Lions, a tiger and bears, oh my, play into this week’s Ask the Memphian. Because we’re not just horsing around.

The demolition is part of the $100 million in capital projects planned or underway that will modernize the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s aging campus.

“I look forward to today all year long,” said Jennifer Seidman, who hosted acts on her porch on Oliver Avenue. “To me, Porchfest is just taking that community we have and celebrating it.”

After a nearly $500,000 renovation, Barksdale’s will reopen in Midtown with its signature hearty breakfasts and plate lunches.

MidtownMemphis.org is encouraging residents to speak out against Memphis 3.0’s future land use map, but other residents say the city’s zoning plan will be beneficial.

The Midtown bar and entertainment space never reopened after it shut down suddenly in December with a social media post saying it was for renovations.

Memphis chef Kelly English said his new menu includes nine signature salad creations, plus a “choose-your-own-adventure” option.

The bookstore and coffee shop will open this summer at 635 Madison Ave. in the 1,960-square-foot front space within The Ugly Art Co. gallery.

“A haven for the arts” returns as Java Cabana reopens, and the new owners plan to bring back open mic nights and keep the aesthetic the same. 

The space that is now Cafe Ole will close as a Mexican restaurant Friday, March 7, and will reopen in the coming weeks with a new concept and menu.

“I know many people, again, have been discouraged by the state of local businesses with all the closures happening,” Blue Suede Vintage owner Casey O’Rourke said. “But I want this to be a success story.”

Central BBQ marries both the old and the new in its revamped Central Avenue location. 

The Soap Factory located in a shopping center at 2197 Central Ave. sells various bath, body and home products, including laundry detergent, body soaps, lotions, candles, beard oil and sinus bombs.

“Life’s a gift, open it,” says Slowdown Dry Goods founder Eli Berry, who recently released a merch line for Grammy-winning artists Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus.

The Cooper will be on 5.8 acres at Cooper Street and Central Avenue with 250 multifamily apartments, 27 rental townhomes, a 125-room hotel, surface parking and a 325-space parking garage.

Lafayette’s Music Room plans to continue its legacy of live music in Overton Square, but with shortened hours.

A group of Memphians opposed to the gates, including a Golden Globe-nominated actress, has retained Alex Wharton of the Wharton Law Firm to look into potential First Amendment issues associated with the proposed barriers. 

Complicated Pilgrim’s breakfast bowl proves quinoa isn’t boring; it’s just waiting for someone to show it a little love.

Concerts scheduled for this weekend at the Central Avenue event site were suddenly canceled or moved to Loflin Yard and all the events previously listed on the Railgarten website have been deleted.

“Kate (Ashby) and Kyle (Bankston, the owners of Knifebird and The Public Bistro) are like-minded people. We are good friends, and we want to do their legacy justice,” one of the restaurateurs taking over the spaces said. 

The Woman’s Exchange of Memphis was founded in 1885 as part of the Woman’s Exchange movement to help women provide for their families anonymously when it was not socially acceptable for them to work. 

A planned new performance venue from Crosstown Concourse and Live Nation has sparked both excitement and concerns from local music fans, concert bookers and venue owners.

Premier Flowers’ owner said she loved being Downtown, but ongoing break-ins and vandalism coupled with constant parking issues contributed to her decision not to renew her shop’s lease this fall.

The switch will be flipped Dec. 4 at the church. “From that point forward, it will be a lit beacon of our hope — of Christ’s love — from the heart of Midtown,” Rev. David Powers said.

Many have likely driven by it hundreds of times with barely a glance, but this cemetery in the heart of Memphis has stories to tell.