Happy 2021!! Last year threw a lot our way BUT we made it through and I can't wait to see what 2021 has in store for us! As you all may know I've been taking a break from blogging but during my quiet time I've been wondering what is it that you all really want to hear about. So! I decided to do a survey. Answer the questions below to let me know what topics are really important to you or just stuff that you would like to see on the page. This blog isn't just for me so I definitely want to make sure that useful content is being displayed. Thanks in advance for taking a moment to help keep Plug901 current and may 2021 continue to be full of peace, growth, grace, and prosperity!
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Back in December of 2017 I created a blog called Main Street Eats. I was working Downtown where you can find some of the best food in Memphis and decided to share some of my favorite restaurants. Of course since then restaurants have been added and some have closed so I decided to update it but this time it'll be called Downtown Eats! I'm back working downtown, back exploring and back living my best foodie life.
List of Finds: 901 Wings 97 N Main Street Memphis, TN 38103 Food Truck Thursday Court Square Center 62 N. Main Street Memphis, TN 38103 Cafe Keough 12 S. Main Street Memphis, TN 38103 City Market 66 S. Main Street Memphis, TN 38103 Aldo's Pizza Pies 100 S. Main Street Memphis, TN 38103 Margie's 901 Homemade Ice Cream and Cakes 125 S. Main Street Memphis, TN 38103 Pontotoc Lounge 314 Main Street Memphis, TN 38103 Rizzo's Diner 492 S. Main Street Memphis, TN 38103 Curry N Jerk 126 Monroe Ave, Memphis, TN 38103 Sage 94 S Main St, Memphis, TN 38103 Tailor's Union (The Pocket) 115 Union Ave, Memphis, TN 38103 The Vault 124 GE Patterson Ave, Memphis, TN 38103 Chef Tam's 668 Union Ave, Memphis, TN 38103 Hooters 250 Peabody Pl Suite 101, Memphis, TN 38103 Huey's 77 S 2nd St, Memphis, TN 38103 Maciel's 45 S Main St, Memphis, TN 38103 Fam on Madison 149 Madison Ave, Memphis, TN 38103 Majestic 145 S Main St, Memphis, TN 38103 Hu Diner 3 S Main St, Memphis, TN 38103 Catherine and Mary's 272 S Main St ste 105-a, Memphis, TN 38103 Swanky's 272 S Main St, Memphis, TN 38103 SOB 361 S Main St, Memphis, TN 38103 Bishop 545 S Main St #111, Memphis, TN 38103 Bar Hustle/Hustle and Dough 477 S Main St, Memphis, TN 38103 Puck Food Hall 409 South Main Street First Floor, Memphis, TN 38103 The Arcade 540 S Main St, Memphis, TN 38103 Ernestein and Hazel 531 S Main St, Memphis, TN 38103 Eight & Sand 545 S Main St, Memphis, TN 38103 Cheesecake Corner 113 E GE Patterson Ave, Memphis, TN 38103 Flava House 95 S Main Street Ste 105 Memphis, TN 38103 Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken 310 S Front St, Memphis, TN 38103 Bardog Tavern 73 Monroe Ave, Memphis, TN 38103 117 Prime 117 Union Ave, Memphis, TN 38103 Miss Polly's Soul City Café 154 Beale St, Memphis, TN 38103 Willie Moore's (t) 109 N Main St, Memphis, TN 38103 Alcenia's (t) 317 N Main St, Memphis, TN 38103 Texas De Brazil 150 Peabody Pl Ste 103, Memphis, TN 38103 Sunrise Memphis 670 Jefferson Ave, Memphis, TN 38105 Tamp and Tap 122 Gayoso Ave, Memphis, TN 38103 Edge Alley 600 Monroe Ave, Memphis, TN 38103 B.B. Kings Blues Club 143 Beale St, Memphis, TN 38103 Central BBQ 147 E Butler Ave, Memphis, TN 38103 Automatic Slims 83 S 2nd St, Memphis, TN 38103 Blue Fin 135 S Main St, Memphis, TN 38104 Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous 52 S 2nd St, Memphis, TN 38103 And there you have it! A list of all of my Downtown favorites! Let me know if you all visit any the places listed or what your favorite menu items is if you have already been. Happy Tasting! This month I will be turning 30 and saying goodbye to my twenties so, to commemorate 29 here is a blog dedicated to the last year of a decade that brought me many things. 29 Days of Memphis is filled with things that scream Memphis, Memphis, Memphis, Memphis, Memphis the most beautiful land in the world. Also, each day of September I will TRY to post an activity from the list but remember this is my birthday month so don't be too hard on me if I miss a day! Be sure to follow me on Instagram as I explore and show you the real Memphis in 29 ways! Unfortunately some the activities listed we can't currently partake in but when we are Covid-19 free be sure to revisit this blog and have some good ole Memphis fun!
Bonus: 30. Plan a Stay-cation at a Popular Memphis Hotel I decided to throw an extra in here since I'll be 30 this week! To start off this new decade I'll be blogging about a stay-cation I take at the end of September. Stay tuned to see what Memphis hotel I pick to spend the weekend at and what adventures I get into! One Year to Grow on
Quench Your Thirst There was absolutely no way I could finish this blog without mentioning something that has been the topic of many conversations and Memes, Memphis Water! I learned at an early age that all tap water was not equal! We would go out of town and have bottled water only but at home it could come straight out of the faucet! Later on I learned that was because of our sand aquifer. Memphis has some of the cleanest water in the world and some won't let you forget it. There is actually an organization dedicated to protecting our water supply. Click the link to read more about them! Protect Our Aquifer Hey, hey!! Found out about some new stuff coming our way and wanted to share!!
Liberty Park A final decision has been made about what will happen with the Mid-South Fair Grounds! Liberty Park will be a mixed used development project including the Liberty Bowl, Tiger Lane, The Children's Museum of Memphis and The Kroc center. There will be a 227,000 square feet sports and events center for youth sports and events. Also located on the property will be commercial office space, retail, dining, two hotels, and up to 150 apartments. The opening phases are expected to begin in 2022. This is a major move for the city and I am excited to watch it unfold. For more information on this project please click the link below. WREG Wahlburgers Wahlburger is coming to the Pyramid for the chains first ever " Wahlburgers Wild". This will be the first location in Tennessee and will have an outdoor theme. Originally the chain was supposed to be downtown but of course that one didn't happen. Construction is set to start soon but no opening date as of now. Waffle Cream Fun Fact about me I love ice cream!! It makes me feel better on bad days! I was a Shift Leader at Baskin Robbins in college and I ate ice cream EVERYDAY!! I also made the best shakes and had the best night crew! But anyway when I heard that there was a new black owned Ice Cream shop that not only served ice cream but bomb ass waffles too I had to post about it! On August 15th Waffle Cream opened their brick and mortar location at 999 S. Cooper Street, Suite 103, Memphis, TN 38104! I haven't been able to go yet but I have been able taste a waffle and it was amazing! Be sure you visit soon!! Click the link for the website. Current hours are Tuesday - Thursday 12 pm-8 pm Friday - Saturday 12 pm - 10 pm Sunday 1 pm-6 pm CupCake Cutie CupCake Cutie is back and opening a new location on Main Street! Last Saturday, August 29th from 10 am to 9 pm Cupcake Cutie kicked off their Grand Opening! During opening week there will be a food truck available on sight called Sea and Taste Food Truck. Be sure to stop by to grab some amazing cupcakes and tasty crab legs! The address is 300 S.Main St Memphis TN 38103. Front Door at The Poplar Plaza Shopping Center Do you all remember Spin Street?? The poplar record store closed back in 2017 and I've been wondering what will take its place. Recently I came across an article stating that spin street (along with space around it) may be turned into an apartment complex called Front Door. Front Door is set to be two buildings at six stories tall, 282,093 square feet with 240 apartments, retail space and underground parking. This will give a much needed update to the seventy year old plaza. See Daily Memphian for their full article City Tasting Box Have you ever wanted to pack Memphis up in a box and take it with you?? Well now you can! City Tasting Box is now open for business and shipping boxes of packaged Memphis good all around the world! Click this link to read my blog on them and to get your very own City Tasting Box. Memphis has so much culture, spirit, and amazing food so this idea was well overdue! City Tasting Box The Waffle Iron Did you know that you could get most of The Waffle Iron's goodness online? Recently they opened an online store while they are closed. The online store includes their signature pancake mix, cakes, sage sausage, and more! Covid-19 has hit a lot of our favorites extremely hard but they are fighting through. Please be sure to support as much as you can and spread a little love. The Waffle Iron Apartments at 80 Virginia Ave Apartments continue to pop up all over Downtown and Midtown Memphis. Soon renovations on a 3-story building at 80 Virginia Ave will be home to some Memphis residents! The building will have 24 residential units with 1,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor. Completion is expected to be summer of next year. 150 Madison Ave And here we have another residential space! A two story downtown building from the 1920s is being redeveloped! 150 Madison will include a coffee shop or commercial space and a single family residence. 901 Tomorrow is 901 Day!! It may not be the 901 celebration we are used to having but there will still be things to get into. Several local businesses are giving discounts and I'll be uploading a 29 Days of Memphis Blog to help you indulge in all things Memphis. Remember to check the calendar, my social media pages, and the blog site to find ways to make your 901 Day a good one! I'll list the businesses giving discounts below as well as putting them on my Instagram stories: City Tasting Box Feast & Graze September Nail Salon Blues City Donuts Makeda's Cookies Muggin Coffeehouse Boscos Squared My Cup of Tea Fox Ridge Pizza SOB Slider Inn Riko's Kickin Chicken MEMPOPS Swanky Taco Shop Bonus: Fam One of my favorite downtown eating spots has a new location. Fam's 521 S. Highland St Suite 101 was opened in February of this year! Fam is a modern and casual Asian restaurant serving healthy bowls, hibachi style rice, sushi, and more. The original location, 149 Madison Ave, is currently only open for take out and delivery but the new highland location is open for some dine in! Head down to visit either location soon! SOB East South of Beale now has two locations and the newly opened East Memphis location is having a soft opening on September 8th. Be sure to stop by for lunch, dinner, or brunch on Sunday! I recommend trying the pan-seared salmon, shrimp and grits (if available), or general tso's cauliflower with sticky rice! Have you ever wanted to take piece of Memphis with you? Take a box and put the culture, the food, and the spirit all together and seal it up for your keeping?! Well City Tasting Box has done just that! Recently, owners Cristina McCarter and Lisa Brown launched a new business venture where you can purchase a thoughtfully crated box of packaged goods! This box will include some of Memphis' most popular treats from renowned restaurants and chefs, up and coming local food artisans, and other Memphis inspired crafts. Giving the world an opportunity to experience Memphis all while encouraging people to shop and support local businesses. City Tasting Box will be helping to bring some much needed attention back to the tourism industry and not only generate income for the owners but for all involved in the process! Which is something that is definitely needed during these uncertain times since Covid-19 has hit so many industries so hard. Check out the link below to get more information on what's in the box and to cop your very own City Tasting Box! There are freebies and discounts available from now until August 31st so don't miss out! Boxes can be shipped all over the world so gift a friend, stranger, or do something nice for yourself! You won't regret it! City Tasting Box This is one of many examples of how creatives and entrepreneurs are adjusting to what 2020 has given them! They are creating new businesses, finally starting businesses, changing dining styles, making renovations, and more all to continue to do what they love and feed their families. If you are able to please support, share, and like! We could all use the love! And Remember, "Be Kind and Eat local"! Follow them on Instagram and Facebook @citytastingbox So, a month ago I received a call from a familiar voice telling me that they knew what they wanted for their birthday this year. Birthdays are my favorite even when it isn't my own so when a friend calls to tell me what they want I listen. The more that I listened the more that I realized that this gift wasn't your usual request. My friend wanted a blog written and not necessarily about him. His only requirement was that the blog had to focus on the number 33, which is how old he turned on July 25th. My friend explained that the point of this request was to highlight friends who he felt were living in their purpose and to draw more attention to what those individuals are doing. For my friend's birthday he wanted to bring attention to and support others. So in honor of this selfless request I came up with a blog that would keep that same energy! Here you will find 33 things split up into two different categories. Category 1 will be things I believe will help to move Memphis forward and category 2 will be nonprofits/organizations that I admire and love! You can click on the name of each organization to be directed to websites. Category 1
In addition to the organizations listed above here you'll find links with information about voting and other ways to help evoke change. There are so many organizations making a difference in this city please find your favorite and show them love! All of these are links and can be clicked on to go directly to websites. Info for Volunteering Volunteer Memphis Volunteer Odyssey Missions to get behind St. Jude The CLTV Adopt A Block 311 Info for Voting Shelby County Election Commission Rock The Vote Tennessee State of Secretary Sheleah Harris for District 5 School Board Dominique Primer for TN State Rep 84 Follow @Respectmyvote901 on Instagram Sites to Help You Stay Informed Plug901 We Are Memphis The Commercial Appeal The Daily Memphian Memphis Flyer Memphis Business Journal I Love Memphis Choose901 *To help with shopping local follow @walkingplate on Instagram! She is a connoisseur of all things local. Also, I often post about local businesses and finds! There are also highlights on my Instagram page dedicated to black businesses, happy hours, events, and local experiences! Tim, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Thank you for being you! Playful, goofy, greedy, and extremely selfless! (just to name a few) This birthday wish displays who you are as a person, always thinking of others and motivating those around you! Thank you so much for all of your support and encouragement. Thank you for always pushing me to continue to write and reminding me that this is apart of my gift to the world. I truly appreciate it! May your next year around the sun be one that you never forget and may the love you give to so many others be reciprocated! Be sure to follow Tim @mr_memphisstate for the entire Unmzzld docuseries featuring personal stories from Tim and the talents of his friends. Link below! Unmuzzld Hey Hey!! With so much going on I thought that it was only right to bring back the "Top 5 Things You Need to Know" to try to bring a little joy and positivity to your day! There is still a lot going on and I want to make sure we all stay informed! Muggin’ Coffee House Muggin Coffee House has officially opened and is ready to take all your monies!! Opened by Memphians Ken and Mary Olds, Muggin’ had its grand opening this Monday bringing White Haven its first and only Black Owned Coffee Shop! I was able to stop by last Friday for the soft opening and instantly fell in love with the Peaches & Cream Scone and the Iced Muggin Mane with Almond Milk, they were both delicious. The atmosphere is super chill and a vibe! It is good for meetings, grabbing a quick bite and coffee, or catching up with friends! Be sure to pull up and show your support whenever you can! For more information and hours of operation click here! Muggin Coffee House is located at 1139 Brownlee Road Memphis, TN 38116. Be sure to follow them @muggin_coffee on Instagram and Muggin Coffee House on Facebook. Beale Street Brewing Co. I recently found out that we have a Black-Owned brewing company in Memphis! Beale Street Brewing Co., founded by Kelvin Kolheim, made its debut in early 2017 and has recently released two new IPAs. The most recent being Space Age Sippin, paying homage to Memphis rap legends and Orange Mound heroes 8ball and MJG. Space Age Sippin (named after my favorite 8ball and MJG song) is said to be a hazy India pale ale with hints of peaches, papaya, mango, and passion fruit! I do not drink beer, but I will be going to pick these beers up today! They have also partnered with Weathered Souls Brewing Co. for their Black is Beautiful initiative where Beale Street Brewing Co and other Memphis Breweries teamed up to craft a beer and donate the proceeds to a local organization of their choosing. For more about Beale Street and Co click here! Be sure to follow them @bealestreetbrewingco on Instagram. *Click here for the full article on the Black is Beautiful initiative VOTING So! Yesterday was the last day to register to vote for our August election date in TN. I hope you all are registered and PREPARED to vote in both August and November elections. In August we will be voting in our picks for the TN House and Senate Primaries and November will be our state general election. Absentee ballot deadline for the August election (for TN House and Senate Primaries) is July 30th and early voting will be July 17th - August 1st. Registration deadline for the November 3rd election is October 5th, absentee ballot request deadline is October 27th, and early voting is from October 14th – October 29th! Please get out and vote and DO NOT vote for Kanye West for anything…do not! I have included links and social media handles that contain helpful information. Follow @tnelections on Instagram and visit https://sos.tn.gov/ You can also follow Up The Vote on Facebook! Juice Orange Mound Community Garden
Every Sunday from 9:00 am – 11:00 am JUICE meets up in their community garden for a little TLC and mandatory maintenance. Juice started this garden two years ago and it is thriving! They have mint, sage, tomatoes, peppers, blueberries, and more all growing in a community garden in Orange Mound! Activities in the garden range from weeding, planting seeds, watering, cleaning up the garden, and decorating. So, if gardening is your thing or you want to get some community service in stop by and lend a hand. They are also accepting gardening supplies and new seeds to plant as donations. If you would like to donate monetary items, please donate through their website! Also, see the website for more information on Juice Orange Mound! www.juiceorangemound.org/donate-now/ Black-Owned Businesses I will continue to add black-owned businesses to my blog page and will soon upload the restaurant guide I have been working on. There will be a tab dedicated to the black-owned restaurants in Memphis. I also added a new highlight for black-owned businesses on the blog IG page so, if you need to access them quickly, they will be there and I will continue to add businesses to that highlight as well. Bonus: JoJo’s expresso A mobile coffee truck opens on July 10th. This Friday from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm you can find JoJo’s Espresso truck at Residences a Thornwood 7794 Kings College Ave Memphis, TN 38138. The truck is super cute, and I am excited to try more local coffee! Be sure to follow them @jojosespresso on Instagram If you have any information you feel should be added to a Top 5 Things You Need to Know blog feel free to email me at plug901@plug901.com |
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