Author: Joshua Cannon

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Ghost River Requests $66,455 For Tap Room, Renovations

After announcing plans to rebrand and open a taproom, Ghost River Brewing Co. now awaits a decision from the Center City Development Corporation about their allotted funding. The CCDC Board of Directors will meet next Wednesday, May 18, following recommendations from the Downtown Memphis Commission.

Ghost River could receive as much as $66,455 through a Storefront Improvement Grant, which can be applied toward exterior work that is visible to the public. A metal awning and new signage, upgraded windows and doors on the north side of the building, improved fencing and sidewalk repair, and an expansive outdoor patio will be covered under the grant. HNA Engineers and Warren Architecture will oversee the project. The work should take two to three months. Ghost River plans to begin this summer and hopes to open the tap room this fall.  

The Downtown Memphis Commission said in a staff report that Ghost River Brewing Co., which has operated at the intersection of E. H. Crump Boulevard and South Main Street for the last 10 years, is a “major gateway” to the South Main Neighborhood. The area, however, is “nonactive in the evening hours with little to no pedestrian traffic.” Such as recently opened Loflin Yard, a renovated Ghost River Brewing Co. could drive foot traffic to the neighborhood and encourage other businesses to move into the area. 

“Tap rooms are often powerful generators of evening activity and the Ghost River tap room will help attract Downtowners, other local residents, and tourists to a part of South Main that can seem isolated and separate from the more commercially vibrant parts of the neighborhood,” the staff said in the report.

The specific scope of work will include replacing a deteriorated fabric awning with a metal awning over the tap room entrance on the north side of the building. A projecting neon sign in the shape of a lantern will be placed on the east elevation, while an open-face neon letter-set reading “Ghost River Brewing” will hang on the north elevation. Hand-painted lettering will be seen on the curved portion of the building as well as above the retail entrance. 

Clear glass will replace the tinted windows along the east and north sides of the building. An emergency exit door that faces South Main Street will be replaced and a new door will be built at the main entrance. 

Any deteriorated pieces of the existing 6 ft. iron fence along South Main Street will be repaired as needed. A new sliding gate will be constructed. Parts of the sidewalk surrounding the building will be demolished and improved, and a 5 ft. portion of the current parking lot will feature a new landscaping buffer along the outside edge of the fence line. 

Perhaps the most significant aspect of the renovation is the expansive outdoor patio, which will be located on the north side of the building. The structure will consist mostly of steel posts and deck joists. Some posts will extend to a height of 10 ft. with hung string lighting. The deck’s perimeter will be enclosed with partial-height wooden walls, dressed in yellow Cyprus siding. A ramp will provide handicap access to the patio. A lower patio, which will exist atop a concrete pad between the patio and parking lot, will be used for overflow seating. 

“[We] believe that the proposed exterior improvements including window replacement, new signage, and an expansive outdoor deck will help transform the site from a simple manufacturing facility to a neighborhood asset and hub for community gathering,” the staff said in the report. 

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News The Fly-By

Strickland Vows to Make City Friendlier for Breastfeeding Moms

Trinity Poole’s tattoo

On Trinity Poole’s bicep, there’s a tattoo of a mother breastfeeding her child in a ring sling. It symbolizes dual passions — breastfeeding and baby wearing.

“I got it because those two things have been a very big part of bonding with my son,” said Poole, 36, who has an 18-month-old son and a daughter due in October. “My first resource was my sister Meredith, who became passionate about nursing in public and breastfeeding rights when she had her youngest daughter. It sparked an interest in me.”

Mayor Jim Strickland recently signed a pledge to make Memphis a more supportive environment for breastfeeding mothers. Immediate steps include a lactation support policy for city offices, which would require designated storage for breast milk in workplace refrigerators and an employee orientation. And eventually, the policy will lead to the opening of lactation rooms at City Hall. Strickland did not respond to a request for comment.

If 90 percent of mothers exclusively breastfed for six months, the United States would save $13 billion and 911 lives per year, a Cambridge Health Alliance found. Though infant mortality stems from widespread issues, breastfeeding is known to lower the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Enter the Shelby County Breastfeeding Coalition, an advocacy group comprised of nurses, certified lactation consultants, breastfeeding peer counselors, dietitians, nutritionists, and, of course, mothers.

“Breastfeeding is important because of the significant health benefits,” said Coalition Chair Allison Stiles, a physician who practices breastfeeding medicine. “There’s less of all types of infections for the baby: less infant mortality, less obesity, less Type 1 and 2 Diabetes. As well as for mom — fewer sick days, lower insurance costs, less breast cancer, Type 2 Diabetes, and less obesity.”

Shelby County reports some of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the United States and an infant mortality rate that has long exceeded national numbers. The Centers for Disease Control’s target infant mortality rate is six deaths per 1,000 live births. In 2014, Shelby County’s rate dropped from around 14.9 to 9.2 deaths per 1,000 live births — the lowest in the last 100 years.

Though Tennessee has laws in place to support and protect breastfeeding mothers, the Coalition goes to bat when those laws are violated, Stiles said. They once had a case where a mother was told she couldn’t nurse at a daycare. Another mom was told she couldn’t breastfeed at a downtown courthouse. There’s also a lack of opportunity at the workplace — though Tennessee laws require flexible time for mothers to pump in a private space.

Aside from Papua New Guinea, the U.S. is the only industrialized nation that doesn’t require employers to offer paid maternity leave. Staggering, more so, when considering that mothers supply the primary income for 40 percent of U.S. families with children 18-years-old or younger, the Pew Research Center found.

“Many moms return to work in as little as two weeks,” Stiles said. “It’s hard to see returning to work and pumping. How is a mom who works in the hub, a warehouse, the tarmac, or at McDonald’s going to imagine pumping? [Memphis] needs to be sure all city facilities have lactation access, not just City Hall. … One big area of opportunity is in a more supportive maternity leave policy.”

Meanwhile, the breastfeeding coalition and other advocates are doing all they can to make breastfeeding in public more commonplace. Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women is sponsoring what may turn out to be the largest breastfeeding event in the city this year. On August 6th at Trinity Baptist Church, breastfeeding moms from across the Mid-South will come together for Latch On Memphis, an attempt to break the record for the most mothers simultaneously nursing.

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News The Fly-By

New Law Loosens Drug Possession Penalties

A person convicted six times of driving under the influence will now face a Class C felony in Tennessee. Meanwhile, those possessing a half-ounce or less of marijuana will be charged with a misdemeanor regardless of the number of previous possession charges on their record.

Gov. Bill Haslam signed House Bill 1478, sponsored by Rep. William Lamberth (R-Cottontown), into law last week. The new law, which will go into effect July 1st, creates a three- to-15-year prison sentence and fines up to $10,000 for drunk drivers and eases repercussions for simple possession of any drug, including cocaine and heroin. It may signal a perception shift regarding drug sentencing in the state.

“In 2014, we had 1,904 people arrested [in Tennessee] on small amounts of marijuana possession,” said Rep. Antonio Parkinson (D-Memphis), a co-sponsor of the bill. “That’s a lot of loss of jobs and opportunities. If you had one blunt or one gram of weed over a half-ounce, you could face the same sentence as someone would for killing someone.”

Nearly half of the country has legalized medicinal marijuana, and four states have legalized weed for recreational use. Tennessee passed a law in 2014 that allowed seizure patients access to cannabis oil, but they must travel across state lines to obtain it. Co-sponsors of HB 1478 hope the legislation will bolster dialogue that furthers medicinal access and saves taxpayer money by reducing incarceration.

“We discovered the state was spending $1.7 million per year for [incarcerating people for] a half-ounce or less of marijuana,” said Rep. Harold Love (D-Nashville), who also co-sponsored the bill. “I think this bill will change the perception of how we deal with drug sentencing, treatment, and addiction in Tennessee. I’m not suggesting in any way that this is the gateway to legalizing marijuana, but I do think it helps with sentencing.”

Though people of all races smoke pot, arrests tend to disproportionately affect African Americans. Eighty-three percent of Shelby County’s drug possession arrests in 2010 were of African Americans, the American Civil Liberties Union found. More so, states spent more than $3.6 billion in marijuana possession enforcement.

Using marijuana can also result in a violation of probation or parole in Tennessee. Some judges will revoke or raise a person’s bail if they screen positive for marijuana, says Josh Spickler, executive director of Just City. This contributes, Spickler says, to about 35 percent of state prison admissions being the result of parole violations.

“This law is a step in the right direction, but we need to take a comprehensive look at drug laws and enforcement in Tennessee,” Spickler says.

If Tennessee were to restructure marijuana laws, Parkinson said there would be a socioeconomic benefit for the state.

“My goal next year is to remove the automatic intent to distribute for an ounce of marijuana or less out of the law,” Parkinson said. “I would like to legalize both medicinal and recreational marijuana and base it on Tennessee growers. We’re an agricultural state. I would like to see our state capitalize on an industry that can help people medicinally. We should [also] legalize it and put that money toward education.”

Like drug courts as an alternative to jail cells, Love said medicinal marijuana could potentially become a pain management option to combat prescription drug addiction.

“I’m not on the side that says legalize and tax it,” Love said. “I’m on the side that says, ‘How can we help people who are in pain be relieved without an addictive drug in their system?’ But the reason it’s important is students would lose their financial aid, and people might not be able to apply for jobs — all because they had a felony on their record for a half-ounce or less. ‘Or less’ is half of a joint. ‘Or less’ is a quarter. ‘Or less’ could be residue.”

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News The Fly-By

New Tennessee State Museum Will Feature Memphis Exhibit

A new $160 million Tennessee State Museum will open in 2018 at Nashville’s Bicentennial Mall. The 137,000-square-foot facility will house artifacts from across the state, and each city will get its own chronological exhibit.

The museum broke ground earlier this month, and now its staff is on a statewide tour to inform residents of Tennessee towns and cities of the museum’s progress. The tour stopped in Memphis earlier this week

The Flyer spoke with the museum’s community officer Mary Skinner and Chief Curator Dan E. Pomeroy about the hurdles of the expansive project and what sort of representation Memphis will have. — Joshua Cannon

Flyer: When outsiders think of Memphis, they often think of Elvis and barbecue. How will the museum break that cliché in what’s represented about the city?

Mary Skinner: The State Museum traces the roots of its large collection back to 1818 and has been collecting artifacts pertinent to the telling of Tennessee’s history for almost 200 years.

We literally have hundreds of objects (furniture, art, textiles, musical items) from Memphis in our collection, including a 1919 American LaFrance Type 45 triple-combination fire engine, an 1860s Rococo Revival mirror from the Hunt Phelan House, a collection of Ernest Withers’ civil rights photographs, a document signed by Abraham Lincoln concerning Civil War government in Memphis, and paintings by Carroll Cloar. The list goes on and on.

How is the museum determining what to fit and what to leave out?

MS: It is impossible for any museum with a collection as large as ours to put everything on exhibit for public view at one time. That is why the new museum will have separate galleries that will allow visitors to explore specific periods and themes more deeply — including our Civil War history, music, art and cultural issues of the day. These exhibits will be easier to change and update as we continue to acquire new artifacts.

How do you tell a state’s long and varied story through artifacts?

Dan Pomeroy: In order to be prepared to tell this full story, the State Museum has been aggressively and selectively adding to its collection of objects and artifacts for the last four decades.

This collection contains artifacts relating to notable personalities, such as presidents and governors, but also includes items designed to tell the story of other aspects of Tennessee, such as Native Americans, urban centers, business, manufacturing, labor, immigration, African Americans, art, crafts, music, children, home life, rural communities, women, sports, and common soldiers. These and other stories obviously intersect and are interwoven, which is part of the challenge to museum interpretation.

What do you think visitors will take away about Tennessee?

DP: The ultimate goal is to create as complete a story as possible for the people of Tennessee and for our state’s visitors. Tennessee’s story is a critical and significant part of America and the world, and, taken as a whole, it should be a source of pride and empowerment to Tennesseans everywhere. This may be particularly important for the tens of thousands of school children who will visit the State Museum.

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Music Music Blog

Go See Mayfair Play Urban Outfitters’ Five Year Party

Elements that characterize any genre show influence when it gains popularity. But, such as with shoegaze, the consequence is often that the term gets incorrectly attributed to rising bands. 

Memphis’ own Mayfair, however, seem true to their roots. You can catch them this Saturday, April 23, alongside instrumental locals wARM at Urban Outfitters’ five year anniversary party. 

The band (f.f.o. My Bloody Valentine, Nothing, Cloakroom) released their debut LP The Ability to Dream earlier this year. You can pre-order a limited vinyl run of the LP in pink, maroon, and black variants from Ozona Records. 

The event will also feature Relevant Roasters and local artist Jackson McMinn, who, among others, will display and sell their work.

Listen to Mayfair’s The Ability to Dream below:

Go See Mayfair Play Urban Outfitters’ Five Year Party

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News The Fly-By

Tom Shadyac Reveals Plans for Towne Center

CREDIT: Joshua Cannon

When I arrived at the Soulsville Town Center for a guided tour with Hollywood film director-turned-philanthropist Tom Shadyac, a man whose name is now as synonymous with Memphis as it is with his film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Shadayac was standing in the sprinkling rain and speaking to a smiling World War II veteran who lost his legs and was in a wheelchair.

Minutes later, Shadyac shared that moment with a group of about 20 attendees at the High Ground News-sponsored tour to communicate the ideology behind One Family Memphis, the nonprofit organization that will head the revitalization of the long-vacant Town Center and, as Shadyac says, “the healing of the blighted Soulsville community.”

“Everything you see today will be what you can afford,” said Shadyac, whose father Richard Shadyac Sr. helped found St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “No one will be turned away from our services regardless of their ability to pay. Everyone will participate as a family member. Whatever you have to offer, you will offer, even if it’s just a smile. I was just with a gentleman named Calvin, who lives in the neighborhood. He lost his legs. Calvin will come and [work as] a greeter, if that’s his gift. He’ll get to use whatever services we have.”

Joshua Cannon

Tom Shadyac shows off plans.

Since Shadyac purchased the bankrupt Town Center at auction last August for a $3.2 million, residents have asked one question: What’s he going to do with more than 79,000 square feet of vacant space?

Phase one will kick off fund-raising and include construction of a cutting-edge climbing gym, a pay-it-forward coffee shop and restaurant, a farmers market and green space with potential garden access, and a 350- to 450-seat film and performing arts theater. Construction will begin over the summer.

“This is a very ambitious project. Just like when Danny Thomas said no child should die in the dawn of life, that was a very ambitious project,” says Michael Drake, a One Family board member. “St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has ALSAC, the fund-raising arm. God put it on my heart that One Family Memphis will have a fund-raising arm as well.”

Shadyac bases his vision for One Family on the hospital his father helped found and where his brother, Richard, is the current CEO of the fund-raising arm ALSAC.

“If you could have been at St. Jude 50 years ago, and a Lebanese comic tells you he was going to treat kids of all colors, races, creeds, and religions for free in 1950, you would have said ‘You’re crazy, it can’t work,'” Shadyac said. “It not only works, it’s the most trusted charity in America. We are moving forward with that same ethos.”

Climbing Gym

A state-of-the-art climbing gym will be built in the 26,500 square feet that was formerly designated for “the Whole Foods that never came,” Shadyac said (Town Center was originally built to house a grocery store). Part of the roof will be raised 45 to 50 feet for a high-climbing wall, while a 15-foot bouldering section will allow people to climb untied. A juice bar and flex-space for yoga, dance, meditation, weightlifting, and cardio will overlook the gym.

“A climbing gym is just an access point to a conversation with the youth to access their challenges, hopes, and dreams … which is what generational poverty doesn’t allow. We are going to tell them they are loved, they are cared for, and they can begin to dream again.”

Restaurant

One Family’s pay-it-forward, farm-to-table restaurant will be based on Jon Bon Jovi’s Soul Kitchen — a possible partner in the project. The economic model is simple. Each item costs $10. If customers can afford that, they’ll pay $20 and cover someone else’s meal. If not, they volunteer for one hour by working in the kitchen, serving, or working in the garden.

“You can feed a family of five with that one hour of service,” Drake said.

Theater

Shadyac said he wanted to give the young musicians at nearby Stax Academy a performance space, which spawned the plan for the theater.

“We’re not only going to engage with the kids across the street [at Stax Academy], but we’re also going to bring TED Talks,” Shadyac said. “We’re going to bring our own talks — Soul Talks. We’re going to use recreation, art, and theater to bring a conversation and a sense of family to this community that will spread to the city, the state, and we hope to the nation and the world. We think big here.”

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Music Music Blog

Kyle Gass of Tenacious D to Play Hi-Tone Friday

Tenacious D guitarist Kyle Gass will bring his “American rock supergroup” to the Hi-Tone this Friday, April 22. Memphis locals Native Blood will open. 

Featuring Tenacious D’s electric guitarist John Konesky and a group of KG’s friends, The Kyle Gass Band formed in 2011 as a side-project from the greatest band in the world. A puzzle formed from pieces of previous projects, Gass and Konesky played together in a band named Trainwreck until they broke up in early 2011. KGB’s vocalist Mike Bray previously played in a band named Band of Bigfoot that opened multiple Trainwreck shows. Bassist Jason Keene and drummer Tim Spier joined the band through longstanding friendships with the members. 

The Kyle Gass Band released their debut self-titled album in 2013. The record captures the comedic one-liners found on any Tenacious D release, but with no Jack Black by KG’s side. Still, any fan of the duo will be satisfied to see the KGB sing about being Manchildren in between riffs, solos, and ballads. 

Watch KGB’s music video for “Our Job To Rock” (with a cameo from Jack Black) below:

Kyle Gass of Tenacious D to Play Hi-Tone Friday

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News The Fly-By

Rhodes Students Help Prepare Taxes for Low-income Residents

Tax preparation might appear dull on paper. But for Rhodes College Professor Ferron Thompson, who teaches a course called Taxation and the Working Poor, the memorable moments he’s shared with his students are too numerous to count.

“When a student comes back [to the same class] the second year and works without credit so that they can continue to give back to the community, that is a reward within itself,” Thompson said.

Thompson’s course, which is open to Rhodes students of all majors, began last spring with 32 students who assisted about 400 local, low-income taxpayers. Their work resulted in $762,000 in refunds and $120,000 in saved tax preparation fees. This year, 28 students have prepared 667 tax returns, which resulted in $1.6 million in refunds and saved people $150,000 in tax fees.

Most of Thompson’s students come through the door with little to no knowledge about taxation. Not only do those students learn to become certified tax preparers, they also examine how the U.S. federal tax system affects low-income communities while breaking down misconceptions about the lives of the working poor.

“A popular misconception is that the working poor are there by choice,” Thompson said. “[That] they are lazy and have no ambition to better themselves. The fact is that opportunities to change their ‘lot in life’ are difficult to find.”

A bulk of the required work is volunteering — filing community members’ taxes and preparing their returns. Students volunteer at the Binghampton Development Corporation, Ed Rice Community Center, Church Health Wellness Center, and Street Ministries. The program will soon expand to three additional sites.

“Very few students have had the need to take a look at taxation and how it affects them and others,” Thompson said. “The biggest stride we achieve is to make them aware of how taxes affect everyone in all walks of life with an emphasis on the working poor.”

There are three types of tax in Tennessee. Thompson said federal income tax has little effect on the poor: “They don’t make enough to be liable for tax under the current progressive system of standard deductions and exemptions.”

Payroll taxes affect everyone who works (the current withholding rates are 6.2 percent for Social Security and 1.2 percent for Medicare): “In theory, these are not true taxes as they do provide a future benefit to those who pay them. The way the Social Security system has been abused makes the assurance of those future benefits unknown at the present time.”

Lastly, there are consumption taxes (sales tax, gas tax, tobacco and alcohol taxes): “[These] by far have the most regressive effect on the poor and lower middle class. No matter the individual’s income, these taxes are assessed on consumption and therefore affect more adversely those making low incomes who consume all they earn.”

Avery Stewart, 22, a senior commerce and business major, previously took Thompson’s Individual Federal Income Tax class before enrolling in Taxation and the Working Poor. Stewart, who volunteered six hours per week and on multiple Saturdays, says the course gave her a new perspective.

“This course really makes you see how difficult it is for individuals and families, many of whom are working multiple jobs, to make ends meet and how much of a burden the taxes can be,” Stewart said. “It also makes you see how much of a difference a refund can make to an individual or family who needs it.”

What’s rewarding, Thompson said, is seeing students gain a better understanding of taxation methods and the obstacles some people face.

“I like to think that the students leave with a solid understanding of taxation of all types and how it affects all areas of our population,” Thompson said. “[The program does] no harm, only good.”

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Music Music Features

Starlite Revue Returns

A vision came to Reverend John Wilkins in a dream. He was playing at the Starlite Revue, a prominent charity-driven gospel and blues concert hosted by WDIA through the 1960s. Unique, however, was that rising Midtown Memphis musicians joined him onstage. The idea shook Wilkins from bed, and he called Kevin Cubbins, executive producer of the Beale Street Caravan public radio show. Inspired, they rebirthed the festival last year. Now, as Beale Street Caravan celebrates its 20th anniversary, the Revue will return April 8th to the Orpheum’s Halloran Centre. With performances from co-headliners Wilkins and Jimbo Mathus, as well as contemporary artists like the Bell Singers, the Revue will merge Delta veterans with up-and-coming musicians. The Flyer spoke with Cubbins about what he calls “the most infectious music on earth” and his plans for Beale Street Caravan’s future.

Rev. John Wilkins headlines the Starlite Revue this Friday.

The Memphis Flyer: How is preparing for the second annual Starlite Revue different from when you prepared for the first one?

Kevin Cubbins: I guess the biggest difference is that last year, me and Rev. Wilkins got inspired, winged it, and pulled it off by the seat of our pants. This year, it’s better organized, and WDIA has come on as a supporter.

How has the Beale Street Caravan grown over the past 20 years?

Public radio, overall, has been a pretty exciting and innovative space in the last decade. Our growth lately is more about catching up and getting plugged in to where we need to be and continuing to deliver high-quality content that focuses on the amazing music that flows from Memphis and the Delta region.

BSC is unique and extremely lucky in that while there’s plenty of programming dedicated to Americana, or whatever it’s called these days, and indie-type stuff, we’re basically the sole proprietors (on public radio) of gospel, blues, and soul. Which is fine by me because it’s the greatest, most infectious, most evergreen music on earth. So I feel like we have a responsibility. It’s our mission to evolve as the landscape evolves and get this stuff out there.

This will be Rev. John Wilkins’ second time headlining. Why? And how did you decide who else would play?

The Starlite Revue is Rev. Wilkins’ party. This is his vision. He called me one morning and said that he’d had a dream that night. A crystal clear dream. In that dream he was at the Starlite Revue, and he was playing with all of his friends just like he did back in the day. There were bands from Midtown playing, too. “White” bands.

He asked me to help him do this, and he said, “I know you know all those white kids in Midtown, and I know they probably don’t go to church much anymore, but I bet they did when they were little, and they probably remember the songs. Get some of them involved and let’s make this happen.”

So I did. And that’s why the Reverend is headlining — it’s his vision. The other acts are longtime stalwarts of this absolutely unique, traditional gospel scene that thrives here and in North Mississippi and goes largely unnoticed by the mainstream. And we have some local Midtown favorites thrown into the mix, too, to bring their take to the show.

Where did the name Starlite Revue originate?

There was an annual concert in Memphis, put on by WDIA, that featured the best in local blues and gospel. It was amazing, by all accounts. What JazzFest is to New Orleans in this day and age, the Starlite Revue was to Memphis back in the day. WDIA played a very, very special role in the social fabric of this city in the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. That station is an irreplaceable part of Memphis history, and I wish more people understood that.

Of all that Beale Street Caravan has accomplished, what are you most proud of?

That’s tough. I mean, surviving for 20 years is a major accomplishment in public radio, and I have to credit our founders, who included Sid Selvidge, of course, for that. I’m always excited about what’s next.

Heck, I’m super excited about [an upcoming] radio show featuring the Walker Family Singers that we recorded on the front porch of Shangri-La Records. We have some new productions and initiatives we’ll be launching in the months to come — things that are pretty big steps for us. I’m definitely proud of that.

The Starlite Revue featuring Rev. John Wilkins, Friday, April 8th at the Orpheum Halloran Centre, 7 p.m. $23.

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News The Fly-By

Mobile Marketplace Eyes Memphis for Pop-up Event

CREDIT: Leonel Lima Ponce

A mobile marketplace built from reconstructed shipping containers will soon pop up in Memphis — if Shab Chic founders Brian Christion and Ebony Doss can nail down 16 committed vendors.

“We have high hopes,” said Christion, a 32-year-old Memphis native. “We know it can be done. It just needs a little push.”

Shab Chic can move forward with leasing property when Christion and Doss secure the vendors. More than 30 businesses have applied, and five are committed. They’ve scouted land in Cooper-Young, along Broad, and in the South Main Arts District. Doss and Christion discussed hosting the marketplace in St. Louis, where Doss is from, due to interest from that city government to assist with the project. Christion says there’s been no dialogue between Shab Chic and the city of Memphis, but launching the marketplace in Memphis is a priority.

“The first choice for me is Memphis,” said Christion, who has a background in real estate and property management. “Memphis has the most saturated amount of undiscovered talent in the country. We chose Memphis because of the demand for new and innovative outlets for creative business owners. … I’d rather it be that Shab Chic kicks off in Memphis and other cities follow.”

Leonel Lima Ponce

A similar pop-up market in Brooklyn, New York

If the project comes to fruition, Shab Chic Marketplace wouldn’t be the first pop-up shop Memphians have seen. It would, however, be the largest, based on the scale of their ambitions. The Marketplace will feature 16 vendors. Shops will range from clothing boutiques to art galleries and food vendors, each located in a repurposed shipping container. The Marketplace will also cycle through events like happy hours as well as movie and skate nights.

“We want to create a platform for creative, small business owners and the community,” said Doss, 35, whose professional background ranges from medical finance to event planning and promotion. “With a creative background, I want to push the bar and think outside the box. I’ve always wanted to do something huge, to promote creativity, art, music, and fashion.”

Doss and Christion share a mutual adoration for pop-up shops. Small businesses can often struggle through the traditional business model. By establishing a temporary location, vendors have more breathing room to grow their brand. The duo researched building homes from shipping containers, and that led to the idea of a “shipping container mall.” If the project works out, Shab Chic will exist in one area for six months, likely between May and October, and move to a different location every year.

“Businesses will finally have a place to test their hand at running their own shop,” Christion said. “Our mission is to give businesses a real shot at getting their brand out to the masses.”

Each shipping container will be designed by the vendor with assistance from Shab Chic’s design team. Shab Chic will cut doors and windows into the container, but will leave the decor to the vendor.

“Too much business without the creativity is a failure,” Christion said. “Too much shab and no chic, and it can’t work. It’s the yin and yang of style — the idea of mixing highs and lows to create your own following.”

Interested businesses can apply at shabchicmarketplace.com to be a vendor through Friday, April 8th.