The DMC has turned a vacant storefront into a rotating gallery and event space called The 101. Downtown Memphis Commission
The ground floor of 101 S. Main has been a candy shop, a cat café and an art gallery—over the course of a few weeks.
The Downtown Memphis Commission has rapidly transformed the vacant storefront in an effort to make the South Main mall more vibrant, and hopefully secure a lease for the building that has sat empty since Peacock Travel closed in 2014.
The DMC has rented the 795-square-foot space for four months and has plans for dynamic programming through late January.
"We went into it hoping that at the end of four months there would be enough interest that someone wants to lease It because we've shown the potential of the space and shown some vibrancy through the holiday season in a creative, low-risk way," said Brett Roler, director of planning and development at the DMC.
The initiative's most successful event was a cat café hosted with the Memphis Animal Shelter. Dr. Bean's Coffee and Tea Emporium slung coffee while people played with adoptable cats. By the end of the day, over 200 people had filled what was a dark storefront just a few months prior. All sixteen cats went home with new owners.
"It didn't have to be empty and have the lights off forever, there are ways to repurpose space in the interim until people find a long term use for it," Roler said.
Visible Music College students are on hand during the lunch and early evening hours to perform live music and every Wednesday is the mid-week market where local artisans sell their wares. During Halloween, candy wholesaler Wayne's Candy relocated from its nondescript South End warehouse to join the vibrancy of South Main with a pop-up shop.
Other plans include a painting-and-wine night in conjunction with Pinot's Palette, an adoption event with Memphis Animal Shelter dogs and a holiday market featuring local artisans.
Roler said that the lean revitalization strategy could travel to other vacant storefronts once the DMC's lease ends at 101 S. Main.
"It helps people envision what was possible in a space," he said.
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Madeline Faber is an editor and award-winning reporter. Her experience as a development reporter complements High Ground's mission to write about what's next for Memphis.