By Courtney A. Smith

The city of Memphis is considered to be the home of delicious barbeque along with having some of the best talent in sports, especially basketball. With food and sports being the talk of the town, art is another great aspect of Memphis that should be in the conversation.

Take the Five in One Social Club for example. The establishment has been in Memphis for a year and has already made its mark in the art industry.

Michael and Alice Andrews, who celebrated the Five in One Social Club one year anniversary last week, are originally from Wisconsin and came to Memphis looking for a perfect location to start their business. They eventually found the perfect spot on 2535 Broad Ave.

“We moved to Memphis seven years ago and started an art space called Five in One and social club was part of that, like a component of that where artists can get together and hangout and draw on their sketch books,” Alice said.

"A year we heard about a program called MIM Shop. MIM Shop is a small business that the mayor’s innovation team is running and we heard of it like a grant. So we heard about that and thought well what if we turned social club into a business where we taught people how to do things and open a store where we sold things made by all of the awesome local artists that we know," she added. "So that’s how we got started. We applied for a grant and we won the grant and now it’s a year later and things are going pretty good over here.”

Christopher "Dumma Boy" Gholson is a well-known music producer from Memphis, Tenn. He has worked alongside top Hip Hop artist such as Young Jeezy,
T.I. and Two Chainz.

He is the founder of Drum Squad Foundation and an activist in his community. Recently, Drumma presented a grand opportunity for Shelby County School (SCS) students to participate in a contest and have a chance to win $2500. 

The "Dream Summit" was a competition that served as a way for Drumma to give back to his community and provide young entrepreneurs a chance to showcase their talents. 

The event was held Saturday, April 26, 2014 at the University of Memphis in the FedEx Institute of  Technology. 

SCS students, parents and teachers attended the event to learn more about opportunities in the music and sports industries from a panel of industry leaders.

Ron Highsmith, Executive Director of Drum Squad, detailed the importance of the event is to expose the youth to understanding curricular development and gain knowledge about the business side of multi-million dollar industries.

"It is important to present more opportunities and careers they may not learn about in school,"
  said Highsmith, "This is such a broad and diverse industry, and they will benefit tremendously from this summit."

The objective for the contest required students to create and present a business plan of their choice, including branding, budgeting and other market strategies that strive to benefit the
community.

By Cormac Parker

The University of Memphis has had a number of performances on campus, but not many like the one held in the Rose Theatre on Tuesday, April 22.

They go by the name Golden Dragon Acrobats. These young adults are highly skilled and full of energy, as they woo the audience with their jaw dropping acrobatics.

Unlike the famous Cirque du Soleil, this event was free and open to the public. Take a look at what happened that night.

Creative Stitches, an embroidery store in the University District, offers a unique variety of clothing, gifts and printed goods. 

The store, which is located in a house at 3525 Mynders Ave., opened in 1989. Since then, it has changed owners and adapted to the university community surrounding it.

By Jamesa Y. Alston

After watching a YouTube tutorial on how to make distressed denim, a University of Memphis student decided she would create and sell them as a way to pay for her tuition.

Gabrielle Mosley, a 22-year-old fashion merchandising major, created her first pair of distressed denim pants when she was a senior in high school as a final project for her fashion merchandising class.

After seeing her denim, her classmates wanted her to make them a pair and even offered to buy them.

“I never intended on making them for profit,” Mosley said. “I was only trying to make a good grade in class.”

Upon entering college, Mosley was giving the advice to steer away from student loans if she could.  Because she was about to be a full time student, she didn’t have a job. She then decided to continue to make and sell denim and eventually developed a passion for it.

“I thought I was going to get tired of cutting and bleaching jeans,” Mosley said. “But it helps me pay for my tuition and I haven’t had to get a job.”

By Dee Reneé

The UDistrict has many great eating places from wings and pizza to Mediterranean food. Restaurants such as Brother Juniper's and CK's coffee shop are great places to eat breakfast and to start the day off right. Many restaurants like RP Tracks are trying to find a way to satisfy all types of customers. That's why recently they have added barbecue tofu to their menu to attract vegan and vegetarian customers. 

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By L. Taylor Smith

During the Crews Center for Entrepreneurship’s Spring Ideas weekend, one team won $1,000 for an idea they developed over a 48-hour period.

Friday, anyone with an idea had the opportunity to pitch an idea in two minutes. Afterward, each participant voted on the ideas they liked best until only five ideas were selected to be built into a rough business model throughout the weekend.

Flyover Footage was one of those ideas.

Darrin Devault, a University of Memphis journalism professor, and Tom Willcox, senior public relations major, developed the idea.

They have been working together through Meeman 901 Strategies, a student-run PR firm that operates through the Crews Center.

“I remember he was like ‘Should we pitch something?’ and I asked him what we would pitch, and he said ‘Drones,’” Willcox said. “I didn’t even think that was allowed.”

By: Dee Reneé

Juicy Jim’s Pizzeria on South Highland Street is the go-to place for open mic on Tuesday nights.

Jim Matson, owner of Juicy Jim’s Pizzeria, is originally from New Jersey, but moved to Memphis in 1992 and opened Juicy Jim’s in 2003.

Matson got the name Juicy Jim when he was 16 and working at a place called Greasy Tony’s, where he impressed two young ladies with his “juicy” burgers.

Toke Up Tuesday is the formal name for the open mic event hosted every Tuesday night, which started two years ago.

It started when University of Memphis student Kenneth Hall asked Matson for the opportunity to make some money and get the restaurant exposure though the open mic night.

Every Tuesday, Jim expects anywhere from 100 to 150 people to crowd his vintage bar for performances. 

“I love coming to Juicy Jim’s on Tuesdays. I love to hear the good and bad performers. Some of the bad ones come back every Tuesday to try and redeem themselves,” Jamon Harvell said a junior engineering major at the university

Throughout the night there are countless acts--some good, some bad. 

Some participants perform spoken word and others perform stand-up comedy.

“I’m here every Tuesday getting on stage showing off  my comedic talents,"said Darius Wilder, a junior at the U of M. "The first couple of times I was pretty nervous but now I’m something like a pro,”

By Darnesha Cotton

Instagram is no longer being used for just keeping up with celebrities and taking "selfies." A University of Memphis student is using it to build her new accessory line.

“I posted the earrings on Instagram and people responded saying ‘I want it, I want it,’” said Kristen Bowen, 21, a junior social work major at the University of Memphis.

Bowen's inspiration for the earrings developed from a love of fashion and a habit of rummaging through her grandmother's things.

“I was looking through my grandmother’s jewelry box. I picked up a button and said ‘This is a pretty earring.’ That’s when she told me it wasn't an earring, it went on her suit,” said Bowen.

Bowen said the conversation influenced her grandmother to give her a machine that helps her turn fabric and metal pieces into earrings.

After creating her first pair, she took to Instagram to show off her new hobby.

She received an overwhelming request on the photo, giving Bowen the idea to create Lend Me Your Ears. Bowen said the name was inspired by a monologue she had heard and felt it was catchy enough for her new business.

By Jamesa Y. Alston

Memphis' favorite doughnut spot Gibson's Donuts
is now offering late night discounted prices. 

Every night starting at 11  p.m., Gibson’s offers a dozen doughnuts for $3 or a half dozen for $1.50. The discounted prices only last until the doughnuts sell out.

Gibson’s, located at 760 Mt. Moriah Road, has been serving the Memphis area since 1967. It is currently located in the Sea Isle community, near the University of Memphis and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“When I get off work late and I know I would be up until the early morning studying, I would stop by Gibson’s on the way home and grab a dozen of maple bacon donuts and orange
juice,” said Ashley McKinney, a sophomore business major. “Although the doughnuts are made hours early, they are still just as good as the fresh donuts.  I am winning with the discounted price.”