Another business meeting at the Saucer today. I’m sure that will prompt an “ugh Downtowners” comment from one of my Facebook friends again. This one concerns the personal finance software I’ve talked about for the past week… we’re going to make plans to make final revisions and then get the program to market. More details to come soon. I’m excited about it because we’re going to be doing the kind of viral marketing Seth Godin talks about in his books.
B.B. King plays his club tonight. I’ve heard the show is sold out. The rumor is that this may be his last show, due to the fact that he’s 83 and his diabetes is getting worse. Several celebrities are said to be attending the event tonight. Justin Timberlake and Sheryl Crow are among the names I’ve heard dropped.
Metro Memphis got its first Panera yesterday. A location opened out in Collierville, and one is coming to Laurelwood soon. They say they plan to eventually open 12 locations in Memphis, and I’ve heard talk that one of them may be Downtown. I wonder how well a Panera would do in the core considering we already have Blues City Pastry… perhaps one would work well toward the north end of the core (maybe in the ground floor of the Lincoln-American Tower?) or in the Pinch, which has been hurting for a bakery/coffee shop since Cafe Francisco closed.
There’s a good article in the Commercial Appeal about Mpact Memphis executive director Gwyn Fisher. Congrats to Gwyn on the article, and for making Mpact so much fun this year. I’m looking forward to their “How I Holiday Bash” tonight. “Lose the shoes and find the pickle” is the tagline for this event. Don’t ask me; I have no idea what it means either. The point is, it’s a party where you can share how you celebrate the holidays. Attn ladies who have been talking about “Christmas tube tops” lately: This would be a good chance to show them off.
Congrats to the Rapscallions who came from way behind to pick up a second-place finish in trivia last night, bringing our total to $50 for our next party. Attn Ann: Where was your team last night? The Weiss Asses won first place, their first trivia victory since 1856, the year that a lot of their members celebrated their 40th birthdays. I think I’m going to start sitting at window seats, rails, and on couches more often, because I’m tired of dealing with a certain bartender.
Speaking of trivia… I’ve heard that Jillian’s has decided to increase their Thursday night trivia prizes to $100 for first place, $65 for second, and $35 for third. Not a bad idea, considering that Thursday is a tough night to do trivia. If they want the night to work, they need to develop a regular following before rooftop party season starts up again in April. Since they read my blog, I’m going to point something out: It should never ever take more than two minutes to get a beer at the bar. If there are problems with the kegs, etc., those need to be sorted out before 7 when trivia starts, not when there are already 15 thirsty people waiting. With several new locals’ spots open or about to open (Bardog, Voodoo Lounge @ Orleans on Front, Silly Goose), a bar with 200 beers and hot waitresses across the street, and the Rooster competing for game-watching crowds, Jillian’s cannot afford to screw up if it wants a piece of Downtowners’ business.
Panhandler alert: There’s an extremely aggressive panhandler who goes by the initials “G.M.” who has been going around begging a lot lately. His opening line is usually something like, “Hey, big dog. Sir. Sir. Scuse me. Sir. Hey, look here, big time, I ain’t no bum or nothin’, I’m just trying to get me about fifteen billion dolla so I can put some fuel in my corporate jet. Can you help me out?” I can’t believe people are actually giving this guy money. Of course, he goes through the usual sob story about how he’s going to turn his life around, but you can tell he’s been saying that for 20 years or more.
Time to prepare for my meeting… I can’t find the product manual, which is kind of a problem. For those going to Mpact’s party, I’ll see you tonight.