VOL. 129 | NO. 144 | Friday, July 25, 2014
Inked
Amos Maki
Music Lounge to Open in Edge District
By Amos Maki
The Edge District near Downtown lost a theater but is gaining a new live music lounge in August.
The Dizzy Bird, named after legendary Jazz greats John “Dizzy” Gillespie and Charlie “Bird” Parker, is slated to open Aug. 2 at 652 Marshall Ave.
That’s the former site of Hattiloo Theatre, which has relocated to the rejuvenated Overton Square. Hattiloo founder Ekundayo Bandele remodeled the building, located just two blocks west of historic Sun Studio, transforming it into a 40-seat lounge featuring plush banquet couches and a loft overlooking the stage.
Although it is named after two jazz legends, the Dizzy Bird plans on presenting a wide array of artists and genres.
The Dizzy Bird will feature a wine and tapas menu designed and changed each month by chef Anita Woods.
It will host single-set concerts on Wednesday and Thursday nights, double-set concerts on Fridays and Saturdays, and a gospel brunch on Sunday afternoons.
The Edge district, an often-overlooked neighborhood linking Downtown to the Medical Center, is also getting some special attention from urban planners and advocates.
The district has been chosen as the next focus neighborhood for a MEMfix campaign, which seeks to draw attention to and activate key areas of town. MEMfix events are designed to showcase the art of the possible in neighborhoods by using pop-up shops and infrastructure improvements like bicycle lanes to transform desolate urban spaces into nodes of activity that attract future investment.
Previous MEMfix events have included the Soulsville neighborhood, the area around Walker Avenue and Highland Street by the University of Memphis and a stretch of Cleveland Avenue that runs by the Sears Crosstown building.
• In leasing news, Reflexxion Automotive is relocating from Bellbrook Industrial Park.
Reflexxion, located at 2949 Norbrook Drive, has leased space at Southpark Distribution Center.
The manufacturer of automobile hoods and bumpers leased 152,422 square feet at Building C inside Southpark, the distribution center on Shelby Drive in Southeast Memphis.
Brad Murchison of CB Richard Ellis Memphis represented the landlord, New York Life. Patrick Burke and Bobby Daush, both of CBRE Memphis, represented Reflexxion.
Earlier this year Fujitsu Computer Products of America Inc. leased 55,000 square feet at the 178,750-square-foot Building L inside Southpark and Menlo Worldwide Logistics renewed its 120,050-square-foot lease inside the industrial park.
• Wynit Distribution LLC is expanding its local presence. Wynit is a national wholesale distributor of products from national brands in the consumer electronics, photo, wide format printing, security and outdoor leisure and adventure industries.
The company has expanded by 80,595 square feet at Southpoint II, a 244,940-square-foot warehouse at 4655 Shelby Drive.
Based in North Syracuse, N.Y., Wynit serves a wide range of customers ranging from large national retailers to independent resellers.
Murchison of CBRE Memphis represented the landlord, DRA Advisors LLC. In 2012, DRA Advisors purchased Southpoint I and II from Weingarten Realty Services for $12.3 million.