March is for the ladies, and the SHE 901Tour is ready to celebrate women of the past and present this March, with Downtown tours taking guests to women-owned businesses and historical sites centered around pivotal moments in women’s history.
“This is really a collaborative effort,” says Carolyn Michael-Banks, founder and owner of A Tour of Possibilities. For the tour, Michael-Banks partnered with Kristen and Lindsey Archer of ARCHd, a feminist gift shop, and Stephanie Wade of 492 Vance LLC, a firm focused on renovating and rebuilding minority-owned historic properties. The three businesses came together with the goal of highlighting various aspects of women’s empowerment through a dynamic mix of activities and experiences, from arts to food to history.
For the tour, groups of 10 will stop at Muggin’ Coffeehouse, ARCHd, Oh Sweets Skin Care, Stock&Belle, and Urevbu Contemporary, where they’ll hear from business owners about the work that they do. Tour guides will also point out other women-owned businesses along the way. “But one of the things I’m so excited that we’ll have a chance to do,” Michael-Banks says, “and it’s a four letter word that I do throw around a bit — it starts with an S … H … O … P — shop, shop, shop, shop, shop.”
After all, she says, “The S in SHE 901 stands for ‘support’ because we want to support those who are presently doing the work. The H stands for ‘honor,’ so we honor those who came before us, upon whose shoulders we stand today, and the E for ‘empower.’ We also need to empower each other and ourselves.”
Part of the honoring will be done throughout the tour as guides share stories about historical women who shaped Memphis by challenging norms and empowering those around them. The tour will also stop for even more immersive history lessons at the Equality Trailblazers Monument, Griggs Business College, and Ida B. Wells Plaza. At Griggs Business College, the site of Wade’s current project, guests will learn about the school’s history as a Black- and woman-owned institution, as well as the plans for the building’s future as a mixed-use space.
Altogether, Michael-Banks, the Archer sisters, and Wade hope the tour can inspire and connect, highlighting the diverse contributions of women in various industries and in various moments of history. Two tours will be offered every Saturday in March, with tours lasting about four hours. Tickets can be purchased at atopmemphis.com/she901tour.