The Bluff to bring live music, restaurant to Highland Strip

April 5, 2016 LPI Memphis

"A new music venue and restaurant called The Bluff is coming to the rejuvenated Highland Strip.

Remodeling of the 5,952 square feet at 535 S. Highland should start within a month, landlord Loeb Properties announced Monday.

The Bluff will include two downstairs bars, a large stage and green room, a 1,300-square-foot mezzanine with an additional bar, outdoor patio seating next to the stage, and another patio facing Highland that offers an outdoor/indoor atmosphere. The Bluff will have entrances on Highland and in the rear closer to the renovated, back parking lot.

Among The Bluff owners are Hudson Chadwick, who owns Rafters Music and Food and The Corner Bar in Oxford, Mississippi.

"The venue will feature live music including country and rock-and-roll acts appealing to nearby University of Memphis students and Memphis residents alike while also offering a great place to watch sporting events on the multiple televisions and projectors,'' states a release by Loeb Properties."

Onix Restaurant, Jazz Club Moving to Madison's Resurgent Corridor

March 18, 2016 LPI Memphis

"Onix is moving its restaurant/jazz club from South Main to Madison Avenue's mile of resurgent blocks that stretches from Cooper to Belvedere.

Onix needs more space, especially for the jazz players who perform for diners, owner Curtis Chism said Friday, adding, "The band is cramped up.''

The restaurant will move from about 2,500 square feet at its existing location at 412 S. Main to 4,215 square feet at 1680 Madison. That's on the northwest corner of Madison and Belvedere, across Belvedere from Zinnie's pub."

Business Owners Want You To 'Meet Along Madison'

March 17, 2016 LPI Memphis

"We have Downtown Dining Week and Memphis Black Restaurant Week. Now, a new event is highlighting businesses on Madison Avenue in Midtown Memphis. Next Tuesday and Wednesday, you can just say "Meet Me Along Madison!"

Participating businesses will offer specials for $20.16. It is not just restaurants participating."

Watch more at LocalMemphis.com

New Vegetarian Restaurant Opening in East Memphis

March 4, 2016 LPI Memphis

"A locally owned, 'build your own veggie bowl' restaurant is opening in East Memphis.

Bad Hunter Veggie Bowl just signed a lease for nearly 1,500 square feet of space at 575 Erin Drive in the Erinway Shopping Center. It will mark the second restaurant concept from the people behind Downtown Memphis' South of Beale."

Loeb Wants to be "Great Neighbor" in University District

February 9, 2016 LPI Memphis

"Residents reacted to Loeb Properties presentation on the Highland Strip with both excitement and concern at a recent University District Summit.

Loeb Properties owns roughly two-thirds of the Highland Strip and is now trying to revitalize the area into a walkable entertainment district."

Loeb Converting 'Prime' Poplar Location into Office Space

February 4, 2016 LPI Memphis

"Once a bank, a Poplar Avenue building is about to be repurposed into office space.

Loeb Properties Inc., owner of the 5270 Poplar Ave. site, is in the process of giving the building a complete overhaul. Previously, it housed a Bank of America branch."

Loeb to Give Highland Strip the Overton Treatment

January 19, 2016 LPI Memphis

"The Highland Strip is being revitalized and one of the companies at the helm of its restoration was also behind Overton Square’s comeback.

Loeb Properties Inc. now owns the buildings from 569 S. Highland St. to 535 S. Highland Street, minus the vacant lot located at 559 S. Highland St. The plan, construct a walkable entertainment district."

Buster’s Liquors Grand Re-Opening

December 5, 2015 LPI Memphis

Join Buster’s this weekend for their grand re-opening!

Bristerfest in Overton Square

September 13, 2015 LPI Memphis

Join Bristerfest in Overton Square this fall in The Tower Courtyard on Saturday, October 10th from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Bristerfest is a fun, family-friendly event that benefits urban gardening in Memphis, Tennessee. The fifth annual Brister Street Music Festival will take place at Overton Square’s Tower Courtyard from 11am-6pm on Saturday, October 10th, 2015.

Bring your friends, bring your family, this is going to be a good time! We are preparing to make this year the best Bristerfest ever. Shop with local vendors and artists in our festival marketplace along Trimble street. Enjoy the sweet sounds of Memphis with an eclectic, entertaining local music lineup.

A portion of proceeds benefits GrowMemphis to build new urban gardens, to make Memphis a healthy, sustainable city.

Loeb Properties at Carpenter Art Garden

September 13, 2015 LPI Memphis

Loeb Properties employees love helping in the community, especially with The Carpenter Art Garden. We recently spent some time there with Donte, the artist of the Grizzlies Yard Hearts. Donte is a talented young man!

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Southern Junkers Market at Overton Square

September 10, 2015 LPI Memphis

Join the Southern Junkers Fall Market in Overton Square this season on the South Lot of Overton Square at 25 South Cooper off of Trimble Place.

Featuring a juried Vintage, Antique and Artisan Outdoor Market with jewelry, art, antiques, unique and weird stuff; collectables, handmade, rusty crusty and cool junk!

Saturday, Sep 12, 2015 thru Sunday, Sep 13, 2015
Saturday 10:00 am to 7:00 pm; Sunday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

No Vacancies: Overton Square 100% Leased

September 9, 2015 LPI Memphis

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"Six years ago its then-leasing agent described the mostly empty Overton Square as an outdated commercial center, much of which should be razed and rebuilt with a big-box grocery behind a suburban-style parking lot.

But on Tuesday came confirmation that the preserved and renovated Square is 100 percent leased with the signing of its 27th tenant, women’s clothing store The Ivory Closet at 2095 Madison.

“I think that had somebody told me it would be 100 percent occupied at this point in time we probably wouldn’t have forecast that conservatively,” said Aaron Petree, leasing broker for Square owner Loeb Properties.

With a long list of more businesses that have expressed an interest in moving into the walker-friendly Midtown entertainment district, Memphis-based Loeb Properties is now making plans to erect new retail space on the last few surface parking lots that line Cooper and Madison."

MUS Today: Overton Square Over Again

September 5, 2015 LPI Memphis

"That was Overton Square in the 1970s, conceived by a group of young and ambitious businessmen. They transformed the quiet Midtown intersection of Cooper and Madison into Memphis’ premier destination for a good time. Judging by recent Friday night crowds, one might imagine that the mojo never subsided – that the patios have always been a swirling mix of theatergoers, bachelor parties, yoga students, and foodies. But not only did Overton Square spend nearly two decades on life support, it nearly flatlined a few years ago.

The storefronts were bare. Out-of-town owners balked at the cost of renovation. Bulldozers would flatten the block. In its place would rise a strip mall and a discount grocery store. Fortunately, Overton Square was reclaimed by Memphians who wanted their good times back. It required a special group of people to build – and then rebuild – the heart of Midtown Memphis. But then, Overton Square has always benefited from bold and progressive backers – many of whom call Memphis University School their alma mater."

Overton Square To Host October Blues Festival

August 20, 2015 LPI Memphis

"Overton Square will host a two-day blues festival in October billed as the first of its kind in the city since 1969.

The Bona Fide Blues Festival on Oct. 2 and 3 is being presented by the Memphis Blues Society and will feature two free outdoor stages in the entertainment district. It also will include blues performances in four Overton Square businesses using $25 wristbands. A $100 VIP wristband includes admission to a party before the two-day festival."

Make a Mess: Vergos Sisters Open Art Studio for Kids in Overton Square

July 23, 2015 LPI Memphis

"If you eat a plate of ribs at Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous, you’re likely to walk away with messy fingers. You’re also likely to get messy at a new business in Overton Square, where sisters Anna Vergos Blair and Katherine Vergos Riederer have opened their kid-friendly creativity zone The Art Project.

Only six months ago, the pair dreamed up a place where kids could make art, parents could engage or kick back with adult beverages, and no one’s carpet had to be made a casualty.

“Basically anything that makes a mess, (my daughter Matilda) loves, but I didn’t love the mess in my house,” Blair said. “I started looking for a place to do free art, free in the sense of let them do what they want and explore different materials with no real set projects or no visible outcomes."

Behind-The-Scenes Look at the New Newby's

June 18, 2015 LPI Memphis

After being resuscitated by Loeb Properties Inc. Newby’s on the Highland Strip has received a new lease on life — literally.

Larry Thompson and his business partners just inked the deal on the 539 S. Highland St. property. The former 535 S. Highland St. building, which had also been occupied by the original Newby’s, will be leased to a separate tenant.

Loeb bought both buildings from Paragon Bank in December 2014 after Newby’s fell into foreclosure. Loeb then proceeded to do what they are known for: take an old building, mend its aging bones and find new tenants. Part of the update included replacing the roof and installing new plumbing and electric.

Newby’s to Reopen on Highland Strip

June 12, 2015 LPI Memphis

"Foreclosed, sold and now reborn — Newby’s is on its way back.

The longstanding bar located at 535 and 539 S. Highland St. was sold to Loeb Properties Inc. in December 2014 after being foreclosed on by Paragon Bank. The then-Newby’s bar was just shy of celebrating its 40th anniversary.

Loeb gave the space some much-needed TLC, and now, the new tenant, Larry Thompson, will finish the job.

Thompson, a University of Memphis graduate, is also a former Newby’s employee, and he owned a wings restaurant in Colorado. He will relaunch the bar under the same signature name and plans to build on its rich history.

“Newby’s was just too good of an opportunity to pass on,” Thompson said. “I want to keep Newby’s alive. I don’t want to change it.”"

Memphis Magazine: When It Was Hip To Be Square

February 5, 2015 LPI Memphis

"Their breath fogging the glass, the young men and women pressed their faces against the windows of Bombay Bicycle Club. Somebody outside was checking a thermometer, counting down the numbers as the temperature dropped: 30, then 29, then 28. "What's taking them so long?" a man demanded. Inside the crowded club, a woman finally shouted, "Here it comes!" and everyone glimpsed the first snowflakes — first a few, but within minutes, a veritable blizzard. People dashed outside, catching the flakes in their hands, laughing and cheering, and even throwing snowballs. Soon a white blanket covered the streets and sidewalks of Overton Square.

But what a strange snowstorm. Anyone who glanced up could see a bright blue sky overhead, and — even more remarkable — just two blocks away in either direction, Madison Avenue had no snow at all.

It didn't require a weatherman to explain the snow storm that fell on Overton Square that December afternoon in 1976. The blizzard was fake — snow blown by powerful machines mounted on the roofs of buildings. It was a highlight of the Charles Dickens Christmas that year, just one of many unique events that helped make Overton Square the city's premier entertainment district. That was more than 30 years ago, and the intersection of Madison and Cooper has seen many changes since then, some good, some bad. Here's a look back at the early days, when it was hip to be Square."

Read the full article at Memphis Magazine

Choose901: Loeb Sets Sights on Broad Avenue

February 3, 2015 LPI Memphis

"Today Loeb Properties announced in a press release their plans to revitalize the old Sears Factory Outlet warehouse space at 2542 Broad Avenue and turn it into a mixed-use development totaling 44,500 square feet. The now vacant warehouse, originally purchased by Loeb in 1995, is across the street from the now vibrant, south side of Broad Avenue which is 100% occupied. Both sides of Broad constitute the Broad Avenue Arts District.

Initial renderings of the repurposing show the warehouse “hollowed out” in the middle for parking on what is now a warehouse floor. Surrounding the parking area will be retail, entertainment, restaurant and even office space for tenants with space needs from 1,700 square feet to 30,000 square feet."

Tenant Profile: Germantown Trainers Studio

January 26, 2015 LPI Memphis

"Susan Ritter had been a Marine and a competitive athlete. Mike Farah had been a successful corporate executive who almost worked himself into an early grave, lost 50 pounds, retired, and began competing in body building competitions.

Along the way, Ritter and Farah worked as trainers at area fitness centers, and started talking about having their own business.

Recently, Farah, 61, and Ritter, 50, opened Trainers Studio in a 1,200 square-foot space in Farmington Centre in Germantown. The complex includes a fitness center and yoga studio, plus a chiropractor, but they don’t see any of them as threats. If anything, they are complementary business models."