By Caray Oldham/MicroMemphis Reporter

Memphis based business, Café Eclectic, will bring its fresh baked pastries and one of a kind espresso drinks to the University District by mid-May. The newest café will open underneath the Stratum at the corner of Highland and Mynders, 510 S. Highland St.

It’s a family business owned by the Bouldens. Rachel Boulden says the first café opened in 2008, but she has been in the coffee business for almost 10 years. When her mother got the idea of opening the first location in Midtown she didn’t expect it would ever get this big.

Dunn Hall on the University of Memphis was evacuated on April 15 when a report of a suspicious package was made to campus to campus police. A search off the building was completed and police found it to be a laptop computer sitting in the middle of a hallway. The student who owned the laptop said he recently purchased it and he forgot it.

The owner of Ching’s Hot Wings advertises itself as the place with the best chicken in town.

“I guess you can call me the chicken man,” said Lafayette Williams, the owner of Chings at 1264 Getwell Road.

This wing spot has become popular with residents of the University District and anyone who works or goes to school at the University of Memphis. Any U of M student gets a 10 percent discount at the restaurant.

The Memphis Goodwill store on South Highland Street offers plenty of bargains, but what some people may not know is that it also is a great place to recycle.

Located on 574 S. Highland St., the Memphis Goodwill location has served the University district for well more than a decade.

Graffiti has become a very popular form of art and expressionism, particularly in the U.S. recently with the emergence of rap and the underground hip-hop scene in New York City. The art form spread quickly throughout all the major cities in the country and can now be found in various forms on the back of countless buildings, dumpsters and overpasses. Though considered to be vandalism when done without permission of a business owner or owner of an establishment, when done right it can be a masterful form of art that conveys the political and social ideas and views of the artist. In the University District of Memphis, there are many walls of buildings with art and graffiti that relate to the area and display differentiating ideals.

The frequently busy intersection of Highland Street and Walker Avenue was crowded as usual on April 13, but it wasn’t because of the typical hustle and bustle of students rushing to get to class on time.  It was filled with people who wanted to get involved with MemFix.

MemFix was created by the Mayor’s Innovation Delivery Team, which focuses on fixing problems in urban neighborhoods.  The event began last November in an effort to improve Cleveland Street.  Afterwards, the University Neighborhood Development Corp. and University District Business Alliance decided to bring MEMfix to the University area.

MemFix at Walker-Highland on April 13he event brought Memphians from all over the city to enjoy the vendors, beautiful weather and live music. Here are some photos from the festivities. 

The MemFix event at Walker and Highland on April 13 was conducted to showcase what is possible at the intersection by providing examples of how the University District neighborhood can become more pedestrian friendly. The event had pop-up retail stands, music and art and also introduced new ways for pedestrians to interact with the neighborhood. The all-day event offered the community a day to get to know the neighborhood and experience the local arts and entertainment industry.

Creative Stitches, located at 3525 Mynders Ave., was envisioned by owner Grapple Woodward 20 years ago.  Stacy Simmons, office manager says Creative Stitches is known for its Greek attire, personal embroideries, baby apparel and cosmetic bags. In addition, Simmons says there are two sides to the store. The retail side, where customers purchase items, and the commercial side, where companies are given the option to order wholesale clothing with imprinted logos. The company website is stitchestogo.com and store hours are Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

By Raven McClain \MicroMemphis Reporter