Tag: Downtown

Donut Factory Now Open on South Main

Post author By Susan Ellis
Post date May 17, 2016

“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.

Tags Alele Ayanru, donuts, Downtown, The Donut Factory

Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Lunch at Pink Diva Cupcakery

Post author By Susan Ellis
Post date August 27, 2015

Pink Diva Cupcakery opened a couple weeks ago in the old DeJaVu spot on Florida.

In addition to vegan cupcakes — including her signature Diva Delight (chocolate with chocolate mousse filling), Snickerdoodles, triple chocolate, etc. — Pink Diva offers a small vegan lunch menu.

While it’s not on this menu, Pink Diva also offers nachos with a choice of toppings — barbecue tofu, beans, rice, olives, jalapenos. …

It’s hard not to get them all, which I just about did.

There’s barbecue tofu (excellent), guacamole, cheese, salsa, onions, beans, and olives. All in all, a delicious heap.

Tags Cassi Conyers., Downtown, lunch, Pink Diva Cupcakery

Style Sessions We Recommend

A Look inside Oxn – A New Men’s Clothing Store

Post author By Sophorn Kuoy
Post date June 12, 2015

In an unexpected part of the South Main district, 4-foot tall white letters “OXN” cover the glass of a previously empty storefront to mark the presence of new men’s clothing and lifestyle store. Oxn was recently launched by Zac Woolfolk as part of MEMShop’s latest initiative to activate a portion of the proposed Heritage Trail route with small business retail on South Second Street.

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After applying for the MEMShop Heritage Trail inclusion in January of this year, Zac already knew he would carry brands he personally had been buying and wearing for years. Quality basics such as jeans and T-shirts would define the stock. He points to his first pair of Rogue Territory jeans displayed on Oxn’s back wall. The retired pair is well-worn and well-loved. The wear of his jeans demonstrates the nice fade, not evident when glancing at a fresh pair.

Rogue Territory and other brands at Oxn like Ewing Dry Goods and Apolis are not only high quality and functional but also meaningful to Zac. For example, he recently featured on his website the Apolis Market Bag that sources fabric from a co-op of artisan women in a rural part of Bangladesh, demonstrating their company name meaning “global citizen.” Zac’s care for the mission and story behind each brand drove his choices and eventually led to Oxn. It would be the only shop in Memphis to carry most of these brands.

In the spirit of MEMShop’s mission, Zac developed a name to the retail store that spoke of its potential in Memphis.

‘Auxin’ is a growth hormone in plants. I liked the idea of growth with my type of store in the city of Memphis, so I played around with the homophone and ended up with Oxn,” he explains. Looking ahead, Zac hopes to test out and carry more brands.

“Earlier this week I was introduced to the best T-shirt in the world made by 3sixteen. I was skeptical but 3sixteen proved me wrong. So I hope to be carrying those in the next couple of weeks.”

Zac also is looking forward to carrying another brand acknowledged by GQ in their Best of 2015 Designers of the Year, The Hill-Side out of Brooklyn, NY, for their use of fabric in men’s ties, pocket squares and scarves.

“I’m looking into other accessories and men’s goods. While I may not carry women’s clothes in the immediate future, unisex accessories is something that I plan to always keep in stock, as well. Scarves, bags, and I even had women’s perfumes, which have sold quite well,” he adds.

Oxn will be in the Second street space through October 31 when Zac will then decide on leasing it further on a month-to-month basis or find a more permanent space for his store.

Visit them at 488 South Second Street, east of Central BBQ.
Hours are Monday, Wednesday through Saturday noon-7 p.m. Sunday 1-5 p.m.

The online shop is now open. Keep up with store updates on Instagram and Facebook – OxnShop.

Tags Downtown, gifts, Heritage Trail, MEMShop, men's clothing, Oxn, South Main, Zac Woolfolk

Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Bella Cafe To Open Location Downtown

Post author By Susan Ellis
Post date May 13, 2015

Bella Cafe, which operates out of the Pink Palace, will open a second location on the second floor of the Raymond James building at 50 Front.

Owner Mitch Buckner says they plan to be open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday, serving sandwiches, wraps, salads, burgers, daily blue plate specials, breakfast sandwiches, and desserts. The space will also feature a full coffee bar with coffee drinks and fruit smoothies. Buckner helped open Tamp & Tap, so expect to see a few menu items from there as well.

They will also use the kitchen for catering.

They’re hoping to be open by mid-June.

Tags Bella Cafe, Downtown, Raymond James building

Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

High Cotton Set For High Times

Post author By Toby Sells
Post date June 13, 2014

High Cotton Brewing Co. will grandly open its Monroe Avenue Taproom Saturday at 4 p.m. with food, music, and the brewery’s lineup of tasty (and even daring) beers.

The taproom has been under construction for months and will open pretty close to the brewery’s first birthday. Anticipation for the event has been high.

Like Willy Wonka to the golden ticket winners, the High Cotton owners opened the taproom doors to the Memphis press Thursday. (No one got stuck in a tank of beer, turned into an enormous pint glass, and the bartenders did not sing self-righteous songs against gluttony or anything else.)

The taproom is located right across Monroe Avenue from Kudzu’s, the Memphis institution known for live music and a laid-back attitude. One bartender remarked that the proximity will be great for any taproom guest looking for a cocktail and he pointed right across the street to Kudzu’s.

The taproom itself is has a warm glow, lit by huge bay windows that face Monroe. It’s also spacious with tons of room at the long bar (right out of a Hollywood western), and plenty of high-top and low-top tables. High ceilings make the whole space feel airy and comfortable. Not airy enough for you? High Cotton offers a big covered patio right outside the bar area for a good mix of light, breeze, and shade.

The taproom aesthetic is a spot-on blend of High Cotton’s agrarian branding and good-time approach. Reclaimed wood surrounds guests from the tables, the walls, and the ceiling (much of the wood was reclaimed from older parts of the Cotton Exchange building). The wood, the concrete floor, and deliberately un-fancy fixtures create a back-to-basics vibe, bereft of modern-day distractions. It makes it easy to focus on good beer and good company.

A giant, light-bulbed sign that reads, “BEER!,” makes it easy to find High Cotton’s main event behind the bar. The company’s beer has been in Memphis restaurants and bars for a good long while now and many by now are familiar with its mainstay Biere de Garde, ESB, Saison, or Scottish Ale. All of those are present on the tap wall at the Monroe Avenue Taproom, of course.

But High Cotton has always had the creative space to try something different. On tap Thursday was the brewery’s delicious, refreshing, and rose-colored Sow & Reap Saison made with with cherries and smoked beets. Try it. You’ll like it, especially in the heat. Owners said to expect a wide array of limited-edition beers at the taproom as seasons change or bolts of creativity strike them.

Saturday’s grand opening will feature music from Dead Soldiers and food-truck food from Rock ‘n’ Dough and Stickem. Doors open at 4 p.m. and close at 10 p.m.

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Tags beer, Downtown, High Cotton Brewing

Opinion

Best and Worst of Budget Week

Post author By John Branston
Post date June 8, 2011

CREDIT: Jackson Baker

Jackson Baker

A week of vacation in Florida ignoring the headlines followed by a dive into budget hearings at City Hall and Anthony Weiner and Sarah Palin dominating the national news. Talk about a shock. Here are my picks for best and worst of the week, so far.

Shameless plug: Read my colleague Jackson Baker’s take on perks for members of the City Council and County Commission. Good stuff. The public wears out part-time elected officials over perks. Baker puts perks in perspective.

Easy prediction: I bet that Anthony Weiner, as I write this, is negotiating with Dancing With the Stars. The vanity, the shaved chest, the guilt trip, the celebrity, the childishness, the icky flirting. He’s a natural.

Strange nostalgia: For politicians who had affairs with actual adult sexy women. JFK and Marilyn and the Mafia moll, Wilbur Mills and the Argentine Firecracker.

Worst Memphis budget idea: Cracking down on downtown parking meters after blanketing the streets with them and raising the price. The distance from East Memphis and the ‘burbs and the panhandling aren’t enough of a handicap? And who has $1.50 in change? And how long will it take that $20 parking fine to escalate into a $75 late fee? Who loves a parking garage compared to a free suburban parking lot? And what about free-parking zones like Harbor Town, which lets people park just about any assbackwards way they damn well please, which is one of the reasons why I like to go there and will drive out of my way to do it?

Second worst budget idea: Charging $7 for car inspections. Insult to injury. And county residents outside of Memphis, at least for the time being, don’t have to put up with it. Barbara Swearengen Ware and those clerks were ahead of their time. A better idea would be to allow citizens to pay $50 in slush funds to permanently opt out of inspections. Makes me think of that old line, “I don’t want to live in a town where you can’t get a parking ticket fixed.”

Third worst idea: Raising court fees to $135. This smacks of those notorious ticket mill towns in Arkansas and Tennessee that bust Memphians for going five over on their way to Heber Springs or Pickwick. It’s traffic enforcement driven by revenue instead of safety. I can see it already from time to time on North Parkway near where I live.

Hardest call: The proposed 18-cent property tax increase that failed 8-4 but could come back again in two weeks. It raises serious money — $20 million — and I personally prefer it to being nibbled to death by the fines and fees that doubtless await me.

Still sacred cows: Police, fire, unannexed Southwind where wealthy residents pay zero Memphis property taxes, nonprofits, eds and meds, AFSCME, the Riverfront Development Corporation, school closings, paid time off that averages 55 days a year, and emergency preparedness where everyone who is anyone gets the latest computer, phone, radio, and maybe an SUV.

All right, so now my house burns down, my appraisal goes up, I get a rash of tickets, flood rescuers ignore me, and a “did not pass because of faulty O2 sensor.” Ah, Florida.

Tags Anthony Weiner, dancing with the stars, Downtown, parking meters

Opinion

Best, Worst Ideas of 2007

Post author By John Branston
Post date December 27, 2007

I don’t think it’s a good idea for anyone to serve five straight terms as mayor, but 42 percent of the people who voted in October thought otherwise. Underestimating Mayor Willie Herenton’s political base was not a good idea, and neither was relying on polls to tell you to run against him in a three-way.

It was a good idea for seven City Council incumbents to decide not to run again. (Rickey Peete and Edmund Ford had little choice.) Fresh horses and all that, plus the next four years won’t be any picnic if Memphis slides into a recession.

Going to trial against federal prosecutors in public corruption cases was not a good idea. They’re unbeaten. John Ford put up a good fight, but the tapes were devastating and a jury convicted him on one count to get him a 66-month prison sentence, slightly more than the 63 months given to Roscoe Dixon, who also went to trial.

Cooperating with federal prosecutors was a good idea. Second-offender Rickey Peete got 51 months, and Michael Hooks, who held three elected positions in his career, is serving 26 months. Darrell Catron, who kicked off Tennessee Waltz, got probation plus a new house and spending money without, so far, even having to testify in a trial. Ralph Lunati pleaded guilty and got 18 months for running what investigators called the wildest and most wide-open, drug-infested strip clubs in the country.

Building a team for the future was not a good idea. The Grizzlies will be eliminated from playoff contention about the time March Madness begins.

Building a team for the present was a good idea. You can complain about college basketball stars leaving school early for the pros or you can accept the fact and go get them, as Coach John Calipari has done. No one has done a better job than Calipari of making the best of a bad situation — competition, Beale Street clubs, a weak Conference USA schedule, early departures, a resurgent University of Tennessee. Memphis against UT will be the hottest ticket of 2008.

Hanging around until the shit hits the fan was not a good idea. Joseph Lee, a nice guy who got terrible press, would be in a lot less trouble today if he had not stayed so long at MLGW or had never gone over there from City Hall in the first place.

Resigning before the shit hits the fan was a good idea. Andy Dolich, a nice guy who got great press, couldn’t sell out FedExForum for the Grizzlies. Two weeks later, he landed on his feet as chief operating officer for the San Francisco 49ers. And has anyone seen Jerry West or remember why he was the toast of the town? And why didn’t Carol Johnson tell us any of this stuff was going on at the Memphis City Schools before she left for Boston to be superintendent?

More fun downtown, in the form of roller coasters at The Pyramid, is not a good idea. Look at it this way: Nashville has state government and office buildings and corporate headquarters of insurance companies and telecoms, Knoxville has the University of Tennessee, Little Rock has the Capitol and the Clinton library, and the front door of Memphis might be an amusement park in an abandoned landmark?

Less fun and more work downtown is a good idea. If Mud Island is going to be closed more than half the year, then why not let a private developer have a go at it? Closing streets and turning St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and ALSAC into a true campus was another good idea. So was signing a deal to bring the University of Memphis law school downtown to the old Customs House and post office on Front Street.

Monetizing content by selling sponsorships for stories in The Commercial Appeal was not a good idea, unless you’re in the public relations business.

But monetizing content somehow in the Internet age is a good idea, unless you think reporters and editors should work for nothing. And so was the CA‘s decision to admit a mistake and back off before any more damage was done.

Building a new football stadium at the Fairgrounds was a bad idea. The problem is the teams on the field, Conference USA, and the stadium’s shabby surroundings.

Flat screens, high def, and the new no-smoking regs in bars were good ideas. The best seat in the house is at a sports bar or on your couch.

Tags 2007, best, development, Downtown, ideas, Local, Politics, Sports, worst

Living Spaces Real Estate

Yea-sayers

Post author By Greg Akers
Post date November 15, 2007

CREDIT: Artist Rendering Courtesy of the Bryan Company

They said it couldn’t be done: a high-rise condominium development in downtown Memphis? Two towers, 300-plus units, 16 floors? World-class amenities, unparalleled views, big bang for the buck? Not gonna happen, they said, because who’s gonna buy it?

Well, what do they know?

That was the message at the recent groundbreaking ceremony for phase one of the Horizon, Memphis’ newest upscale condominium development. Gary Garland, president of the Garland Company and the Horizon’s development manager, summed up a common response over the last couple years to the project’s prospects: “There were naysayers in Memphis, Tennessee, who said, ‘Y’all will never get this done.'” And yet, there Garland stood on Novermber 8th, along with Memphis mayor Willie Herenton, Shelby County commissioner Mike Ritz, the Horizon’s developer Steve Bryan of the Bryan Company, Center City Commission president Jeff Sanford, Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau president Kevin Kane, and other local heavy hitters.

Artist Rendering Courtesy of the Bryan Company

A Rendering of the downtown high-rise.

Celebratory and a little defiant, Garland, Bryan, Sanford, and Herenton each took the podium, the golden shovels waiting nearby to make action verbs out of the promises touted by developers since the Horizon was first announced. “You’ll be able to watch this thing come up,” Garland said, his words reinforced by the sound of construction vehicles and a giant hole in the ground a couple dozen yards away. (The Horizon actually broke ground a few months ago.)

Herenton put his imprimatur on the event. “This is a great day in the history of the great city of Memphis,” he said. “This is an exciting time in the evolution of downtown for a great Southern city.

Developers and city officials, including Mayor Willie Herenton, break ground for the Horizon.

“I know a little bit about development, and this was a great risk,” Herenton said about the Horizon. But he added that the groundbreaking was a lesson about not listening to naysayers. He admitted he’s had his share over the years.

“We will make possible what you, naysayers, have said wasn’t possible,” Herenton added.

Sanford looked into his crystal ball, saying, “The Horizon will be the queen, I predict, of this terrific downtown neighborhood.”

The development’s amenities certainly sound royal: a private movie theater, a climate-controlled wine cellar with space for personal storage, indoor and outdoor pools, a putting green, a fitness center, a party and activity room with a fireplace, a 24-hour doorman/concierge, a business tech center, a tennis court, and a rooftop patio with views of the Mississippi River. And those amenities are just for the Horizon’s common areas.

“We decided we wanted to raise the level, and we’re doing it,” Bryan said of the vision for the Horizon. “We’re not finished,” he continued. “We have a long way to go.

“We’re going to change the horizon of the Mississippi River and downtown Memphis in a very positive way.”

Tags condominium, development, Downtown, Gary Garland, Herenton, Horizon