Whitehaven residents try to replace ‘Charlie Brown tree’ at Southland
Southland Mall on Tuesday, July 6, 2022. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
A Southland Mall Christmas tree went viral on social media Monday, Nov. 21, after locals noticed that the tree was significantly smaller than what many Whitehaven residents remember.
Several called it a “Charlie Brown” tree, joking about its decorations, calling them cheap.
Some posted photos of the old Southland Christmas tree to compare.
When the tree was removed by Southland Mall general manager DeMall Davis on Tuesday, many wanted answers.
Whitehaven resident Jason Sharif said he was tagged in several Facebook posts about the tree. Community members wanted to know how they could help replace it.
Sharif is the president and founder of Respect The Haven Community Development Corp., which focuses on educational, social and economic development in areas that include Whitehaven, Oakhaven, Walker Homes and Westwood.
After a phone call with Davis, Sharif said the tree was removed due to public backlash.
“(Davis) just wanted to do something nice for the community,” Sharif said.
According to Sharif, the original 40-foot-tall tree had been damaged by residents in the area.
The tree displayed on Monday had been found by Davis in the mall’s basement.
Due to the latest “struggles” of the shopping center, Sharif said mall leadership wants to focus on bigger issues.
Sharif said that those struggles stem from the community, which include mall break-ns, trash around the building, vandalism and students coming to the property to skip school.
Davis declined to comment on the matter.
Pearl Walker, I Love Whitehaven Business and Neighborhood Association founder, said the issues span from the City of Memphis’ 1970 annexation of the neighborhood.
“Once that happened, the white flight began, and simultaneously, the disinvestment began as well,” she said. “After that, you didn’t see much growth in terms of commerce.”
Walker, 61, moved to Whitehaven in 1974 and said she’s seen many changes happen in the area since then.
“Many of these properties that Black folks bought in the ‘70s and ‘80s were overpriced,” Walker said. “So, you had people coming into the neighborhood that didn’t have the disposable income to engage with the community like a lot of the previous residents were able to.”
For the past few decades, Walker said local and corporate businesses inside the Southland Mall began to leave, on top of a constant change of the mall’s owners.
“But with the rise of active community engagement and new organizations, Whitehaven is on the upswing,” Walker said.
Public Storage moved into the mall in August.
Starbucks is set to arrive at 173 E. Shelby Dr., near the Southland Mall, in 2023. An AutoZone store will move into the west area of the mall next year, as well.
In partnership with the mall, Respect The Haven started “Operation Save Christmas in Whitehaven,” a $40,000 fundraising effort to purchase a new Southland Christmas tree.
Reginald Milton, former Shelby County Commissioner, and new deputy administrator of the Shelby County Office of Education and Youth Services, told The Daily Memphian on Wednesday that commercial Christmas trees can cost between $30,000-40,000.
Milton founded the South Memphis Alliance and worked recently with the Soulsville USA Neighborhoods Development District on its recent tree lighting event.
“You’ve got to realize that these are artificial trees. The ones (in Soulsville) are 33 feet tall,” Milton said.
He said the trees are designed to make it through weather conditions such as rainstorms and heavy winds. The trees also have to be assembled and anchored to avoid tipping over.
“That takes quite a bit of work,” Milton said. “I would imagine (Soulsville’s) trees cost around $100,000.”
For Southland’s new Christmas tree, Sharif is looking into companies such as WeBe Christmas.
The group is hoping to raise the $40,000 by Wednesday, Nov. 30.
As of Wednesday, Nov. 23, $1,525 had been raised.
In addition to replacing the tree, there is another tradition that Sharif is working to bring back to the neighborhood.
Both Sharif and Walker recall attending a tree lighting ceremony every year at the Southland Mall.
It is not clear when the last ceremony was held, but the last time Walker remembers seeing the tree was back in 2017.
“That tree is a part of the experience,” Walker said. “It’s one of those good old fashioned family experiences that you can have.”
With Davis on board, Sharif hopes to revive the lighting ceremony.
“We want to bring that camaraderie, community pride and respect back to Whitehaven,” Sharif said.
As for the mall’s issues, Southland Mall leadership and Respect The Haven will meet next week to discuss how they can work together to make improvements.
“Southland Mall, when we were growing up in the ‘80s, was a master place,” Sharif said.
Topics
Southland Mall Starbucks AutoZone Pearl Walker Jason Sharif I Love Whitehaven Neighborhood and Business Association Respect the HavenJasmine McCraven
Jasmine McCraven considers herself to be a music enthusiast and believes that she makes the best playlists ever. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State, but couldn’t wait to move back home to Memphis for the best food and culture in Tennessee.
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