Tag: Downtown

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

STIX Restaurant Opens Downtown Location

CREDIT: Photo courtesy STIX Restaurant

Photo courtesy STIX Restaurant

The entrance to STIX Restaurant on Second St.

To find some of the newest pan-asian food Downtown, just follow the dragon. STIX Restaurant opened the doors of its second Memphis location earlier today at the former home of Dan McGuinness Irish Pub.

Patrons can enter the front doors on N. 2nd Street, grab a menu, and follow the long dragon mural down the hallway to the register. Meanwhile, ServiceMaster employees can enter STIX through a side door without leaving the office.

The interior underwent a complete redesign, with owner Wayne Yeh overseeing the installation of lounge seating, traditional tables, and a floor-to-ceiling moss wall emblazoned with the STIX logo.

“Our Downtown location is situated in a beautiful, newly renovated space that I know locals and tourists alike are going to enjoy visiting,” says Yeh. “Whether you’re looking for a unique meal like a sushi burrito or you want to take a more traditional route and go with a cup of Egg Drop Soup with a sushi roll, we have something delicious to offer.”

Unlike the Collierville location, the 2,600-square-foot space offers counter service only. The menu contains traditional items like hibachi, sushi, and crispy spring rolls, but Yeh also plans for STIX to offer daily specials like steamed Asian buns, or Memphis-centric sushi burritos (take your pick between the Bluff City Burrito or Riverside Roll). The restaurant also serves select local and domestic beer. For now, STIX will only serve a limited menu for takeout. Orders can be placed ahead of time online, or at a digital kiosk inside the restaurant.

STIX Restaurant

150 Peabody Pl.

12-8p.m., Monday-Saturday.

www.stixonline.com

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News News Blog

Raymond James Wins Tax Break to Move From Downtown

CREDIT: Raymond James

Raymond James

A company that saw record-setting, multi-billion-dollar revenues and record-setting, multi-million profits in 2018, won’t have to pay full taxes for its new operations in Memphis over the next eight years.

Raymond James Financial won a $3.2 million payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) deal from the Memphis and Shelby County Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) Wednesday for a project to move its Memphis operation from Downtown to East Memphis.

The vote was unanimously approved by EDGE board members, with two members recusing themselves from the vote. The vote came after zero debate on the deal and only a few questions from one board member.

The broker-dealer firm will have its full tax bill partially forgiven here over the next eight years for a $23.6 million project in East Memphis. That project would add 100 employees here and yield more than $5.8 million in local taxes over the term of the agreement, according to the company.

EDGE president Reid Dulberger said the properties Raymond James will move into now yield about $670,000 each year in real and personal property taxes for the city. During the eight-year course of the PILOT, the properties will yield $805,000, which Dulberger characterized as a “tidy increase for the city and county.” Once the PILOT term is finished, the property will yield $1.1 million in taxes annually, Dulberber said in his short remarks to introduce the project to the EDGE board Wednesday.

With the PILOT in hand, the Memphis facility will expand, providing service for the Private Capital Group, Equity Capital Markets, Fixed Income Markets, and maintaining a portion of the company’s back office operations.

The company said it needs to leave the iconic, step-roofed building in Downtown Memphis for a new location in East Memphis. Raymond James officials would not give any timeline as to when the 705 employees in the tower now will leave for the space in East Memphis.

Worth Morgan, the recently re-elected Memphis City Council member, hold the council’s non-voting seat on the EDGE board. He said while it’s hard to see companies leave Downtown Memphis, he doesn’t lose sleep over the future of the Raymond James tower the way he does over properties like 100 N Main.

“Because of the deterioration of its Downtown facility, Raymond James has signed two leases to relocate its operations into a 250,000 square feet in two buildings located in East Memphis,” reads the firm’s application to EDGE. “The leases are contingent on EDGE’s approval of our PILOT application. If approved, Raymond James will add at 100 jobs at these East Memphis locations.”
[pullquote-1] Those jobs would come with a an average salary of nearly $64,000, far north of the $40,400 salaries targeted by EDGE. More than half of those new jobs would be operations clerks with annual salaries of $50,000 and a benefits and incentive package worth $20,000. Thirty-five asset management clerks would earn the same package.

An operations manager could earn a package worth $152,000 annually. An asset manager supervisor could earn $154,000.

Each year, the company would pay nearly $8 million in wages and benefits to all of its employees here, according to its application.

Raymond James is based in St. Petersburg, Florida. In 2012, Raymond James and Memphis-based Morgan Keegan merged to form “one of the country’s largest independent full-service wealth management and investment banking firms not headquartered on Wall Street,” according to the Raymond James website.
[pullquote-2] The company posted “record annual net revenues of $7.27 billion” in its 2018 fiscal year, according financial reports. In 2018, the company also posted “record annual net income [or profits] of $856.7 million.” It’s total return on equity during the year was 14.4 percent.

[pdf-1] “Our focus on attracting and retaining client-centric financial advisors and providing them with industry-leading tools and resources continues to produce record results,” Raymond James Financial chairman and CEO Paul Reilly, said in a statement at the time. “It is especially gratifying to deliver shareholders an attractive return on equity in fiscal 2018, particularly given our strong capital position and the significant investments we made during the year.”

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Jimmy John’s Going in Agave Maria Space

Sandwich chain Jimmy John’s is going into the old Agave Maria space on Union in Downtown.

Alex Turley of Henry Turley Company, which leases the space, says it was a matter of finding the right business for the spot, locally owned or a chain.

He points to Cafe Samovar, a 15-year tenant in that space. It was a Russian restaurant that closed in early 2006. After that, a number of restaurants have moved in but didn’t stick. The latest was Agave Maria, an upscale Mexican restaurant that specialized in tequila.

Agave Maria was opened in 2015 by Jeff Johnson of Local. It closed for several months in 2017-18 and reopened briefly with a more standard menu but the new take didn’t take.

“We couldn’t find a local tenant that could make it work in that space,” says Turley.

The space, at 83 Union, is a prominent one. It’s next to Parking Can Be Fun and near the Main Street Mall and the Cotton Exchange Building. 


The point, says Turley and the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC), is that the business succeeds, whether it be a chain or not. (Plus, he says, Jimmy John’s sandwiches are good.)

A statement from the DMC:

“Like most Memphians, the DMC staff and board appreciate the predominance of locally owned retailers and restaurants in our Downtown core. However, we strongly favor activated space over empty storefronts in all cases.

“And we warmly welcome chains into the mix in those cases.”

The plan is to open sometime in August, according to Jacob Davis, a representative of the owner of the franchise.

The franchisee, Travis Vannatta, has 15 Jimmy John’s, with several in Memphis, North Dakota, and Minnesota.

Davis says the appeal of the Jimmy John’s franchise is the company’s culture. “Everybody who works for Jimmy John’s buys into the brand, not the sandwiches,” he says. He says it’s the sense of teamwork that sets it apart.

Jimmy John’s is known for its “Freaky Fast, Freaky Fresh” approach. “Everything inside our four walls is done with speed,” Davis says. He says that customers can get their sandwiches as fast as 30 seconds with delivery in as little as 15 minutes.

Davis suggests the Italian Night Club sandwich. It’s salami, capicola, ham, and provolone with onion, lettuce, tomato, mayo, oil & vinegar, and oregano & basil.

“That sandwich is absolutely amazing,” he says. “I highly recommend that for first-time customers. It gets them hooked.” 

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Memphis Farmers Market Names New Director

The Memphis Farmers Market (MFM) has named a new executive director. Robert Marcy, a longtime MFM volunteer and board member, replaces Rebecca Dull.

Marcy has a long and varied career, which involves working in the neurosurgery department at Baptist and interior design.

Marcy began volunteering at the market, adjacent to the train station Downtown, about nine years ago, he says. His volunteering led him to be asked to serve on the board and then he was named as vendor chair.

Marcy says that in that role he’s been “boots on the ground.”

“You really need to be in every market interacting with the vendors,” he says. “And after six years [as chair], it’s just become my family.”

Marcy’s time on the board had just run out when Dull resigned. Since Marcy trained Dull, he felt equipped to take on the new job.

He scrolls and scrolls (and scrolls) through a list on his phone with all his ideas for the market.

They include:

• A pet check, which replaces the pet sitting service and has already been implemented. This involves a tether system that keeps dogs away from each other.

• a customer frequent shopper card

• a vendor mentoring program

• social media training for vendors

• meal kits

• off-site education

• community garden

• cookbook

• an expansion of the Heart of the Market program, which helps vendors in need.

Marcy says the job has energized him. He leaps out of bed in the morning ready to start work implementing his ideas.

“Local food is the reason why we’re here,” he says. “This is a community gathering place. We want to bring people down here and use it like that. You’re not going to get this experience at a national grocery chain.” 

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Swanky’s Downtown Set to Open on Wednesday

The latest Swanky’s, in the Chisca space that once held LYFE Kitchen, is set to open Wednesday, May 1st.

This is Swanky’s third location.

Swanky’s had been looking for a Downtown location for a while.

Swanky’s owner Matt Wilson says, “So much happening in Downtown. It’s going to be our third store in Memphis. We looked Downtown for years and years and we haven’t found the right spot. And timing wasn’t right. We looked at One Commerce Square probably seven year ago. It didn’t work out.

“Now I feel there’s so much momentum for our great city and what’s going on Downtown. We cater to all sorts of clients, who have been asking for Swanky’s to come Downtown for a long time. Chase Carlisle brought the opportunity to my attention and we started talking about it late last spring.”

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Dinner and a Movie at Powerhouse Cinema

When the Powerhouse Cinema opens tonight Downtown, it may just redefine what dinner and a movie means.

The cinema, which once housed steam generators for the train station, is the best and brightest in movie technology — recliner seats that recline all the way back, huge screens for IMAX, reserved seating. But we’re here to talk about the food.

The Powerhouse features a full-scale restaurant with a wood-fire oven for pizzas. The menu ranges from everything from chicken sandwiches to avocado toast.

You can also get milkshakes and booze ’em up at the bar. Scott Tashie of Malco says the menu covers all the bases. They’ve got pretzels made by Dave Scott of Dave’s Bagels and local beers on tap. The cocktail menu includes nods to both Memphis (Mud Island Tea) and to movies (007).

Tashie says they incorporated items from some of the other Malco grills and punched up the restaurant’s menu with new items such as the wood-fired pizzas. The menu includes a hodgepodge of influences and genres — wontons and toasted ravioli, fried shrimp with firecracker sauce, and barbecue nachos. There are also salads and fish and chips. The pizzas are mostly classic — veggie, Hawaiian, pepperoni. Of course, you’ve gotta have a pork-barbecue pizza.

The space is meant to invoke a good atmosphere and good vibes, says Tashie. There are TVs around and a nice patio out front.

Malco partnered with the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA), which owned the building, to get the Powerhouse built.

“None of this would be possible without MATA,” say Karen Melton, Malco’s VP and director of marketing.

Along the restaurant’s front, there are the original windows (the glass was replaced). Bricks from the original building were repurposed. Along those eco-friendly lines, a new corn-based straw is being introduced and Malco will serve popcorn in recyclable bags.

Tashie says cinemas such as the Powerhouse are on trend, offering the latest amenities. But Malco wants to stay ahead of the trends.

“We want to be on the cutting edge,” says Tashie, “for Memphis, for Malco.”

With the high-quality sound, the large MXT (IMAX) screens, the pizza and the beer, Malco is aiming for a high-quality experience for its patrons.

One nice perk of the new theater is the in-seat delivery. (Some other Malcos offer this, too.) Patrons order from the concession stand and have their order delivered to their seat. This service ends 10 minutes after the movie starts.

Tashie says of the restaurant, “It’s meant for everyone.” Folks can just stop by for a cocktail or a quick dinner without ever buying a ticket. You can relax and hang out on the patio. But if you’re so inclined to see the Marvel movie, the Powerhouse offers a “true dinner-and-movie experience,” says Tashie. 

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Swanky’s Coming Downtown

Look for later hours and a new dinner menu when the new Swanky’s Taco Shop opens Downtown in the old LYFE Kitchen space in The Chisca on Main. The restaurant, which will become the third Swanky’s location, is slated to open in April, says owner/founder/managing partner Matt Wilson.

“I would anticipate us staying open probably on the weekends,” he says. “Probably the bar open until until 12 or 12:30. Something like that. The kitchen open till 11 on the weekend and probably 10 during the week.

“We will be providing our casual, quick lunch option, which has been shown to be successful for us for almost 14 years. Nighttime table service and a different dinner menu will be unveiled at that location. You won’t consider it a lunch spot, if you know what I mean. A more refined atmosphere.”

And, he says, the new location offers “a great patio opportunity.”

The old LYFE space is only three years old, so Wilson says, “For the majority of it, we’re not going to change a whole lot. Do some demolition of walls and things to open up our queue.”

But, he says, “It’s in really good shape. They took really good care of it.”

They will move into 3,885 square feet, which includes the interior of the restaurant, the dining room and bar, says Chase Carlisle, managing partner of The Chisca on Main. The space also comes with a 1,200 square-foot-patio.

They haven’t set a date for the opening, but Wilson hopes it will be in April.

Wilson says, “So much happening in Downtown. It’s going to be our third store in Memphis. We looked Downtown for years and years and we haven’t found the right spot. And timing wasn’t right. We looked at One Commerce Square probably seven year ago. It didn’t work out.

“Now I feel there’s so much momentum for our great city and what’s going on Downtown. We cater to all sorts of clients, who have been asking for Swanky’s to come Downtown for a long time. Chase Carlisle brought the opportunity to my attention and we started talking about it late last spring.”

David Delapav, who ran Salsa for 14, 15 years, will be “the man in charge Downtown. And we’re already hired some folks and got them training at the Swanky’s on Colonial. We’re fired up. We anticipate a bigger bar business there than we have at our other stores.”

What sets Swanky’s apart? “It’s a commitment to serving the freshest food that we possibly can. We get produce delivered six days a week. And everything we do there is as fresh as possible. It’s certainly not fancy, but we feel we can deliver some healthy alternatives and no MSG garbage. We keep that stuff out and offer fresh flavors.”

Their catering business, with their fajita bars, “continues to grow at leaps and bounds.”

“Tenn Mex” is how they describe their food. “This concept was born in Memphis. Whether it’s our pretty sizable variety of bourbons we offer to some different things we’ve done dessert-wise, we feel like we’ve kept our connection to the Mid-South when we can.


“The whole deal is not possible without having a big crew of folks that are great team members. And we’re only as good as our frontline.”

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News News Blog

Convention Center Hotel Planned for Plaza East of City Hall

CREDIT: Townhouse Management Company/Lowes Hotel & Co

Townhouse Management Company/Lowes Hotel & Co

Proposed luxury apartments at 100 N. Main

The city’s new convention center hotel is now planned for the city-owned plaza directly to the east of City Hall, Doug McGowen the city’s chief operating officer announced Tuesday at a Memphis City Council committee meeting. 

The hotel is being developed by Townhouse Management Company in partnership with the Lowes Hotel & Co. The plans originally called for converting Memphis’ tallest building at 100 N. Main into the hotel, but representatives with Lowes said the plaza was the best option to create a hotel with a vibrant campus around it.

The convention center hotel is slated to rise 26 floors and house 550 rooms, as well as 55,000 square feet of meeting space. A 1,200-spot parking garage is planned for 80 N. Main next door. The plans also include a restaurant, cafe, and three bars.

McGowen said the convention hotel will be “world class and once again give Memphis the chance to host a significant number of meetings and events.”

“It’s a one-time opportunity,” McGowen said. “We must have the deal closed by end of year and the hotel must be open by year 2023.”

[pullquote-1]

The hotel “will be big,” developers said, designed to stand out in city’s skyline, “announcing that Memphis is open for business.”

The goal is span economic development over a two-block area, leading to a “broad revitalization in this portion of Downtown,” developers said. In addition to the hotel, luxury apartments, 30,000 square feet of commercial space, and 65,000 square feet of hotel amenities are planned for 100 N. Main.

Townhouse Management Company/Lowes Hotel & Co

Entire site plan

Jonathan Tisch, CEO of Loews Hotels said when a convention center hotel gets constructed, “all boats rise,” other economic development is spurred, and areas become 24-hour neighborhoods. A hotel, along with commercial and residential space, is the “holy trinity,” he said.

The plan was recommended for approval by the council committee, and the full council is set to vote on the issue in two weeks. An up vote will allow the project to move forward in the approval process to be designated as a “quality public use facility” within the Downtown Tourist Development Zone. The State Building Commission also has to okay the plan.

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News News Blog

Group Calls Reasons for Removing Civil Rights Mural “Shallow,” Mural to Remain

A local group calls the city’s reasons for planning to scrub a civil rights mural “shallow” and “mystifying.”

The Downtown mural, painted on a garage at the corner of Main and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, depicts a civil rights timeline with historical figures like Ida B. Wells.

After the city received complaints over the historical accuracy of the mural, as well as its inclusion of the phrase “Black lives matter,” city officials made tentative plans to scrub the mural.

But, groups like the Midtown Action Coalition expressed concern over the justification for removing the mural.

In a letter to Paul Young, director of the city’s Housing and Community Development division, Gordon Alexander, organizer of the coalition, said the reasons given are “downright mystifying.”

The full letter reads, in part:

“This mural is quite popular and the reasons given for its possible removal seem shallow, and downright mystifying. You state that some persons have expressed concern about the ‘facial expressions’? What does that mean exactly? In response to the concerns for its ‘historical accuracy,’ let’s not forget this is a mural on a garage, not a statue in a civic plaza or a bronze reproduction of a famous event in Memphis history. We believe the pressure is coming from those citizens who took offense at the ‘Black Lives Matter’ inscription. What is their viewpoint? That black lives don’t matter?

[pullquote-1]

“We may have misinterpreted your comments and if so, you have the opportunity to set the record straight. This has all the signs of a miscarriage of justice based on a few, dare I say it, white people who live outside the Parkways.”

After more concerns like this emerged, Ursula Madden, the city’s chief communications officer said Monday that the mayor decided against scrubbing the artwork: “After this issue was brought to Mayor Strickland’s attention, he quickly decided that we are not removing the mural.“

Commissioned to a part of the Memphis Heritage Trail, the mural was created by Michael Roy and Derrick Dent in 2016.

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Donut Factory Now Open on South Main

“Well, it’s funny how this came about,” says Alele “Paul” Ayanru. “First there was the space and what best to do with the space.” 

Ayanru was an electrical engineer who had gotten into real estate, he says. A chance meeting with the landlord of the building at 8 S. Main eventually led to The Donut Factory, which opened last Friday. 

“I wanted to diversify,” Ayanru says. “There are three things people always need: food, clothing, and shelter.” 

He knew he wanted to do food, but wasn’t sure exactly what to focus on. He began visiting restaurants around downtown. 

The small space limited what he would be able to do. He considered a deli, before landing on donuts. 

Ayanru says he researched what makes a good donut a good donut. The donuts so far have been cake, with lemon being a popular flavor. They may have yeast donuts as soon as this weekend. 

Other breakfast items include stuffed French toast and farmer’s omelets. 

The Donut Factory is open 24/7. “Well, we have to be here until midnight at least prepping for the next day,” Ayanru explains.