The Future of Farish Street

Are developers entertaining more than a thought?

By Cori Bolger
cbolger@clarionledger.com

J.D. Schwalm/The Clarion-Ledger Work on the Farish Street project continues, although Jackson Mayor Frank Melton is less than pleased with the pace. "Their (Performa Entertainment Inc.) performance is pathetic and I'm flat out getting sick of it," he says. Fast facts The population of the Jackson metro-area is 432,000. The population of the Memphis metro-area is 1.25 million. Farish Street had many minority-owned businesses and a thriving nightlife through much of the mid-century. Peaches Cafe and the Big Apple Inn are a few business that are open on Farish Street today. In 1980, the Farish Street Historic Neighborhood District was included in the National Register of Historic Places. Eight businesses have signed up to open in the two-block entertainment district, including Wet Willie's Daiquiri Bar, Funny Bone Comedy Club, Crescent City Beignets, King Biscuit Cafe, Mississippi BBQ Co., The B.B. King's Blues Club, Iron Horse Grill and Does Eat Place. The new development plan includes an outdoor courtyard, unit apartments and additional parking space.

MEMPHIS — Thousands of music lovers poured onto the field at AutoZone Park on a recent evening to see Trent Reznor, the mind behind industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, perform at the Voodoo Music Experience.

A few blocks away on Beale Street, bluesmen tuned their guitars as tourists strolled from bars to restaurants, clutching frozen daiquiris and Graceland souvenirs. Dozens of policemen on horses and bikes kept watch over the crowd.

Even on a Sunday, the entertainment district buzzed with thriving commerce and culture. To a visitor, its streets appeared safe, well-kept and inviting.

But they weren't always that way.

It took six years for downtown Memphis to evolve from a crumbling, abandoned eyesore to one of Tennessee's top attractions, complete with a three-story shopping mall, concert stages and professional sports arenas.

Now, with the promise of a similar revitalization for Farish Street in downtown Jackson, residents are wondering when their city will have its vibrant district — and what it will take to make it work.

There are supporters, dissenters and those who simply don't care. There are also moderate skeptics, such as Chad Jones, a Brandon resident and Beale Street visitor who takes a two-sided approach.

"A lot of people are looking for something to do in Jackson, but it might take more money than people want to spend to make the project a reality," Jones, 31, said. "Anything is possible."

Special to The Clarion-Ledger It took about 6 years for developers to turn Beale Street in downtown Memphis into the bustling entertainment center it is today. A similar project is in the works for Farish Street in downtown Jackson, but some residents are skeptical of the outcome.

John Elkington, the district's developer, would know. His company, Performa Entertainment Inc. of Memphis, oversaw the renovation of Beale Street in the '80s and '90s and brought it to national fame as an urban success story.

"We had the same attitudes about Beale Street when I started it, and it worked out because we had a plan," Elkington said.

So far, the city has spent about $2 million on infrastructure improvements to Farish Street — from new streetlights to banners and wide brick sidewalks. The work was completed in early 2004.

The first businesses in the $12 million Farish Street entertainment project are planned to open in April.

At least eight of them — including Wet Willie's Daiquiri Bar and The B.B. King Blues Club — have agreed to set up shop in the two-block district between Amite and Hamilton streets. Construction and asbestos removal has started on several sites.

Still, Jackson Mayor Frank Melton wants to see a little less conversation and more action on Performa's part. He offered an ultimatum to the company — finish the job soon or take a hike.

"We've been sitting here for 40 days without rain and there's nothing keeping them from getting them over there and making progress," Melton said. "Their performance is pathetic and I'm flat out getting sick of it."

Elkington would not respond to Melton's comments, but suggested Melton visit the district and see recent progress for himself.

Scrutiny from local politicians is one hurdle Performa faces as it moves forward with the renovation. Elkington is quick to emphasize that Farish Street presents a different set of challenges to his team than downtown Memphis.

A few of the differing characteristics between the two projects include city population and demographic, district size and structure and fewer surrounding attractions to help attract tourists.

Cori Bolger/The Clarion-Ledger James Babb prepares a daiquiri at Wet Willie's on Beale Street. A similar store is planned for Jackson.

"People need to get the feeling that they can't get anywhere else and if we can do that, we'll be successful," Elkington said. "There is a delicate balance and if we don't do it right the first time, we'll fail."

The surrounding neighborhoods and attention to the past are key to the success of the project, he said.

Beale Street and Farish Street were their respective city's center for African-American business and entertainment in the mid-century.

But while the eight-block Memphis entertainment district included mainly businesses, the Farish Street district was surrounded by neighborhoods that have decayed into burned-out homes and boarded-up shops. Most of the 38 shotgun-style homes restored in 1998 remain empty.

Elkington hopes to purchase and restore some of the homes. Construction on Performa's proposed 60-unit apartment complex on Hamilton Street near Mississippi College of Law has not started yet.

City officials believe the new living spaces will encourage more people to reside downtown, which drives business. In Memphis, warehouses and a railroad yard have been converted into apartments and decades-old housing projects were torn down to make room for mixed-income dwellings.

In keeping with Farish Street's historic designation, Performa is making plans to restore historic sites such as Trumpet Records and the office of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers. The company also hopes to give incentives to African-American business owners.

"This is more than a suburban shopping center," Elkington said. "You have to make sure you bring back the history and culture and the music to the area. We've done that successfully on Beale Street."

Doing so, he hopes, will appeal to a diverse crowd in a city that lacks substantial mixed-race bars and nightclubs.

"We have to have a place that has no barriers, real or imaginary, to make people feel that they're being excluded," he said.

Like the original Beale Street, fear of crime in downtown Jackson makes the project a tough sell.

Performa tackled the security issue in Memphis by installing a surveillance system and hiring 40 private security personnel. The city of Memphis supplies an additional 40 policemen and the street is closed to anyone younger than 21 after 9 p.m.

Elkington has similar plans for Farish Street.

"There is a negative perception in Jackson, whether its real or unreal, that (Farish Street) is not a safe place, so we have to make it ultra-safe," he said.

Crime in the district and the surrounding area has stayed the same during the past year, said Jackson Police Department Precinct 2 Cmdr. Lee Vance.

"From a standpoint of violent crime, it's pretty low," he said. "We have cars that get broken into from time to time and that's the top problem. ... Statistically, downtown is very safe."

The only crimes reported in and around the Farish Street Entertainment District last week were three car burglaries, Vance said.

A Jackson Police Department substation sits in the middle of Farish Street, but JPD most likely will beef up its patrol numbers as new businesses open, he said.

In August, Elkington met with Farish Street stakeholders, including pastors and civic leaders, to discuss plans for the project and to ask for their support. Elkington estimated the completed district won't turn a profit until 2010.

Marvin Sharpe, a 35-year-old Jackson resident, said he is concerned that expectations are higher than what is realistic.

"It would be great if it happens, but I don't want people to compare it to (Beale Street) and expect too much," Sharpe said. "But it's definitely improved from what it used to be."