Society Skatepark and Coffee

One Sunday evening, around 6:30 p.m., my hubby and I decided that we wanted a good cup of coffee. Knowing that most good coffee places are closed at that hour, he did a quick search and found Society Memphis Skatepark and Coffee in Binghampton off Broad. We walked in fully expecting a jazzy coffee club scene. Did we read the well-lit signs? No. Did we ask why there were skateboards on the wall? No. Did we notice the guests in helmets and pads? No.

I’m using the pronoun “we” very loosely. My husband probably noticed all of those things and could have possibly pointed them out to me as we entered, but I was hyper-focused on coffee. And not just any coffee. But the good kind. The Cxffeeblack kind!

Cxffeeblack is just the right elixir to becoming a Cool Kid. (Photo: Jesse Davis)

After ordering coffee, I took a peek through what appears to be a back door. There were ramps! Ramps to the left. Ramps to the right! There were handrails and slopes and flying people! Well, they weren’t actually flying, but they were close. I immediately knew that I was in the presence of the Cool Kids. They were doing tricks, turns and … and … cool stuff. I’m sure all of the moves have names, but I honestly couldn’t tell you.

As I watched with my mouth wide open, my husband leaned over and said, “We should come back here.” And somewhere between pure awe and a coffee high, I agreed. I agreed to go skateboarding as a date night.

Fast forward to Friday night and I found myself nursing another cup of coffee to calm my nerves. (I know, I know. The coffee might have done the opposite, but it was still a great comfort.) The attendant confidently passed me my rental skateboard and left my hubby and me to our own devices. As I looked at the skaters enjoying themselves, I thought, “Maybe I should have signed up for skateboarding lessons.” Well, it was too late for shoulda-coulda-wouldas. I was there and I ain’t no chicken.

Within 15 minutes, I realized that I might not be a scaredy chicken, but I was definitely not a spring chicken. And 20 seconds after that realization, I came to terms that I was a scaredy chicken, too. Skateboarding is not an activity for the weak or the timid. My husband and I couldn’t figure out how these Cool Kids got both feet on the boards at the same time. Memphis miracles were happening before my very eyes! After 20 minutes of failing to even stand and move on the board, my eyes desperately said, “Somebody — anybody — help me!”

And just like that, Cool Kid S. M. Vazquez came to our embarrassing rescue. He showed us the proper way to stand on a skateboard, how to balance, and even a little physics. (Stuff about motion, center of gravity, and degrees of something or another. My math doesn’t “math” like everyone else’s.) Nevertheless, I was able to stand on the skateboard and balance. Not in motion, but not falling either. That was until he said that we could try to coast down a very small ramp.

This ramp was no higher than 2 feet off the ground with a generous slope. I stood at the top of the mini-Mount Everest (yes, I’m exaggerating) and got balanced. I found my center of gravity and pushed off very, very slowly. And very slowly, the ground came rushing to meet me like a long lost friend. Falling when you’re 7 is quite different than when you’re 37. All of my bones vibrated. When the vibrations ended, I felt like pieces of me were floating away. In some distance galaxy, Thanos had snapped his fingers and I was slowly dissolving away.

Cool Kid Vazquez and my hubby picked me and all my imaginary pieces off the ground. I blinked a few times back to reality and realized that I was still alive. No bones were broken, but my dignity had permanently stained the floor. The Cool Kid Vazquez mentioned a few tips, but I didn’t hear them. The bones in my ears hadn’t fully recovered.

Okay. I might be a little dramatic, but I fell. Off a skateboard. At age 37. Enough said.

I took a sip of Cxffeeblack, aka Liquid Courage, while my hubby tried the same thing. He fell, too.

Then I was back at the top of the ramp. Before I pushed off, I asked my hubby to hold my waist from the back and Cool Kid Vazquez to hold my wrists from the front. I was determined not to fall. So determined, in fact, that I did the only thing I could do in that situation.

I fell. Again. This time, I didn’t meet the floor quite so fast. I was guided down gently. It was then that Cool Kid Vazquez gave me this nugget of knowledge, “If you think you’re going to fall, get closer to the ground.”

After one hour, I was finally able to skateboard, and, yes, I’m using that term loosely. I could coast about 6 to 8 feet before losing momentum. And I’m satisfied with that. After falling, my goal was to never experience that again.

This date night showed me just how versatile Memphis is. Date night with Memphis doesn’t have to be food and movies. It can be drinking good coffee and almost breaking your rear in the process. Memphis is about making memories and having great stories to tell. This is one for the books.

Now that I’m writing this, I wonder if my hubby knew all along that this place was a skateboarding place and used coffee to lure me in.

Hmm … Gotta love it, mane!

Society Memphis: 901-746-8587, IG: @societymemphis

Patricia Lockhart is a native Memphian who loves to read, write, cook, and eat. @realworkwife @memphisismyboyfriend

“I skate. I don’t do it out there,” says Mark Horrocks, pointing to a massive open space filled with ramps of various heights and an intimidating halfpipe.

Horrocks considers himself more of a long boarder and snowboarder. He is co-owner of Society Skatepark & Coffee, along with Matthew Wrage. The park is in the Binghampton neighborhood and opened last fall. It took some doing. The ramps were once the property of the recently closed Hazard County Skatepark in Atlanta. The Society crew headed there and dismantled the park. It took six semi trucks to get it back to Memphis.

Society is the only private indoor park in this area, which means, says Horrocks, that folks can “go year-round, rain or shine, day or night.”

Justin Fox Burks

Mark Horrocks, co-owner of Society Skatepark & Coffee

The park is ideal for parents who want their kids in a safe environment, while they can be inside in air conditioning and read or work on their computers and have a cup of coffee.

About that coffee — they offer Dr. Bean’s cold brew and assorted coffee drinks made with Vice & Virtue. They plan to highlight Memphis-roasted coffees and introduce some out-of-town brands as well. Inside a case is an eye-widening array of treats — huge brownies, rice krispies treats, and chocolate chip cookies, about which Horrocks says, “People have told us it’s the best chocolate chip cookie ever.” Everything is made in-house.

They also offer cold drinks and a few grab-and-go items, such as pasta salad from Franco’s Italian Kitchen. They plan to expand the grab-and-go menu soon with sandwiches and salads.

Justin Fox Burks

One corner of the front half of Society is devoted to Contact Skateboard Shop, which is run by Zac and Heather Roberts.

Contact offers everything a skater could need or want. Customers can custom-build their skateboards. There are decks from 5boro and Alien Workshop, wheels from Super Juice, and trucks from Ace. Many of the items are exclusive to the store.

Of course, you have to look the part. (How much of skating is style? “Everything,” Roberts says. “That’s all there is. It’s wild.”) They’ve got your New Balance and Lakai skate shoes, your Dickies Flex pants, and various branded T-shirts and hoodies.

Society offers lessons for the kids every Saturday for the wee beginners to the more advanced shredders. Horrocks says sometimes the girls outnumber the boys. There are also classes for adults on Monday nights.

At some point, Society plans to hold concerts and bring in pros for demos as well as hold competitions. In the spaces with the ramps, there is art by Birdcap, and a really stark and cool mural by Frances Berry surrounds the halfpipe.

At one point, Horrocks recalls asking himself, “Is this a good thing to do?” These days, he’s feeling pretty optimistic.

“For Memphis,” he says, “[skate culture]’s only going to grow.”

Society Skatepark & Coffee, 583 Scott, societymemphis.com

…

A few years ago, Ephie Johnson threatened her sons Andre and Jonathan that she was going to open a shop and have them work in it. They didn’t believe her. She opened her first Pop-a-roos on North Parkway Downtown in 2014.

The second Pop-a-roos opened in the Crosstown Concourse a few weeks ago.

The thinking behind Pop-a-roos was that she likes popcorn. Johnson’s dad was her inspiration. “My dad made all kinds of popcorn, fun different flavors,” she says, recalling that her dad made use of such ingredients as Smucker’s syrup.

Ephie Johnson

It was Johnson’s mother who really fostered her creativity. Johnson says that her mother can make anything taste good, and when her mother compliments her popcorn or asks her to bring her some, it’s the ultimate seal of approval.

Among the flavors she offers are: River Mix, Real Dill, Loaded Baked Potato, Sharp Cheddar, Banana Pudding, Strawberry Cheesecake, Birthday Cake, Nacho Cheese, 901 Mix, and Chicago Mix. Price points run from $2 to $20.

Among the more popular popcorns are the Chicago (caramel and cheddar) and River Mix (peanut butter, caramel, and cheese).

“I’m not going to tell you that much,” Johnson says when asked about her approach to making her popcorns. And she doesn’t.

Johnson also runs the Neighborhood Christian Centers, which offers assistance to those in need. Some of the Centers’ clients work for Pop-a-roos. “It’s popcorn with a purpose,” she says.

Among the offerings at Pop-a-roos are hot dogs and koolickles (pickles made with Kool-Aid). The purple koolickle is grape flavored and the red is well … “Red flavor can be whatever flavor is red,” Johnson says.

Painted on one wall of the new space in the Concourse is “It’s on and poppin.” Feels like a pretty apt motto for Johnson.

“I’m a black woman out here trying to make it happen,” she says.

poparoos.com