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Champion’s Herb Store Expands Downtown

Dr. Carol “Cookie” Champion. (Photo: Courtesy Champion's Herb Store)

As Champion’s Herb Store settles into a new era, having opened the doors to its Downtown location last month, the family-owned holistic store is determined to keep the vision of its founder at the forefront.

An iconic staple in the Memphis community, Champion’s is known for its herbal remedies and personalized care. The store recently expanded to 65 Monroe Avenue, Suite B, thanks to the Downtown Memphis Commission’s Open of Main initiative. 

“The Downtown Memphis Commission’s Open On Main initiative pairs emerging retailers and entrepreneurs with vacant storefronts in Downtown,” said the DMC. “The program is designed to help retailers test their market-strategies and to create a stronger retail ecosystem and better pedestrian experience in our core city.”

Champion’s opened its doors on January 5, 1981, at the corner of Third and Mallory after Dr. Charles Champion envisioned opening a store of his own and enlisting the help of his family. Dr. Carol “Cookie” Champion, Charles’ daughter, remembers serving ice cream when the store first opened and said the whole family all worked there in some capacity or another.

Dr. Charles Champion and Dr. Carol Champion. (Photo: Courtesy Champion’s Herb Store)

Carol explains that following in her father’s footsteps can be a major undertaking, but even from a young age the urge to study pharmacy was in her blood. After graduating from Memphis Catholic High School in 1987, she studied chemistry and biology at Xavier University and Southern University and A&M College. She returned to Memphis after graduating and became a doctor of pharmacy through the University of Tennessee Health Science.

After working as a floater for Walgreens Pharmacy for many years, Carol decided to take over the family business in 2018. This was around the time when Charles became visually impaired. She said this was the opportunity to introduce herself and her skillset to their customers while he was still here.

“In hindsight, I feel like this was part of God’s plan,” Carol said. “Not to take his eyesight, but for me to come in and do some of the work. Daddy didn’t want to change things, but I’m glad I pushed while he was there to see what I planned on doing, which has happened today. I am growing the business; we’ve upgraded the business; we have new labeling; we have new branding.”

The company is now known as Dr. Champion’s Herbal Blends, which pays homage to the beginning of Charles’ career of blending herbal remedies that he started after graduating from Xavier in 1955.

Continuing her father’s legacy is imperative for Carol. She said her father “lived and loved pharmacy,” with compassion leading his work. 

“That’s all that I know — is to be compassionate,” Carol said. “I’m so grateful that I do have his heart of compassion for the people.”

When reflecting on her father’s impact, the trust that he gained from his community stands out. As she considers this, she is reminded of how rewarding it is for this same community to welcome and accept her as she took over.

“I did not know that after the passing of my father if I would have been embraced,” Carol said. “It feels like his legacy has been seamlessly perfected in what we’re doing today to create a longstanding business.”

The community also played an important role in bringing Champion’s into this new chapter, and they’re looking forward to seeing the company grow.

“I want to make Memphis look good,” Champion added. “I’m hopeful that we can take the same energy we have from Elvis Presley to the Downtown area.”

While the store is not a pharmacy, it still touts Dr. Champion’s blends that have worked for generations. Carol said this presents an opportunity for them to bring their products to not only a new part of town, but to travelers as well.

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Memphis Chapter of Food Not Bombs Accuses DMC of ‘Content-Based’ Discrimination in Letter

The Memphis Chapter of Food Not Bombs has written a letter claiming that the Downtown Memphis Commission has committed “content-based discrimination” on the basis of the First Amendment. The chapter also questioned the DMC’s authority to “require and issue permits to non-vendors.”

In a letter addressed to Paul Young, president and CEO of the Downtown Memphis Commission, chapter members explained that they were having a picnic at Court Square Park and giving food to people in need. They then said that members of the DMC’s Blue Suede Brigade began to “harass them.”

“The first police interaction involved a new member of the Blue Suede Brigade, who initially thanked us for our presence and said he would tell folks in need that we had food for them. He then walked away,” the letter said.

According to the letter, Food Not Bombs was then asked if they had a permit, and they allegedly explained that since they were not selling anything, a permit was not required.

“This chapter of Food Not Bombs has been active for one year and we have never been ordered to obtain a permit for having a picnic and sharing food. In the year that we have been having picnics and providing food to people in need, we have never had an incident anywhere else in the city,” they said.

The DMC responded under Food Not Bombs’ social media post saying that they apologized and that they did not “get it all right” in their conversations with Food Not Bombs and the Blue Suede Brigade.

“Our officers were correct in mentioning the permits necessary for activation in Court Square Park. But they should have felt empowered to waive this requirement for the type of use your team was engaged in,” they said in a comment.

They also thanked Food Not Bombs for the “opportunity to learn, grow, and be better community advocates,” and said that they will be implementing new training protocols immediately.

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Get in the Flow: Your Inner Yogi Hosts Virtual Classes

CREDIT: Julie Song

Your Inner Yogi (YIY) recently released its free online yoga series on Instagram via its weekly Friday Night Live series, in partnership with the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC). It was originally meant to be part of DMC’s Yoga in the Park program until COVID-19 put a wrench in those plans.

“Originally, we planned for these classes to be held outside at Court Square Park,” says yoga instructor Caroline Collins. “The classes were supposed to start in April, and it was really a way for us to engage with the community.”

But YIY and DMC were able to think quickly on their toes and take the series online, starting with a Vinyasa Flow session led by Collins. Now, two weeks later, Collins will lead the same class.

Julie Song

Caroline Collins of Your Inner Yogi

“In my upcoming classes in May, I plan to teach Vinyasa Flow, which essentially means one breath links to one movement,” says Collins. “It means that you’re tuning into your breath first. And you’re allowing your breath to be your guide, so that a movement comes on an inhale and another movement comes on an exhale.”

Yoga is an ancient practice that has been found to provide a slew of benefits, including boosting physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health. Collins says that everyone should have access to these benefits, regardless of their ability to pay, and she stresses the importance of self-care during times like these.

“Right now, as we’re dealing with a new normal, I think a lot of us have found ourselves trying to figure out what our routines look like since everything was uprooted,” she says. “Facing these new challenges can impact everything from our thoughts and our perceptions, to even manifesting in physical ways. So yoga gives us the opportunity to come back home to ourselves to reconnect, take things one breath, one moment, at a time, and helps us focus on the present.”

instagram.com/yourinneryogi, Friday, May 1st, 6:30 p.m., free.

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Pedestrian Bridge Planned to Connect Pinch District, Bass Pro Shops

CREDIT: City of Memphis

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The city of Memphis is looking to build a pedestrian bridge connecting Front Street to Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid.

The proposed Pinch Pedestrian Bridge went before the Downtown Memphis Commission’s Design Review Board (DRB) Tuesday.

The 190-foot pedestrian bridge would run from 301 N Front Street, just south of the I-40 ramp to the Bass Pro Shops parking lot.



The city hopes the new bridge will “solve a critical connectivity problem,” according to the city’s application to the DRB.

Currently, it takes about 25 minutes to get from the Memphis Convention Center to Bass Pro, but once the bridge is constructed that walk is expected to be trimmed by 16 minutes.

The bridge will be constructed, incorporating design elements of the Pyramid, the remodeled Convention Center, and the Mississippi River.

As part of the project, traffic signals and pedestrian crosswalks will also be added to the intersection at Front Street and Jackson Avenue.

A pedestrian bridge connecting the Pinch district to the Pyramid was first constructed in 1991, but it was removed when the Pyramid was re-purposed as the Bass Pro Shops in 2015 and never replaced.

A pedestrian bridge connecting the two assets was identified as a necessity in a comprehensive plan for the Pinch District done in 2016. The proposed bridge aims to meet this connectivity need.

The project is expected to cost $3.8 million with construction beginning in spring 2020, according to the Memphis Business Journal.


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DMC Calls for Artists to Enhance Downtown Alleys

CREDIT: DMC

DMC

Site of future installations


The Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) is looking for artists to install “interesting and high-quality” art projects in a series of alleys Downtown.

The project, dubbed The Artery: Stereo to Escape, is named for the alleys the DMC is focusing on. The installations will begin in Stereo Alley, continue down Maggie H. Isabel Street to Rendezvous Alley, and end at Escape Alley.

The DMC wants to establish the alleys as a destination with “visually interesting and memorable artwork,” while also improving the pedestrian experience.

The idea is to curate a diverse collection of public art, according to the DMC. Eligible types of projects include sculptures, artistic lighting, murals, video projections, and interactive and kinetic pieces. All projects have to be suitable for outdoor display for at least three years.

DMC

Overview of project site

Interested artists can apply online by Monday, October 8th. The three-part application asks for information about the artists, relevant work experience, and the proposed project, including a description, sketch, and proposed budget.

The DMC plans to select projects of varying medium, scale, and cost, commissioning at least four murals costing anywhere from $500 to $10,000 each and one sculpture costing between $20,000 and $30,000. Selected artists will be notified by early December, and the installations will begin soon after, wrapping up before mid-April.

Ahead of the projects going up, the DMC plans to repave the alleys with stamped asphalt and install string lights.


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News The Fly-By

Part of Mulberry Street To Close For Chisca Parking

CREDIT: Bianca Phillips

The restoration and planned development of the Chisca Hotel is moving along after an approved closure of a downtown street.

The unanimous approval to close Mulberry Street between Pontotoc and Dr. M.L.K. Jr. avenues came at a Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) Design Review Board meeting last week.

The street will close to allow for more parking on the service lot east of the hotel building. That lot will be redesigned and landscaped, and it will be enclosed to only allow for Chisca parking.

The refurbished hotel will include 161 apartments, as well as retail and restaurant space on the street level. The redevelopment is being spearheaded by Main Street Apartment Partners LLC.

LYFE Kitchen — a fast-casual, health-focused restaurant startup chain — will be moving into the property. LYFE is currently headquartered in Palo Alto, California, but it will be moving its base of operations to Memphis in 2015.

Members of the South Main Association objected to the Mulberry Street closure. At the DMC meeting, Ben Avant, a former president of the association, read from a prepared statement from members, some of whom were looking forward to seeing the street open again after construction was complete. Currently, the street is blocked off with construction equipment.

“One of South Main’s biggest strengths is our unique pedestrian environment,” Avant said. “Reducing this pedestrian access by closing this stretch of Mulberry will affect the surrounding blocks by further dividing the area and dominating the urban setting.”

The DMC design review board’s staff report opposed closing Mulberry Street, but it recommended approval of the design of the reconfigured lot.

Bianca Phillips

Mulberry Street, by the Chisca, will be closed.

“Closing public streets runs counter to basic urban design theory about how to strengthen the pedestrian connections and enhance the pedestrian experience,” the staff report reads.

Brett Roler, the director of planning with the DMC, said the proposal might not fall into what the board is supposed to decide.

“From [the] staff’s perspective, if you can see that it’s okay to close a street and you can see that it’s okay to configure the parking lot this way, what they’re proposing is consistent with the guidelines in terms of the design of the fence [enclosure], the size of the fence, the character of the fence, and the character of the landscaping,” Roler said. “We believe all of that to be appropriate. The question really is, ‘Is it okay to close a public street to accommodate a parking lot?'”

Roler also questioned whether or not Mulberry functions as a street anymore, which prompted later discussion from the board about tourists who navigate to the National Civil Rights Museum, partly due to Google Maps guiding unknowing tourists onto that road versus taking them down Main Street.

Terry Lynch, a partner in the development group, said the size of the reconfigured block would be consistent with the blocks in the surrounding area, like the Memphis, Light, Gas, and Water property as well as the Orpheum property.

“It’s very consistent when you do big projects like this that you include the areas around it,” Lynch said, citing the Peabody Place project among others. “In the 10 years since the FedExForum, since we spent $250 million and got a great Grizzlies team, that building looks like it was built three years ago. It looks great. But if you look around there, there hasn’t been one permit issued. There’s been no economic development. This is the first attempt that’s been made to do anything in 10 years — in this case, 20 years. We’re stepping up to the table, putting $25 million into this asset that’s going to open up South Main like you’ve never seen before.”