Tag: Edge District

JEM Restaurant Opening April 25th in Edge District

Post author By Michael Donahue
Post date April 16, 2024

JEM restaurant opens April 25th in the Edge District. (Photo: Courtesy JEM)

Get ready for JEM, a new restaurant slated to open April 25th at 644 Madison Avenue.

According to the news release, the restaurant, manned by chef/co-owner Josh Mutchnick, will feature a “modern American menu” that is “globally inspired and prepared by a world-class chef. The atmosphere is warm, inviting, and decidedly unpretentious.”

The food and menu will “represent Mutchnick’s attitude towards food, with a focus on local and seasonal ingredients, as well as recognizable flavors.”

Mutchnick is co-owner with his wife Emily. “JEM derives from the initials of both of their names and is also an acronym for their slogan, ‘Just Enjoy the Moment.’”

According to the release, “Josh Mutchnick is no stranger to the world of haute cuisine. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, he has worked for some of the best chefs and restaurants in the country, including the Michelin starred El Ideas, Tru, Sixteen, and North Pond in Chicago.”

Located in the Edge District, JEM “offers approachable dining. … The restaurant operates with the philosophy that food can be fun and comforting while still being refined and luxurious.”

Tags Edge District, Emily Mutchnick, JEM, Josh Mutchnick

Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Edge Alley: It’s Time to Close

Post author By Michael Donahue
Post date December 15, 2023

Tim Barker and his Edge Alley restaurant (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Tim Barker no longer “lives” on the Edge.

Edge Alley, that is.

Barker closed his restaurant, Edge Alley at 600 Monroe Avenue, on December 10th.

“I decided not to renew the lease for a number of reasons,” says Barker, 43.

Number one? “I feel it had started to become unsustainable.”

Describing the comfortable Edge District restaurant he opened about seven years ago, Barker says, “Fresh, light, full service. We use the best ingredients we can get our hands on. And those ingredients have gotten to be cost prohibitive.

“With the cost of goods and overhead, labor, I’d have to charge so much for lunch that we wouldn’t be viable for most people.”

Closing Edge Alley “makes the most sense. I don’t want to lower the quality of the product, change our service standard, cut staff. Now is kind of the time for me. Also, my lease is up. So, everything all at once. Rising costs, lease is up, and then maybe the concept has run its course.

“I don’t want to lower our standards and I don’t want to start using products that aren’t up to our standards. I’d rather close now while we’re at the top, on top of our game. The restaurant was doing really well. Everyone who worked here was really happy. A really good team.”

Barker has been trying to place all of his employees. “Most of them have already landed something.”

Describing Edge Alley, Barker says, “I’d say that we were upscale lunch and brunch with a focus on quality and consistency.”

They served “New American” or “influenced American food” — “Things that you are familiar with, but prepared in a slightly different way.”

For example, he says, “My shrimp and grits is different because it’s more of a French twist on an American classic.”

They offered a “robust selection” on their menu. They baked their own bread and even made their own crackers. “Everything was made from fresh ingredients. I always say it takes a lot of work to make things seem so effortless. A lot of work goes into these things behind the scenes. So, the guests only experience what’s on the plate.

“I just don’t want things to slip because of rising costs. I think the guests would notice if I started changing the quality of product or level of service. It just doesn’t make sense to sign another three-year term.”

Closing the restaurant wasn’t a sudden decision. “I’ve been considering it for a while. I’ve been weighing my options. I honestly feel like there’s no path forward without making different changes to the product quality.

“Outwardly, it seems crazy and fast, but inwardly, this has been a decision that was long in the making. Not something I took lightly or easily, but I’m confident it’s the right decision. For the business itself and for the staff.

“We had a meeting. I explained to them and they all understood why I was closing. We were open for a week so that everybody could say ‘bye to our regulars. We have so many people that loved and appreciated this restaurant, and the support has been tremendous.”

They had a great final week, Baker says. “Sunday, at the end of shift, we all had a toast. We all had a glass of champagne and celebrated our time together.

“I believe in this neighborhood and I believe in this city. And I believe in the restaurant industry.”

Baker plans to return to consulting and design, which he did before he opened Edge Alley.

Will he open another restaurant at some point? “I’m not ruling it out. I also have friends that are going to open places and I’m looking forward to helping them in whatever capacity I can.”

Tags Edge Alley, Edge District, Tim Barker

We Recommend We Recommend

Paint Memphis at The Ravine

Post author By Abigail Morici
Post date October 4, 2023
No Comments on Paint Memphis at The Ravine

Kirsten Sandlin’s proposed mural for this year’s Paint Memphis. (Courtesy Paint Memphis)

A hundred artists from Memphis and beyond will be painting away in the Edge District this weekend, thanks to the work of the nonprofit, Paint Memphis. On Saturday, all will be invited to Paint Memphis’ annual festival to support the artists as they paint murals in the neighborhood.

Co-directors David Yancy III and Kirsten Sandlin say the Saturday event will be packed with things to do. Curtis Glover will offer a free mural workshop at noon, and Eli Gold will do some live metal sculpting. To celebrate World Hoop Day, Grind City Flow Arts will stun audiences with hula hooping and fire dancing performances, and they will offer a beginner hoop class for all ages at 3:30 p.m. and an intermediate hoop tricks workshop for ages 16 and up at 5 p.m. Festival-goers can also expect music, an immersive kids area, food trucks, vendors market, artist gallery, and, of course, live mural painting.

For the 100 artists selected, Yancy says it was important to include the community in the decision-making process. “We have business owners involved. We have people in the community involved, and then our board members,” he says. “And we’re just able to narrow it down to 100 this year. And, man, we got a lot of amazing artists and a lot of great local artists that will be involved with Paint Memphis. It’s all about making sure that the community is happy, and we just want to promote a colorful, bright, positive Memphis. That’s the beauty of Paint Memphis — that we transform an area from looking abandoned to bringing it back to life, giving it that pop of color, giving it that creativity to make people want to actually come there and [experience] all the things that murals provide. So it’s gonna be really cool because that whole area will be full of amazing art.”

As artists in their own rights, Yancy and Sandlin will each be contributing murals of their own. Sandlin says of her mural, “I typically paint children interacting with the buildings or the area because I believe that everybody can relate to being a kid.”

“I’m painting my goddaughter,” Yancy says. “The doctors told her when she was first born that she wouldn’t be able to walk or just be a normal human. Now she’s almost 5 years old, man, living a great life. She’s walking; she’s talking; she’s beat the odds. So I’m doing a piece for her to just show how amazing it is if you just don’t give up — life is full of all possibilities and opportunities.”

All the artists are volunteers, most of them traveling from all over the country to make Memphis beautiful. “Keep in mind the artists will be there all day, every day from Thursday until Monday,” she says. “So the artists will be needing support for the whole week.”

With that in mind, and to show a bit of Southern hospitality, Paint Memphis, in partnership with local businesses, has opened a number of events to the public, including an artist meet-up at Craft Axe Throwing on Thursday at 8 p.m., an art show opening at the Ravine on Friday at 5 p.m., a drink-and-draw event also on Friday at 8 p.m. at Brinson’s, an after-party on Saturday at 8 p.m. at Inkwell, and a “women in murals” panel discussion on Sunday at 8 p.m.

Keep up with all that’s happening at Paint Memphis’ socials.

Paint Memphis 2023, The Ravine/Edge District, Saturday, October 7, noon-6 p.m., free.

Tags art, David Yancy III, Edge District, Kirsten Sandlin, Memphis, Paint Memphis, The Ravine

News News Blog News Feature

Downtown Projects Could Bring a Skybridge, a Boat Dock, and (Maybe) Huge Koi

Post author By Toby Sells
Post date February 23, 2023

New designs for Downtown show a skybridge on Front Street, a boat dock at Greenbelt Park, and a new co-working space (with koi) in the Edge District.

The Downtown Memphis Commission’s (DMC) Design Review Board (DRB) meets next week to review the proposed designs. That approval is a sort of first step for a project to come to fruition.

Here are some of the most interesting proposals:

1. Skybridge from AutoZone to the Mobility Center

AutoZone Inc. has proposed building a skybridge from the under-construction, $42 million Downtown Mobility Center and its Downtown headquarters.

The bridge would connect from the Mobility Center’s fifth level to AutoZone’s third level, spanning the intersection of Front Street and Peabody Place.

“This skybridge will be an enclosed and secure connection for AutoZone employees and their visitors,” reads a description of the project. “The exterior of the skybridge will extend the modern aesthetic of the Mobility Center using the same metal finishes and curtain wall glazing.”

2. Greenbelt Park boat dock

Greenbelt Park already has a boat ramp at its northern edge. But the city is proposing to dock more than jon boats.

“With the growth of the number of cruising vessels on the Mississippi River, the city of Memphis needs to be able to accommodate multiple vessels docking Downtown,” reads a description of the project.

Cruising vessels. Cruise ships. River boats. That’s what the city has in mind for Greenbelt Park.

An enormous dock would jut into the river just north of the existing boat ramp. Two shade structures would be built nearby for passengers waiting land transportation. Another building would house golf carts for passengers. The parking lot would be patched and new lighting added.

But DMC staff thinks the project will be good for locals, too.

“The new pedestrian paths will help connect visitors to the park’s existing trail system, and the shade structures will provide a welcome amenity during warm weather,” reads the staff report. “The proposed structures blend well with the landscape of the park, and the use of the golf cart storage structure for signage and art near the entrance to the lot will assist with wayfinding.”

The project is slated to begin construction next month.

3. Creative Co-Working

A tucked-away and vacant space in the Edge District is due for a glow up a new purpose.

The project will bring two new storefronts, one an office for cnct. design + develop and the other would be studios, gallery space, and retail space for Ugly Art Co. The building at 635 Madison sits in a corner near the intersection of Marshall and Madison with an alley connecting the two streets.

“Art will spill into the alley in the form of asphalt art and lighting,” reads a description. “The alley will connect the site, strengthening access to a central courtyard and pedestrian traffic within the Edge District.”

Design renderings show the massive white walls of the building covered with a mural of koi fish. The application says the fish are only placeholders (bummer) “but the koi fish theme is expected to carry through to the final design (huzzah!).

Tags AutoZone, cruise ships, Downtown Memphis Commission, Edge District, Greenbelt Park, Memphis

We Recommend We Recommend

901 Day, Here At Last

Post author By Memphis Flyer Staff
Post date August 31, 2022

It’s the first of September, and you know what that means — it’s 901 Day! And because of that, we’ve rounded up some special events to celebrate your Memphis pride on this very special day.

Events to Check Out

901 Fest

Some of Memphis’ most talented artists are taking the stage for this four-day music festival at Railgarten, featuring Star & Micey, Marcella & Her Lovers, Dead Soldiers, Lucky 7 Brass Band, Lord T & Eloise, Neighborhood Texture Jam, Devil Train, Cedric Burnside, and The Wilkin Sisters. Single-day tickets cost $15-$20. Arrow Creative will also be hosting its Marketplace in Motion at Railgarten, bringing the art shopping to you, September 1-3.

Railgarten, September 1-4

901 Day Celebration

Choose901 will host its first 901 Day Party since the pandemic began, and the party will be poppin’. Memphis Made has brewed up a batch of special beers for the occasion, and Old Dominick Distillery will have cocktail stations. Guests can enjoy tasty bites from TACOnganas, StickEM, Central BBQ, and Mempops. Plus, Stax Music Academy, the Lucky 7 Brass Band, and DJs, Travi$, Breezye, and Shelby will provide live entertainment, and WeTightKnit, Amurica Photobooth, Mane Wilding, RotoBrothersArt, and Neighborhood Print Company will set up shop as vendors.

The Ravine, September 1, 5-11 p.m.

901 Day Grizz Bash

Grizz Nation is invited to FedExForum for an afternoon and evening celebrating the 901, with something for all ages. Throughout the event, attendees can enjoy fare from Dynamic Duo, El Mero, AD’s, and StickEM, plus local brews and more. There’ll be music by 8Ball & MJG, Big Boogie, Duke Deuce, Royal Studios House Band, and DJ Mic Tee; a Jookin’ Battle Championship; a Wrestlin’ Throwdown featuring Mads Krugger, The GunShow, and Dustin Starr; a kids zone complete with inflatables and face painters; and the Sneak Fest, which will have free sneaker cleaning and will give fans the opportunity to buy, sell, or trade for an exclusive pair of sneakers. This event is free.

FedExForum, September 1, 5-8 p.m.

Rockwalk

The Edge District is has announced the launch of Rockwalk, a free event series that highlights local businesses and talents. Catch live performances by Amy LaVere, DJ RMZI, DJ Bizzle BlueBland, DJ Ayo Tunez, and DJ Alpha Whiskey, and check out the new businesses and restaurant specials in the area.

The Edge District, September 1, 5-9 p.m.

901 Day Market

Overton Square will have live performances by 901 bands, including Raneem and Better in Color. Guests can also shop local 901 artisans, including 17Berkshire, Dave’s Bagels, The Tea Bar 901, and more.

Chimes Square, Overton Square, September 1, 6-9 p.m.

Tigers on Tour

Enjoy inflatables, lawn games, food trucks, food and drink specials, and free beer for the first 50 guests. All flights, six-packs, and Arbo’s combos will be $9.01, and there will be yoga at 5:30 p.m. and two free brewery tours at 6 and 7 p.m. Plus, Tigers head football coach Ryan Silverfield will address the crowd at 6 p.m. and will be joined by head women’s basketball coach Katrina Merriweather and head baseball coach Kerrick Jackson. Members of the Memphis men’s basketball program are also scheduled to attend along with additional Memphis head coaches and staff members.

Grind City Brewing Company, September 1, 5-7 p.m.

Taste of Memphis

This free event will feature neighborhood booths, live music and performances, food, children’s activities and entertainment for all, and a friendly competition that will allow 901 neighborhoods to display their greatness. This year’s theme is “Neighborhoods Are Back.”

Tiger Lane, September 1, 5-10 p.m.

K-901 Day

Celebrate K-901 Day with your dog and a few rounds of trivia at Hampline Brewing. There will be free dog treats and bonus prizes for the top teams with dogs.

Hampline Brewing, September 1, 7-8:45 p.m.

Mighty Lights

You won’t want to miss the lights on the M-bridge this 901 as Mighty Lights plans to run Memphis content after sundown, including scrolling Memphis text, Grizz eyes, Tigers stripes, and more.

Riverside Drive, September 1, after sundown

We Recommend We Recommend

Edge Motor Museum Hosts Car Show this Weekend

Post author By Julie Ray
Post date October 14, 2020

CREDIT: Facebook/Edge Motor Museum

Call the Edge Motor Museum and you’ll be greeted by an enthusiastic vroom, vroom followed by the squealing of tires. Punch a series of buttons and you’ll be greeted by an even more enthusiastic museum director, Richard Vining.

Vining says that Mid-America Old Time Automobile Association (MOTAA), open since 2019, was going to host a car festival, but decided not to do it this year. That’s when museum tour guide Bob Watkins suggested they do it themselves.

“It’s free to come out and see all the cars for the festival or $15 to enter a car,” Vining says. “They’ll be outside, and the museum will be open. Tours are self-guided, but we do like to talk about cars, so you’ll probably get an earful.”

Facebook/Edge Motor Museum

Live life on The Edge at the old Auto Row.

The Edge District used to be Auto Row, and the museum is located in the old Cherokee Motors manufacturing plant from the 1920s. Right down the street is Sun Studio, where Elvis recorded his first record and drove his first car off the Madison Cadillac lot. There’s a lot of history there.

Inside the museum is the “American Speed” car exhibit, featuring vintage American cars from post-war years, the same era as the Sun Studio heyday.

Admission to the museum is $10 for adults and $5 for kids. “We have a rule here though,” says Vining. “No family pays more than $30.”

Inaugural Fall Edge Motorfest, Edge Motor Museum, 645 Marshall, Saturday, Oct. 17, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m., free to look, $15 to register for car competition.

Tags Auto Row, car show, Edge District, Edge Motor Museum, Edge Motorfest, Memphis

Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Memphis Made to Open Second Location in the Ravine

Post author By Toby Sells
Post date October 2, 2019

CREDIT: Memphis Made Brewing Co.

Memphis Made Brewing Co.

Memphis Made’s new location will be located in The Ravine, a $5 million public greenspace concept to be built between Union and Madison in the Edge District.

Memphis Made Brewing Co. will open a second location in the Edge District’s Ravine area, a move that will allow the brewery to increase its capacity and offer more beers.

The company established its first location — now a production brewery and taproom — in Cooper-Young in 2013. Memphis Made now has beers in more than 300 bars, restaurants, and retailers throughout Shelby County.

“If you’d asked me about a second location six years ago, I would have looked at you like you had six arms,” said Drew Barton, co-founder of Memphis Made. “Now, opening day can’t come soon enough. This location will allow us to grow and provide more fans with a larger selection.”
[pullquote-1] The brewery recently signed a lease with PGK Properties, the firm developing the Wonder Bread Factory project, a series of office space, apartments, and retail in the area.

“They will prove to be a pivotal player in the creation of a walkable, thriving, mixed-use neighborhood,” said Ethan Knight, vice president of development with Development Services Group, the developer for PGK. We have been focused on cultivating an authentic Live-Work-Play community within the Edge, and Memphis Made is a top tier asset to welcome to the mix.”

Memphis Made Brewing Co.

That lease will give Memphis Made an almost 17,000-square-foot space at 435 Madison Ave. It will give the company space for production, offices, and a taproom spread across multiple levels. The new production space will feature a 30-barrel brewhouse in 7,500 square feet with an entrance on Lauderdale Street.

“This move will increase our production ceiling,” said Andy Ashby, co-founder of Memphis Made. “Drew and our brewers have been pushing our current space to its limits. This gives us more than just the chance to brew more beer.

“It also will let our brewers experiment more and try different styles and techniques.”
[pullquote-2] A 7,750-square-foot taproom will be below the production space. It will have an entrance off Lauderdale and a patio deck overlooking the Ravine, a $5 million public greenspace concept being developed by DSG and the Downtown Memphis Commission. The Ravine will run between Union and Madison Avenues.

Memphis Made began with production out of a 5,000-square-foot space at 768 S. Cooper, adding a taproom in November 2014. The company now has 10 full time employees and several part time employees.

Memphis Made’s original location will remain open. Once the new space opens, the Cooper-Young location will focus on new and experimental beers. That taproom, currently open Thursday through Sunday, will have expanded hours.

“We worked hard to make our first location part of the neighborhood,” Ashby said. “We can’t wait to get to know our new neighbors and be a real part of the Edge District in the same way.”

Tags DSG, Edge District, Memphis Made Brewing Co., PGK, The Ravine, Wonder Bread Factory

News The Fly-By

MEMFix Program Sets Sights on Edge District

Post author By Alexandra Pusateri
Post date August 21, 2014

If the city’s MEMFix program is a day spa for neighborhoods, the Edge District is next on the list for a massage.

The district, located inside a quarter-mile radius around the Marshall and Monroe intersection between downtown and Midtown, is scheduled to host the next MEMFix neighborhood revitalization festival on October 18th. Last Saturday, a “build day” was held — one of many planned over the next few weeks — to clean up the area with the help of 20 volunteers.

Volunteers prepare the Edge District for MEMFix fest.

During the “build day,” the volunteers cleaned, weeded, and built furniture and planters that will be used during the event but may stay after the crowds have dispersed. Volunteers also began cleaning vacant buildings that will be used for the event’s pop-up shops.

The MEMFix program launched in Crosstown in the fall of 2012 when the Mayor’s Innovation Delivery Team held a one-day neighborhood festival with DIY bike lanes, pop-up retail shops, and public art to kick-start revitalization in the area. Since then, the mayor’s team also launched an off-shoot program, MEMShop, offering short-term leases to pop-up businesses willing to set up in long-vacant storefronts in up-and-coming areas.

Subsequent MEMFix events have been held in Soulsville and on the Highland Strip near the University of Memphis.

MEMFix: Edge is a joint effort by Livable Memphis, the City of Memphis, and the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) to reimagine the district as they have done with other neighborhoods.

“It’s the perfect storm of natural things bubbling up from new businesses moving in or existing businesses,” said John Paul Shaffer, the new program director for Livable Memphis. “It’s got a rich part in history. It’s started to get a lot of attention from the DMC. It’s the missing link between downtown and the Medical District that just looked to us as the perfect opportunity.”

Shaffer previously worked on “New Face for an Old Broad” in 2010, an urban revitalization experiment predating the mayor’s MEMFix program that focused on bringing attention to the Broad Avenue Arts District. The “New Face” event inspired the MEMFix series.

Livable Memphis applied for a $40,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency for the Edge’s MEMFix event, and it’s also working with DMC funding. In addition to putting on the Edge event, the organization is working on writing an instructional guide to running events like MEMFix.

Shaffer said the Edge District could use some street improvements, in particular, something tangible and permanent that could come out of the temporary event.

“Obviously, anything we can do there to make it a friendlier pedestrian environment is something we’d like to accomplish,” Shaffer said. “We’re hoping to do some [sidewalk] bump-outs and create some plaza-type spaces in the street. MEMFix itself is a more temporary event, but we want to leave behind some actual physical improvements.”

Like the other MEMFix projects, Shaffer is optimistic about the Edge District and the effect the event will have on the neighborhood.

“I think there’s a lot of momentum in the neighborhood anyway,” Shaffer said. “This will bring more eyes to the neighborhood and raise its visibility. That’s the whole purpose of this — get people to realize what a hidden treasure you have in these neighborhoods.”

Tags Edge District, Livable Memphis, MEMFix