoots up into the 20s. Much of that is based on the current success of one FM station, 92.9 WMFS, and its roster of talent — which includes Gary Parrish, the top-rated sports host in town. But it also has something to do with the fact that, as a format, sports-talk is as deeply ingrained in the Memphis community as the teams we follow. And that story starts with George Lapides.

Like most of the prominent sports-talk radio hosts in Memphis, Lapides (who died earlier this year of the rare lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis) got his start in print journalism. As a former sports editor and columnist for the Memphis Press-Scimitar, which ceased publication in 1983, Lapides had imbedded himself in Memphis sports culture from the mid-’60s. But it wasn’t until 1971 that he launched his pioneering radio show, Sports Time, and truly found his calling. In some form or fashion, Sports Time with George Lapides ran continuously on Memphis airwaves for more than 45 years, making it the longest-running sports-talk show in history.

George Lapides

“George basically introduced the format to Memphis,” says Eli Savoie, the program director and midday host (with Greg Gaston) on Sports 56 AM, home to Lapides and Sports Time for the last two decades. “He was one of, if not the first, newspaper man to switch to radio; he showed it could be done. There isn’t a sports-talk host in Memphis who hasn’t crossed paths with George or been influenced by him.”

J.D. Reager

Geoff Calkins

“You couldn’t have a lot of ego, working with George,” says Geoff Calkins, the lead sports columnist for The Commercial Appeal, Lapides’ former co-host on 560 AM, and the current host of the 9 to 11 a.m. slot on 92.9. “He made it clear he ran the show, but we had a mutual respect for each other. We both had our roots in print journalism. I thought we played off each other well. As I have often said about George, I admire that he always thought of himself as a reporter, always cared about getting the story and getting the story right. That was as true at the end of his show as it was when he first began.” 

Those sentiments are echoed by another of Lapides’ longtime radio partners, and a Memphis radio legend in his own right, Dave Woloshin, who currently hosts the show in Lapides’ old time slot (7 to 10 a.m.) on 560 AM and has been the voice of the University of Memphis Tigers team for 25 years.

J.D. Reager

Dave Woloshin

“George’s legacy can be found at every station,” he says. “It cannot be overstated.”

What also cannot be overstated is how much 92.9 is kicking everyone else’s ass in the sports-talk ratings. The station’s Nielsen ratings are more than double those of 560 AM, and the other local sports station in town, 730 AM, doesn’t even chart. A lot of that comes from 92.9 FM’s strong FM signal (560 AM simulcasts on 87.7 FM, but the strength on that band is weak) and the fact that it’s the local ESPN affiliate and the flagship station of the Memphis Grizzlies.

“We suffered with them through the lean years,” says Savoie, whose station was the Grizzlies home when the team wasn’t winning. “It’s definitely an advantage for them.”

The Unconventional Approach

But there is another element that has contributed to 92.9’s sports-talk success: its hosts’ unconventional approach to the genre. For better or worse, the hosts on Sports 56 tend to stick more closely to a traditional format — news and stories related to sports — and rarely venture into social issues or pop culture. At 92.9 FM, those rules have gone out the window. On any given afternoon, you are as likely to hear Parrish discuss race politics or local restaurants or celebrity boobs as you are sports, and that has become part of his appeal.

“I think the biggest thing is that I’m a natural storyteller, and I’ve always been one,” says Parrish, whose show is on every weekday from 4 to 6 p.m. “Sitting at a cafeteria table as a kid, standing at a bar with friends as an adult, I could always tell a story. So that’s part of it, for sure. And everything is rooted in that. I also construct the show in a way that appeals to a larger audience than most sports shows. For instance, sometimes people will tweet me and tell me to ‘stick to sports.’ What they don’t realize is that I’m purposely not sticking to sports, and for two reasons: One, because I have interests outside of sports, and I enjoy discussing them. And, two, because I’m going to have sports fans listening no matter what. I’m on a sports station. So I’ve got sports fans no matter what. But, because I venture outside of sports so often, I also have non-sports fans listening.”

According to Brad Carson, the director of branding and sports programming at 92.9 FM and the on-air producer of The Gary Parrish Show, that approach isn’t just limited to Parrish. It’s practically become a station-wide mantra.

J.D. Reager

Brad Carson

“Along with being a brilliant storyteller, host, reporter, and entertainer, Gary gave us the opportunity to learn how to build our radio station and develop something fun, different, and compelling,” he says. “We encourage all of our hosts to be themselves.”

This stylistic difference isn’t lost on the competition, either. “The moniker of the station [560 AM] is ‘Real Sports,'” says Woloshin. “I can only do the show the way I know how. I’m all for talking about myself and my life, but sports is still the most important thing.”

“Free Verno”

If there’s a chink in 92.9 FM’s armor, it is the recent departure of one of the station’s most popular and outspoken hosts, Chris Vernon.

Vernon, who, like most local sports-talk radio personalities, got his start on 560 AM before leaving for greener pastures (first 730 AM, and eventually 92.9 FM), parted ways with the station in September, when an agreement on a contract extension could not be reached. And while the higher-ups at 92.9 FM have certainly tried to keep the negotiations and subsequent ill-will under wraps, Vernon and his rabid fanbase would not be denied. Before long, the hashtag “#FreeVerno” was trending on social media and personal shots were fired — mostly between Vernon and Dan Barron, general manager of Entercom, the radio conglomerate that operates 92.9 FM. The rift became irreparable.

J.D. Reager

Chris Vernon

“I knew I would eventually have other opportunities, and I didn’t like the fighting,” says Vernon. “After the way everything went down, I just thought [92.9 FM] wasn’t the place for me anymore. Whether I’ve been on AM or FM, big station or small, my fans have always been extremely loyal to me and my advertisers, so I knew I’d be fine wherever I ended up.”

For their part, the higher-ups at 92.9 FM are playing it, if not tight-lipped, at least fairly cool, when it comes to Vernon.

“There’s no animosity from our point of view,” says Carson. “He is a super talent, and we had a great working relationship throughout his time with us. Chris chose to move on and do something different. We respect that. He has different professional goals that will advance his career. I think often times in these scenarios some folks like to find a villain. There’s no villain here.”

Whether or not there’s a villain, one thing is clear: There is bad blood. And Parrish, who is both Vernon’s longtime friend (and, briefly, former co-host when the two were on 730 AM) and an inside observer of the situation, sees it clearly.

“I hated that it got so ugly, publicly, because on one side, I had a close friend, and on the other side was one of my employers,” he says. “I was very much in the middle of everything. It wasn’t fun. But, ultimately, Vernon did what he thought was best for his career, and then the station moved on as best it could. In the end, I think all parties will be fine. But those were a wild few weeks, absolutely.”

For those who are still wondering, Vernon has landed on his feet. He hosts a podcast version of The Chris Vernon Show as a part of Grind City Media, the Grizzlies’ new in-house media outlet, and produces viral videos to go along with it. He’s also doing a regular NBA podcast for nationally known sports reporter/author/TV-host Bill Simmons’ latest, post-ESPN media iteration, The Ringer, and doing Grizzlies pre- and post-game work.

“He [Simmons] and I met when the Grizzlies were in the NBA Western Conference finals in 2013,” says Vernon. “He was covering the games for ABC. We stayed in contact, and I had him on my show on 92.9 FM a few times. Everyone over there is cool.”

As for his Grind City Media podcast, it has been somewhat sporadic in its early stages, with shows varying in length and regularity. But the long-term plan is for the Grizzlies to build Vernon a studio — similar to what DirectTV did for former ESPN radio host and SportsCenter anchor Dan Patrick when it hired him away from the mothership — and have his show available as both a live internet TV show as well as an on-demand podcast.

“We found out the same way everybody else did that Vernon’s relationship with 92.9 FM didn’t work out,” says Jason Wexler, president of business operations for the Grizzlies and the head of Grind City Media. “Once he was available, it seemed logical to have a conversation with him and see what we could do together. We liked everything he brings to table — a dedicated audience, marketplace credibility, and a unique voice.”

“I don’t need to be on terrestrial radio anymore,” says Vernon. “Things are changing in radio. People are not on my time, they are on their own time. They listen to podcasts on-demand, when they want to. Traditional radio is dying.”

Jason and John

If traditional radio is dying, that’s news to 92.9 FM. To fill Vernon’s 11 to 2 p.m. slot, the station has turned to two fresh voices — both former Commercial Appeal sports reporters: John Martin and Jason Smith. The duo launched their show in October, and despite some rookie jitters early on, has started to establish its own voice on the airwaves.

J.D. Reager

Jason Smith

“I’ve been incredibly impressed,” says Calkins, who originally brought Martin in to the 92.9 FM fold as his on-air producer and has been a steadfast supporter of Smith over the years. “Let’s be honest, it was past time for the station to add an African-American host [Smith], and Jason is going to be a star. He’s connected, he’s thoughtful, and he’s fabulous on TV and radio. Although I had great regard for Jason as a colleague at The Commercial Appeal, I often wondered why he wasn’t doing TV or radio. He’s a natural. He’s both passionate and genuine. That’s a combination that will take him far.

“As for John, I wouldn’t have insisted on him as my producer if I didn’t think he had what it takes. In many ways, John is the engine of that show. So I knew the two of them would be good together, but I didn’t think they’d be this good, this fast.”

J.D. Reager

John Martin

Both Martin and Smith have acknowledged the immense challenge of filling Vernon’s shoes in a market where he was clearly beloved.

“I’ll tell you this: I didn’t want that job at first,” says Martin. “Are you kidding me? Did you see the response on social media? I didn’t want to follow Chris. I wanted my own show, but not if it meant having to step into that firestorm.”

“There is no replacing Verno,” agrees Smith. “All John and I can do is grind and try to put together the absolute best show we can each day.”

One thing that has helped Martin and Smith through their first few months together on the air is the steadying presence of Jon Roser, Vernon’s former producer/sidekick for 10 years. In fact, one could easily argue that breaking up the team of Vernon and Roser, who were the Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon of Memphis radio, was the biggest drawback of the “#FreeVerno” fallout. However, one host’s loss has turned into Martin and Smith’s gain.

“Jon Roser has been very helpful for Jason and John and has made great suggestions,” says Carson. “It helps that they are friends as well. Jon has encouraged Jason and John to grow the midday show.”

A Good Understanding

So for now, with Vernon gone and Roser working on a new show, Parrish and Carson have become 92.9 FM’s flagship duo. Their chemistry — probably best described as “mock-adversarial,” with the more liberal, free-wheeling Parrish lightly (and, at times, not-so-lightly) picking on the more straight-laced Carson for a litany of differences in opinion — essentially drives the show and feels unforced. But it wasn’t always this easy for them.

“Brad and I have a really good understanding of each other now, and he knows how to be my producer,” says Parrish. “Did it take us a little while to develop that? Yeah, I’m sure it did. But we’re super comfortable together now. He’s very good at producing my show and being a character on my show.”

And for his part, Carson seems completely game to play Parrish’s straight man and occasional whipping boy. At least, as long as the ratings stay high.

“I don’t think Gary is tough on me at all,” he says. “The perceived differences and commonality between us, almost as if we were a married couple, are fascinating to people, I think. It was something totally different in Memphis.”

“I can’t tell you how many people have told me they don’t really care about sports but listen to the show anyway,” says Parrish. “Which is something I love to hear, because it suggests what I’m doing is working the way I intend it to work.”

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

“Crown, Teeth, & Tears” at Crosstown Arts

Have you ever been swept up in a moment? It’s a condition familiar to artist Terri Phillips and a feeling she wants audiences to experience when they attend “Crown, Teeth & Tears,” a collaborative work she’s developed with the musicians of Memphis’ Blueshift Ensemble.

“I went to an event — a Quaker circle — that the artist Melissa Dunn set up at Clough-Hanson,” Phillips says, remembering how powerful it was to sit in a circle comprised of people who’d come to worship silently. “That night became very emotional for me,” says Phillips, whose piece is neither silent, nor exclusively sacred.

“I wanted the chance to work with some classical musicians using contemporary classical music to create an event that’s not only for the audience but also for the experience the musicians will have,” says Phillips, who sought out Jonathan Kirkscey and Jenny Davis of Blueshift, a chamber ensemble uniquely interested in multi­-genre collaborations. Together, they have chosen seven pieces of contemporary classical music including a Kirkscey original.

Terri Phillips

“Normally, an audience listens to music on a stage in front of them, as a group, so the music is played at them,” Phillips says, explaining how she aims to change this relationship. “We’re setting up the chairs for the audience and the musicians in a large oval so the audience will sit among the musicians. You might sit next to someone playing cello, violin, or marimba, even. This is also unusual for the musicians because they’re usually together as a group as well.”

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Annie at the Orpheum

CREDIT: Joan Marcus

With so much chatter in the news about cutting Social Security, transforming Medicare into a voucher system, and generally dismantling all that remains of America’s social safety nets, there’s some irony in opening a feel-good musical where President Franklin D. Roosevelt sings about a “New Deal for Christmas” with the help of a kindly billionaire industrialist who made all of his cash during the war. But whichever way the political winds may blow, America can’t seem to get enough of Annie or its scrappy namesake orphan who sings about smiling through her gray, lonely days because she knows the sun has to come out eventually. From great depressions to great recessions, war to shining war, it’s not hard to see how the optimistic “Tomorrow” became one of the century’s most frequently performed songs.

Annie lyricist Martin Charnin thinks the heavily licensed song changes with context and turns up where and when you least expect it. “Like a bank — being able to get your loan tomorrow.” Charnin rarely lets that sort of association happen though. “I want to protect the integrity of the lyrics,” he says.

Joan Marcus

Annie

Charnin’s been connected to Annie for much of his professional life, having directed numerous revivals, including the one rolling into the Orpheum this week. “People always ask, ‘When did you rewrite it?'” he says, describing the award-winning musical’s ability to speak to audiences across generations.

“What we’ve discovered, particularly in this production, is that it’s extremely relevant,” Charnin says, addressing the show’s longevity. “That relevance surfaces in different doses depending on where the country’s psyche happens to be.”

Categories
News The Fly-By

Growth Spurt

A number of projects emerged last week that promise to make strides across the Mid-South next year by way of infrastructure, technology, and innovation.

Lausanne Collegiate School will partner with Xiamen #1 School in China to open a new campus abroad. Located in the Fujian province of China, Xiamen #1 Lausanne International School will be the first school away from the main campus when it opens in August. The school will educate 1,200 students from around the world.

“We’re now one of only 19 schools in the nation to adopt an International Baccalaureate program from pre-K to 12th grade,” said Noma Anderson, the president of Lausanne’s board of trustees, at the Greater Memphis Chamber’s annual chairman’s lunch last week. “Part of our commitment is bringing global perspectives to Memphis. And also taking perspectives from Memphis around the globe.”

ALSAC CEO Shadyac

At home, the Greater Memphis Alliance for a Competitive Workforce has launched MemphisWorks, a new app aimed at city-wide job growth. The localized app will assist with career navigation, training, career counseling, case management, and hiring.

“It’s the most comprehensive system of its kind on the market,” said Willie Gregory, chairman of the Alliance board. “Hundreds of people from our community have created videos to tell you what they do and why they love it. Their inspiration unlocks job opportunities and educational pathways.”

The Delta Regional Authority also announced it would invest $370,000 into supporting manufacturing in the greater Memphis area. The Authority will expand into the Metro Memphis Export Alliance, an organization focused on driving local exports and attracting manufacturing opportunities to the region, said Chris Masingill, the Authority’s federal co-chairman.

“This strategic investment is going to help attract good jobs for our people, new companies to the region, and bring local businesses and entrepreneurs to the global marketplace,” Masingill said.

The state of Tennessee will invest $12 million to improve the public infrastructure surrounding St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, growing the hospital’s mission and revitalizing the nearby Pinch District.

“We have a state full of people with their hearts in the right place,” said Governor Bill Haslam during a news conference at the hospital’s campus last Thursday. “I don’t know anywhere else like St. Jude that has a constituency so broad-based and committed to this mission.”

An additional investment of $25 million by the city of Memphis will develop the nearby Pinch District into a commercial area. The expansion will establish the Pinch as an area where people can “live, work, and play,” said Richard Shadyac, the CEO of the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC), St. Jude’s fundraising arm. It will also allow St. Jude to further develop in the future.

“All of the city, state, and county money spent here is going to be spent on infrastructure in the Pinch District outside the gates of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” Shadyac said. “Little — if any — of the money is going to be spent on the St. Jude campus.”

The expansion will create 1,800 new jobs. St. Jude is currently in the second year of a six-year strategic plan to bolster the number of patients served as well as grow the hospital globally and at home.

Categories
News The Fly-By

Ikea Effect

A bit of our up-yours pride for Ikea choosing Memphis over Nashville has waned, perhaps, as the prestige of the promise resolves to the reality — flocks of ferocious fans gridlocking the suburbs. But make no mistake, Ikea will change Memphis.

The Swedish home goods retailer opened its doors Wednesday. At least two-dozen hardcore fans got in line for the opening on Monday morning, a full 48 hours before the official grand opening. Early-bird fans were to be rewarded all week at the store; couches, chairs, and other gifts were promised to the first customers each day of Ikea’s first week.

For some, life ain’t all Billy bookshelves and meatballs.

“I can’t wait for [Ikea] to open so I can go to Midtown Kroger,” wrote Memphis-based @thespacebase on Twitter recently.

Social media, though, has plenty of smiley-face emojis (the one with hearts over the eyes) for Ikea’s opening. Many note how empty their bank accounts will soon be and — even two years after the announcement of the Memphis Ikea — some still crow about how Nashville can “suck it” (or something like that).

Very soon, those sleekly designed Ikea products will, most likely, be in many Memphis homes. Jason Jackson, an architect at Memphis-based brg3s, said that can change people.

“Design can determine how we feel and how we look,” Jackson said. “It plays a role in everything we do, whether we realize it or not, from the food we eat, to how we dress, even in how we get to work.”

He pointed to how Apple’s iPhone, a “beautiful tool” that was well-designed, was able to transcend the traditional flip phone and change how we communicate. Ikea’s commitment to design is similar, Jackson said, and the company’s products are affordable to most, which can change the way they feel.

“You can have a nice end table or nice bed and you can feel like you’re living a life that maybe you thought was out of reach,” Jackson said. “That can happen because the products have been more thought out and the production has made them accessible to more people.”

Ikea flitted about Memphis with interest, but netting the retail behemoth required a $1.2 million tax break for the company, which posted profits of nearly $4 billion last year. The store will employ 225 here, with a starting wage of $10.77 per hour and an average annual wage of $41,000. Also, over the next 11 years, the store is expected to yield $15.5 million in local taxes.

The investment and Ikea’s international brand recognition will have ripple effects here. Memphis will become a regional shopping destination, the investment by Ikea will send positive signals to executives about the city’s health and growth potential, and it will create another attractive amenity for those considering a move to Memphis.

“High-end and destination retailers [like Ikea] moving into a city signifies a region is growing and has a bright future,” reads a blog post from JAXUSA, the economic development agency for Northeast Florida. “As these retail establishments enter the market, it signals to the rest of the world … that the city is a good investment for long-term business growth.”

But couples take heed. Assembling that well-designed furniture can test your relationships. Amy Poehler once joked that “Ikea” was Swedish for “argument.”

However, once you’ve assembled that Molger or Skarsta, you’ll be in love with it, maybe more than you should. A paper by consumer psychologists from Harvard, Tulane, and Duke noted that when consumers assemble their own stuff, they cherish it. It’s a feeling the researchers called the “Ikea effect.”

“Even constructing a standardized bureau — an arduous, solitary task — can lead people to overvalue their (often poorly constructed) creations,” the paper reads.

Categories
News The Fly-By

Trader Joe’s, Greenline, & new eats

CREDIT: Google Maps

Downtown Pocket

A building permit was pulled last week for the Pocket, a restaurant and bar to be built in the first floor and basement of the downtown building at 115 Union. The Pocket will be one door down (to the east) from Belle — A Southern Bistro and across the street from WDIA.

Google Maps

Future site of the Pocket

Another “luxury boutique” hotel

A California company wants to transform two vacant, downtown properties into a 118-room luxury boutique hotel, according to an application to the Memphis and Shelby County Land Use Control Board (LUCB).

The building at 158 Madison would be renovated into 60 rooms with restaurants and a bar on the ground floor, meeting spaces, and a rooftop bar, according to the application.

The building next door at 164 Madison would be home to a restaurant, retail space on the ground floor, and a 5,000-square-foot ballroom on its second floor. Behind that building would be built a new seven-story hotel tower with 58 rooms.

“The hotel will be operated by a very well-known international brand,” the application said.

Greenline expands

Officials want to expand the Shelby Farms Greenline eastward.

The Greenline now extends along Macon in Cordova stopping short of North Sanga. The expansion would start at the Old Cordova Train Station and continue for 2.3 miles along the abandoned CSX Railroad right-of-way up to Lenow.

Ice House cometh

Two Midtown buildings could soon transform, one into a diner and the other into a restaurant and bar filled with Ping-Pong tables, pinball machines, and foosball tables.

The former Midtown Martial Arts space on Central could soon become the Ice House, a restaurant and bar with “indoor recreation such as Ping-Pong tables, pinball machines, foosball, and live entertainment,” according to an application to the Memphis and Shelby County Land Use Control Board (LUCB) last week.

Plans for the Ice House show a large bar inside a 60-seat dining area. Pinball machines line the wall of that space. Another room has four foosball tables sandwiched between six Ping-Pong tables with seats for 32.

The building next to the Ice House will apparently be home to the Ice House Diner in the former Gary’s Antiques space, according to the application.

The two entities will “bring new life to this side of Central Avenue,” reads the application. “Families and friends can walk and bike to the Ice House for games and entertainment.”

TJ’s on again?

Plans for Trader Joe’s in Germantown got back on track recently as the store’s developer pulled a $2.5 million building permit for its construction.

The project has been on again and then off again. Store officials announced in 2015 that it would, indeed, be opening a store in the Memphis market. A building permit was pulled in March 2016, but construction never started. In June, the project was officially delayed. In September, store officials said construction could begin again within three months.

The newest building permit for the old Kroger store at 2130 Exeter in Germantown was pulled Friday, Dec. 2nd. The permit is for “modification to the front wall of the old Kroger [building] to create a new look on the front facade.”

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News The Fly-By

Fly on the Wall 1451

Holiday Shopping

Everybody’s got at least one snarky friend or relative on their Christmas shopping list who’s so reflexively sarcastic they’re almost impossible to shop for.

Never fear, Fly on the Wall is here with its annual inappropriate shopper’s guide. This season FOTW recommends Guyliner Jesus and St. Manbun action figures.

These army-of-God collectibles are ready to go clubbing and currently available for purchase at the Midtown Cash Saver. They’re sold independently but will be more fun as a set because your friend or relative can pose them and make up adventures and stuff.

Just Desserts

What does Jeremiah Webb have against pie? The 34-year-old turned himself in to Southaven authorities last week after assaulting a woman who approached him at the grocery store to ask for pie-baking advice. The question made Webb angry, and, in two short sentences, he somehow managed to insult everybody from his own mom to competitive chef Bobby Flay. “You need to ask my mother about that,” he answered. “I’m not a bitch.”

Neverending Elvis

The Miami Herald recently told the story of “How an Elvis Presley tribute band led Ryan Gosling to La La Land.” Apparently Gosling caught the performance bug when he was 8 years old, and his uncle, an Elvis tribute artist, put him in the show.