Month: January 2008

There’s a good article on the Memphis Daily News website about Dr. Divine Mafa, who this month opened Divine Rags, a boutique selling high-end Italian women’s fashions, at 300 S. Main.  Next month he plans on opening Divine Rags Gentleman, a men’s store, and in March a second women’s clothing store for average-income makers.  After that he plans to open Safari Tapas Bar, a bar with world tapas, small samples of food.  All of his shops will be on Main.

The article says Dr. Mafa is very interested in developing Main Street as the hub of Downtown, and he’s very concerned with his customers’ safety, and plans to work with other business owners to ensure safety of those shopping in the area.

Full article available here.

The Center City Commission has an account on MySpace, and I have them added as one of my friends.  This allows me to receive MySpace bulletins from them.

This morning they sent one out telling their friends “Think there’s nothing to do on Mondays?”  They listed cocktails at the Westin with DiAnne Price from 5:30-9:30, Pint Nites at the Flying Saucer and Double Deuce, and the Minivan Stream Band at the Buccaneer.  To that I’d add $5 martini night at Circa, which will probably be my first stop tonight, followed by the Saucer.  If I get bored at the Saucer, MAYBE I’ll wander down to Double Deuce to check out their pint nite for one beer.  Never been there.  Although, with its location at the far end of Beale (at Fourth) that means I’ll have to navigate bums.

MySpace bulletins have become a valuable source of information for my blog (although a few people and bands abuse them – come on, sending out more than two a day is overkill).  If you like to have fun Downtown, and you’re on MySpace, it’s worth it to befriend the CCC, and check your MySpace home page frequently.

This morning I figured out who will get my vote in the February 5 primary.  I realized there was a variable I hadn’t considered – which party will likely control Congress next year and how Congress will relate to the President.

If we were likely to have a Republican-controlled Congress next year, my choice would be Hillary Clinton.  She has the most experience building compromise and working with members of the other party, and her closest advisor, Bill Clinton, is a master of compromise.  With a Republican Congress, I believe Hillary would be the most likely to get things done.

However, I believe that what this country really needs is massive change – change in the way we relate to each other as citizens, change in the way the U.S. relates to other nations as a member of the world community, change in the way we relate to our environment.  The candidate who I see as best embodying the kind of massive change I’m talking about is Barack Obama.  With a Democratic-controlled Congress, he would be able to use the Presidency as a bully pulpit and push his programs through.

According to projections, the Democrats will not only maintain control of both houses after the fall election, but may in fact be able to hit a filibuster-proof 60 seats in the Senate.

Therefore my choice in the February 5 primary is Barack Obama.  I could be quite happy with either Clinton or Edwards as President, but I believe Obama is best equipped to bring about change, not only in laws and policies but in the way we see ourselves as Americans.

I drove my car today for the first time since Christmas.  Two things this made me realize:

1) My life rocks;

and 2) Saturn rocks for building a 13-year-old car that still starts after nearly three weeks of nothing.

Silver’s memorial service was beautiful.  There were pictures of him with his favorite catchphrases posted in the building’s lobby.  I think every speaker used “That’s what I’m talking about!” at least once.  His passion for life and his love for and interest in his friends really came through in the speeches about him.  We all sang Happy Birthday to him (he would’ve been 55 today) and I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house.  The service really inspired me.  I’ve been in a funk the past week, a bit withdrawn, and looking at life through Silver’s eyes for an hour pulled me out of it.  I really was a different person when I arrived back Downtown.

Speaking of which, Downtown was dead tonight.  I got to the Saucer at 5:30 and easily could’ve closed the place.  But I got bored and took off for McGuinness at 9 for Paul’s Drunkass Food.  This was the kind of night where I really missed the Downtown Monkey or Sleep Out’s – a good local’s bar where I could just hunker down for hours and hours.

I’ve been hearing ominous rumors about Peabody Place Mall, that the entire thing, minus the businesses that have outdoor entrances (Jillian’s, McGuinness, Encore, Texas de Brazil) may close entirely for renovation into Peabody hotel rooms and some new retail or outlet establishments.  This is just second-hand speculation I heard from others, but the outlook seems gloomier than I realized.

THANK YOU CHARGERS!!!  Thanks to San Diego I don’t have to see Peyton on my TV screen until August.  Well, except for all those obnoxious commercials he’s in.  Hey Peyton, here’s a “Paul’s Pep Talk” for you:  You suck.  Hopefully some of these corporate sponsors will realize how overrated he is and not renew his contracts.  I e-mailed my favorite blogger/MILF the outcome of the game about .1 second after it ended.

Speaking of which:  My favorite blogger/MILF’s blog is back online.  I’m still not linking to it, but those few of you to whom I gave out the URL before, e-mail me and I’ll give you the new one.

Bored.  I shouldn’t be home this early on Sunday night (10:27 PM).  Contemplating going back out for one more beer.

Last night I heard that the BP gas station at Riverside and Carolina has hooked up with a guy who owns a smoker, and he is now selling delicious smoked ribs and beef brisket out of their location every day.

Be forewarned though:  The smoked meat sells out quickly.  “The guy will show up at 7 AM with his meat,” my friend who is a BP customer told me.  “And by 2 in the afternoon it will be gone.”  So if you go down there today and miss it, try again tomorrow, earlier.

Of course, BP has had one of the best delis Downtown for a while, with plate lunches and dinners and a variety of to-go items.  It’s one of the hidden secrets of Downtown, and with ribs and brisket on the menu, it just got even better.

Alert to those of you who collect beer glasses:  Stella Artois is the featured beer for “buy the beer, keep the glass” night at the Flying Saucer next Wednesday.  While most of the glasses are nothing special – just a company logo on a pint glass – the Stella ones are really nice.  Here’s a pic of my set of four, bought at previous keep-the-glass nights:

Other Saucer news:  If you’re looking for something to do tonight, Snozberry is playing there at 9:30.  Also, the Saucer is putting together a “brews cruise,” a 5-day cruise of the West Caribbean with beer tastings and seminars, with brewmasters from several well-known brewerys.  It’s May 3-8 I believe.  If interested go by the Saucer to get more details.

Second Street Shoppers, the convenience store on Second in the old Carabella location, now has a deli, with a menu of about 15 sandwiches.  Sounds like people who work Downtown have a new option for lunch.  I’ll have to give this a try sometime in the next week.

After a few beers at the Saucer last night I got hungry, and remembered that I had a bunch of gift cards from the Majestic Grille that needed to be cashed in.  So I walked over to the Majestic and took a look at their steak menu.  At the suggestion of Air Traffic Mike and owner Deni, I got the filet with garlic mashed potatoes and a side order of garlic shrimp – outstanding.  The Majestic’s steaks are as good as you’ll find anywhere Downtown.

Also, the strawberry basil martini is as good a martini as you’ll find Downtown.  Thanks to Air Traffic Mike for buying round after round last night.

Non-Downtown news:  I heard last night that The Cove (formerly The Beer Joint) on Broad Avenue has been open for a few weeks now.  “It feels like it’s been open forever and ever,” said a friend who was in there earlier in the week.  Their doors open at 5.  Here’s a post Midtown Ryan made about the place last month.  This may be worth a field trip outside of Downtown.

I’m apparently “the guy everyone sees Downtown.”  I ran into some girls at Hoop’s Bar last night who told me, “We’ve actually started a game.  Every time we see you, we have to take a shot.”  They found my blog recently but told me, “Before we knew you, you were known as ‘The Dude.’  So we have ‘The Dude Shot.’  It’s whatever we feel like at the moment.  We can’t be specific because sometimes it happens at 9 AM, sometimes at 2 AM.”

Looks like I was wrong about a new club opening in the place of Ground Zero next to the Westin… people have told me the Ground Zero sign is up and that project is back on track.  I guess that means the other club I was told about will be going into the space that was originally going to be the King Biscuit.

Silver’s obituary appeared in the paper today.  I’ll do Sunday brunch at McGuinness and the Saucer tomorrow, but will have to drink non-alcoholic beverages so I can drive out east to his memorial service at 4.

Shout-out to my two friends with whom I’ve spoken about getting their artwork in my apartment:  I’m ready to roll.  Another paycheck hit the bank yesterday and I have money to spend, so let’s talk about it soon.  I like the idea of displaying only artwork by artists I know.  I already have a couple of small pieces from a third artist.
Speaking of my apartment… someone slid a $30 gift certificate to Itta Bena under every door in my building!  Nice!

I need some new clothes.  I’m actually considering walking down to Lansky’s and buying one or two of their nice-looking but ridiculously expensive shirts.

That’s enough for now.  I need to plug in my digital camera and see if there’s anything on there that’s blogworthy.  If so there may be another post later today.

An article in today’s Memphis Business Journal says that Peabody Place will lose another business, and this time it’s an anchor.  Muvico will be closing its 22-screen theater in March.

The article goes on to say that Belz is in talks with the mall concerning a redevelopment of the space.  The Peabody is interested in adding more rooms, and would be interested in converting the Muvico space into 160-170 luxury suites and a meeting space.  Belz is also beginning to consider non-traditional mall stores for the remainder of Peabody Place, such as outlet stores.

More info to come as it becomes available.

This morning the Memphis Daily News published plans about a pilot program the Center City Commission will run this year to combat panhandling.  They are requesting proposals for private security companies to provide four private security officers to patrol the Main Street Mall and surrounding areas.  Two will work an 8 AM to 4 PM shift, and two will work 4 PM to midnight.  According to Larry Bloom, the CCC’s safety director, the officers will patrol Downtown looking for quality-of-life concerns such as illegal panhandling, harassment, public intoxication, public drinking, and other quality-of-life concerns.

However, the officers’ mission will not be only punitive in nature.  The Center City Commission will identify agencies that can provide help to those on the street that need it.  The officers will then make contact with those they see panhandling and loitering Downtown, and get appropriate social services for those who want help.

Through the Handling-Panhandling forum, Larry told me about this program months ago, and I’m excited that it’s close enough to fruition that articles are starting to appear in the media.  The CCC has been working for several years to redirect people’s generosity from panhandlers to social service agencies through their “Say No to Panhandling” program, but that alone has not been enough.  This is a program that will address the needs of both the panhandlers and the community.  Great job, Larry and the CCC!

The Daily News article is available here.

I’m sad to report the passing away of a true Downtown legend.  Silver, owner of Silver Salon on G.E. Patterson, was found dead Wednesday morning in the upstairs loft of the salon, which was his home.

Silver was one of the most colorful characters in the South Main area.  He could often be found sitting at the patio table in front of his salon having a beer with friends, or dancing at Earnestine & Hazel’s, or having a good time at the old Blue Monkey.  He was also a dear friend to many who lived in the area.  He was a good listener, someone people could confide in, someone who always had words of encouragement and advice.

I met Silver through mutual friends several years ago.  Toward the end of 2004 I was sitting at the bar at the Monkey one day when he popped in.  We got to talking, and I commented how silly it was that I continued to go to Midtown to get my hair cut when he was right down the street.  “You need to come see me,” he replied.

So I started going to him to cut my hair.  He was more of a hair artist than a hair stylist, and I gave him the freedom to cut it however he wanted.  A trip to Silver’s wasn’t just a haircut, it was an experience.  People would drop by to hang out.  I met several other South Main people I now know well while sitting in his shop.  Because of all the people there, sometimes it would take an hour to get a haircut… but it was guaranteed to be the most entertaining hour of the day.

He also had amazing intuition and gave great advice.  “Are you seeing anyone right now?” he’d ask.

“Well, I was, but she…” I’d start to reply.

“You were too nice!” he interrupted.  “That’s why she pulled away from you.  You were too nice to her.  You weren’t a challenge.”  Weird thing is, Silver was absolutely right, even though I didn’t even get one sentence out of my mouth about the situation.  I asked him one time how he developed some amazing intuition with people.  “Paul, I’ve been cutting hair for 25 years.  I talk to the women who spend an hour and a half in here getting their hair curled and colored.  Don’t you think I’ve picked up a thing or two from them?”

Wish I had been around him more during the last year of his life.  He and I had a disagreement on how my hair was going to be cut – he wanted to keep it fairly short (see the November 2006 photos in the photo gallery) and I wanted to grow it long again.  So I moved on to City House where a friend of mine had started cutting hair.  She does a great job.  Who trained her when she got into the business?  Silver.

I’d still see him around town occasionally, and remember having a few great conversations with him at Nate’s bar at Earnestine & Hazel’s from time to time during 2007.  I popped in his salon for Trolley Tour a few times during the year as well.  Silver was a big supporter of the local arts scene and invited artists to exhibit their work in his salon.

It’s going to be weird – and very sad – to walk in Earnestine’s and know that I won’t see him there laughing and having fun.  I’m also sad that he didn’t live to see the new Downtown Blue Monkey open its doors.

He was one of Downtown’s most colorful and unique characters and South Main just won’t be the same without his presence.  My friend Robert put it best in an e-mail he sent me – “he was a living legend and a South Main institution.”

I’ve been asked to post the details of his memorial service, because his obituary won’t be in the paper until Saturday.  It will be Sunday, January 13 at 4:00 PM at La Pavilion, 1052 Brookfield Road in East Memphis.

Rest in peace, Silver, it was an honor knowing you.

Last night I hung out with one of my blog’s readers, and she commented on my lack of early-morning posts lately on the weekdays.  There are a few reasons why those have been lacking this week:

– I discovered that I can sleep as late as possible in the morning, throw on clothes, brush my teeth, walk to work, and come home at lunch to shower.  When I first started the job the VP of Development told me to show up “sometime between 8 and 9” in the morning, which means if I delay the shower I can sleep past 8 in the morning and still make it to work on time.  That means I can stay out ’til 1 and still get a decent night’s sleep.  So I just haven’t had time to do my morning posts the past few days.

– Work has been extremely busy.  Our lead developer is in from NYC this week stepping us through the application we’ll be working on.  There’s been a lot to learn, so I just haven’t had much time to think about material for future posts.

– I learned yesterday that a friend of mine, a person who was truly the heart and soul of the South Main community, passed away yesterday.  I’ll do a post in his memory sometime in the next few days but as of yet have not been able to find the words.

Found out that the Cuban restaurant I had heard about will eventually happen in the space next door to Pearl’s that is currently a salsa dance club.  Friends of mine went there and told me it’s a very nice space, with big dance floor, well stocked bar, and an eclectic mix of people.  Their plan is to eventually open a Cuban cafe inside but it has not happened yet.  My friends say that the new place, to be called the Rumba Room, already has quite a following and everyone seems to have a great time there.

I’m still on John Kerry’s e-mail list from when I joined prior to the 2004 election… got an e-mail from him today saying that he has come to a decision on which candidate he will support – Barack Obama.  Wow.  When he was running, I wasn’t a huge Kerry fan – I just saw him as better than the alternative in the general election (hell, a chimpanzee would’ve been better than the alternative, and smarter too).  But he’s still one of the BIG names in the Democratic Party and his voice counts.  I’m still undecided whom to vote for in the upcoming primary, but I’m swaying a little bit toward Obama.

My plans to watch last night’s Tiger game at McGuinness got scrapped when I received a text informing me of the Saucer’s Fire Sale – Dos Equis Special Lager.  Needless to say, that changed everything.  I stayed at the Saucer for about 4 hours, then moved to Hoop’s Bar.  The sales and marketing people from work were there and I hung out with them for a while.  My core group of friends was at the bar too, and also some Saucer regulars I haven’t seen in a while.  Good times.

I’ll probably take a night off from going out tonight, in order to catch up on sleep and chores around the apartment.  That way I’ll be refreshed for the weekend.

Holy crap!  My favorite blogger/MILF’s blog is gone!  Gonna have to find out the 411 on that.

Bad news for Downtown reported on the Memphis Business Journal’s site:  Two more stores in the Peabody Place Mall have closed.  Particularly sad to hear Napoli Pizza is gone.  They had inexpensive Italian fare, and we need places Downtown where you can fill up for $7-8 or less.  Fortunately Roma opened a few blocks up Third, and they have a similar menu.

Also in the MBJ – owners of Downtown restaurant Neely’s BBQ (it’s on Jefferson just east of Danny Thomas) will have their own show on the Food Network beginning in February.

These lunch hours fly by way too fast.  Back to work.