The staple Soul Burger at Earnestine & Hazel’s is a stack of no-frills comfort, and a late night steal of a $10 Deal.

Memphis is awash in dramatic examples of adaptive reuse, from a Downtown shopping mall turned corporate headquarters to a Sears warehouse building turned “vertical urban village” to even a Pyramid-shaped arena turned world’s biggest bait shop. But Mud Island and the Mid-South Coliseum have proved trickier for rebirth. 

The owner of Paula & Raiford’s Disco in Downtown Memphis was charged with misdemeanor assault Thursday, Sept. 15, according to Shelby County Criminal Justice records.

Hulsey Britt and Frankey Anderson approached Kenneth Wayne Alexander with a proposition: to curate a combined art space, restaurant, and entertainment venue dedicated to Black culture and Black excellence.

Developers Joseph Lewis and Tony Kuhn plan to begin $3.2 million restoration this fall. 

The Carlisle name follows a $1.5 million donation by the developers to the $62 million Tom Lee Park redesign. It honors the late Gene Carlisle, the family patriarch who called the One Beale real estate “the best piece of dirt in Memphis.”

Uptown’s Malone Park Commons sought the special grant after rising construction costs increased the budget, according to staff reports.

Two Memphis natives are partnering with 2 Chainz and serial entrepreneur Mychel “Snoop” Dillard to open an Esco location off of Beale Street. 

It all started with a waiter who saw the fence around the restaurant’s North Main Street patio as a place to display his art.

A special development grant for Malone Park Commons in Uptown is on the upcoming Sept. 14 Center City Development Corp. agenda. 

The existing restaurants and bars will be converted into an upscale Memphis-themed sports bar. Additionally, an event deck will be built on the second floor, according to the application.

The special meeting is the second in a week for the council. The compromise involving $10 million was announced by Mayor Jim Strickland before the Labor Day weekend.

The agreement announced Thursday, Sept. 1, bypasses a city backstop of a reserve fund Carlisle Corp. had sought. Instead, the city puts up $10 million to be repaid by the One Beale developers in 10 years.

Reggae at The Shed brings island sounds, along with food, drinks and local vendors to the Carolina Watershed, 141 E Carolina Ave. 

Memphis in May is eager to return to Tom Lee Park but cites issues with a lease and damage deposit lead to ‘uncertainty’ at its annual meeting.

Related story:

Memphis in May posts record $2.2M in red ink for 2022

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland says the city’s population grew by more than 15,000 people between 2010 and 2020 instead of a loss of 13,000 reflected in the most recent U.S. Census.

Community leaders and patrons of the Fogelman Downtown YMCA praised updates to the facility Thursday, Aug. 18, as a recent $2 million renovation was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and luncheon. 

“Probably the most problematic thing about Mud Island is that it exists,” said a member of the Mud Island task force, which met Wednesday via Zoom. “To a lot of people, the solution is slap a coat of paint on it and reopen the monorail. It’s not that simple, and we need to figure it out in modern times.”

“If that person says, ‘I like your outfit’ or stares or the car that drives by honks, it’s going to be a fun night,” said Mark Sandfoss, a zoologist with a flair for fashion.

In the shadow of the Renasant Convention Center, a peaceful line forms. People in shabby, sometimes off-season clothing, come for a homemade burrito, bag of chips, water, a soft drink, maybe a pair of new socks.

The local food truck will be moving into the former site of Regina’s Cajun Restaurant in a Downtown space near Court Square.

Community leaders and officials highlighted the legacy of Stax, the record label and museum, with a musical performance and panel in celebration of its addition to the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. 

Plans call for a pool courtyard, coffee shop, transit station and pet park.

Some City Council members think the city could take on more risk with One Beale’s Grand Hyatt, while some say other projects come first.

The Hospitality Hub is ready to debut its new campus at 590 Washington Ave., featuring expanded emergency housing and case management services, three green spaces, a family room, a children’s play area and more.