The Trolley Tour: real2reel

A senior head picture from R2R

The Trolley Tour's next stop is the R2R Photography studio. Everyone is familiar with the photo place in KMart that takes those really cheesy pictures where it looks like your head is floating above everybody else in the family portrait right? You know the picture where if it was blown up and hung in a living room and you walked in there at night and there was a little bit of moonlight, just enough to see the picture, it would scare you half to death. Well some people may actually like those photos, but sometimes a great photograph is the last thing that can display a particular moment in life. It stands to reason that if you want to capture a moment and retain it for memories, or as a family keepsake then you would not trust your pictures to the girl at KMart that just finished eating a ten pack of chicken nuggets and has worked for the last 10 hours with screaming babies and mom's who really think the dirty angel wings look cute on their kid. Maybe that's a bit rough but photographs are important. They should be treated like art, because honestly when the light captures the subject in the right way, and the background becomes a part of the setting instead of just a sheet of canvas with a drawing, then the picture truly becomes worth a thousand words.

On the Trolley Tour there are various shops and one of them that seemed to keep everyone standing inside the shop for a while was the real2reel gallery. Well they were serving wine, but that was not the reason the crowd seemed to linger. Real2reel had pictures of regular people displayed throughout the small space and instead of the average Joe and Joann Smith photos, the regular people in these photos seemed to capture the essence of the moment and in that instance when the camera froze the image forever, the regular became extraordinary. The wedding photos, senior photos, all seemed to be created for display in the Brooks Museum and maybe that's why everyone lingered there. They were trying to decide when they would come back and be photographed.

Art exists as an entrance into a moment that lives beyond where we are at a particular point. Art can be found in the most regular thing in the world and it can be beautiful. When a group decides that they are going to create art it is significant when they do so with a careful and professional eye. R2R does this and when a business cares about their craft they deserve to be featured. If you are a high school senior or aspiring actress be different, take a ride on the trolley and stop by real2real and allow them to bring your moment to life.

the studio
address 523 south main street, memphis, tn 38103
phone 901.746.9381

david bunk owner, photographer
phone 901.746.9381
email davidbunk@r2rcompany.com

Trolley Tour: Not always about the business side

The Trolley Tour series is not an attempt at focusing on and marketing South Main and its residents solely. The monthly event that focuses on small business and eateries throughout the downtown area also has vendor tables where various health and social related organizations are able to spread vital information to the community.

One such company that is reaching out and attempting to help the Memphis area is CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) http://www.memphiscasa.org/ CASA had a vendors table in the midst of the singing and dancing and they were signing up volunteers and attempting to build a database. While the primary purpose of the Trolley Tour is to engage the visitors and residents of Memphis in an open air party atmosphere, it is great that the Center City Commission was wise enough to sprinkle in elements of purpose and awareness.

CASA's primary mission is to, 'To be the leader in child advocacy through dedicated, trained volunteers and staff who, by providing an unbiased voice in court, assure safe permanent homes for abused, abandoned, and neglected children.' CASA is a non-profit agency and requires volunteers to assist with the workload.

In a city where the infant mortality rate is the highest in the country and is being featured on PBS specials, it is important that while the city that knows how to kick off a party, also know how to engage in helping the citizens with the smallest abiltiy to help themselves. Take some time to contact this spot that isn't exactly off of the South Main Trolley line, but can be reached from the Trolley system downtown.

868 North Manassas Street
Memphis, TN 38107-2516
(901) 522-0200

Check back tomorrow for another Hot Spot in Downtown Memphis

The Trolley Tour: Hot spots on South Main in downtown Memphis

Eric Evans of SACHE

The Trolley Tour in Downtown Memphis opens your eyes to an abundance of eateries and shopping. As a tourist attraction most cities have a valued shopping area. In the 80's in Memphis the Mall of Memphis was the primary location for the city. The Mall of Memphis had an indoor ice skating rink that was overlooked by the food court and the two levels of shopping held high end stores as well as smaller venues. In the 90's the Mall of Memphis began to deteriorate and eventually was demolished. While the Oak Court Mall and the Wolfchase Galleria in Memphis are both very nice malls they both are situated in locations that are difficult to get to. Wolfchase Galleria sits on the outskirts of the city just past Germantown, TN. The Oak Court Mall, which is closer to midtown, is not a primary location for tourists because of its location. The shopping confines in there are very amicable and comfortable, although it is located on the busiest street in Memphis, Poplar Avenue.

Downtown Memphis has at its disposal a prime location but like many downtown areas, parking is always an issue during the day and afternoon. This has hindered downtown as a viable market for new businesses. Even the very attractive Peabody Place has been closed. Peabody Place became a victim of what can be considered a Memphis problem, people have fallen victim to the belief that Memphis is a haven of criminals and theives. Rather than finding out for themselves what the city has, the residents stayed away from the Peabody Place and this led to its demise. In order for a city to capitalize on its attractions the residents have to show their support. In an effort to avoid this in the South Main shopping district that the city has invested into, the city has increased police patrol and the Trolley Tour each month provides visitors and residents the ability to mingle with the owners of the shops. This creates what Patrick Hanlon in his book Primal Branding calls, 'the relationship' that makes a person want to be a part of a business.

This series of articles on the Trolley Tour has its first stop at SACHE (www.sacheclothing.com). SACHE is one of the business that was able to benefit from the Loan Forgiveness Retail Program before it was ended in June. SACHE was founded by Eric David Evans. Memphis is not like New York or Los Angeles where you can find new brands by the dozens. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to launch a brand here. Eric had to redesign the retail space that he is in from top to bottom. He utilize local graffiti artists, Eric was a graf artist as well his writing name was SACHE which is were his brand and logo derived, and he had to get his hands dirty by rebuilding each knook and cranny of the shop. What he was able to create is a space that has a natural lightness that lends character to the bold designs he has created for his tees and accessories. While there were a number of hot spots on the Trolley Tour, SACHE stands out as one of the better stories, but like the Peabody Place, SACHE needs your support. Stop by and check out SACHE while you take a ride on the trolley.

Check out tomorrow's hotspot and plan your trip to South Main.

SACHE - 525 South Main - Memphis, TN. 38103 901-201-4046

The Trolley Tour: Downtown Memphis

LV Burns of www.natural-ness.com with Elvis

The revival of Downtown Memphis has been helped along the way by many programs. The Retail Loan Forgiveness Program, which has been successful in places like Milwaukee, St. Louis and New Jersey, has provided start up business owners the opportunity to earn a loan up to 45,000 dollars if the business opens in several areas throughout downtown, The Pinch District or South Main. The business then has to stay in that location for a specified amount of time and the loan is forgiven. This program has led to a growing retail district in Downtown Memphis and to a monthly event to help promote the retail areas. That monthly event is called The Trolley Tour.

In Memphis there alway seems to be nothing to do. That is exactly what the issue is, it seems this way. In reality there are small pockets of entertainment and opportunities that are always present. They are not very well promoted in the various forms of media, but the events are out there. The Downtown Memphis website does a great job of providing up to the day information regarding Downtown. The Commecial Appeal newspaper website also lists events, but in the body of the website it is sometimes easy to overlook.

The Memphis Trolley transit utilizes a system that can be described as San Francisco 'lite'. The system is not as extensive as that but on a smaller scale the trolley transit in Memphis provides visitors and locals alike the chance to ride. 'The Main Street & Riverfront Trolley Line can take you just about anywhere you'd want to go in Downtown. Over 1 million riders each year use trolleys which make a five-mile loop along Main Street and the Mississippi River, and connects the Downtown Core to the Memphis Medical Center.'

Enough about the general transit system, The Trolley Tour is the point. Every month on the last Friday of the month the city allows visitors to the downtown area to hop on the trolley for free and experience an 'open house' for the South Main District. Starting at 6pm and ending at 9pm, the visitors can jump on the trolley, year around, and feel the cool breeze as the trolley rocks back and forth on the metal tracks rolling between the apartments and small businesses, down the riverside in front of the Pyramid and through the Pinch District. Riders can exit anywhere on the trolley line, but on this night South Main becomes alive with sound. DJ's spin records outside of various stores and bands bring art galleries to life, while business owners collect e-mails to solidify their base. The idea of the Trolley Tour by the Center City Commission is beautiful in its presentation and by taking advantage of the setting, dusk in Downtown Memphis, when Beale Street is coming alive the whole area is vibrant.

The various events of the Trolley Tour will be laid out over the next few days in a series of discussions on new businesses to the area and some very cool spots on the Trolley Tour. Eveyone in Memphis who claims that they don't have anything to do should take the time to build a roster of events for themselves. The first event should be The Trolley Tour on Friday Nights at the end of each month, year around: rain, snow, sleet or heat starting at 6pm and ending at 9pm.