YMCA, rescue signs of stength
Two remarkable things happened this week in Memphis.
The YMCA held an open house Wednesday at its new Church Health YMCA at Crosstown, which officially opens at 7 a.m. Saturday. And, five investors said this week that they are completing plans to open a new bookstore to replace the shuttered Booksellers at Laurelwood, bringing joy to book lovers who lamented the February closing of the East Memphis institution.
CA reporter Tom Bailey’s stories on the 25,000-square-foot fitness facility opening and the bookstore investors were welcome news to residents, community organizers and others who cheer the opening of community gathering spots. But the benefits go far beyond bricks-and-mortar.
We should be excited about the Crosstown Y and the possible resuscitation of an independent bookstore because they are powerful reminders that a strong community needs vibrant gathering places that attract diverse crowds.
“The YMCA as an organization seeks to be a place that grounds a community, where diverse people come together to share experiences in ways that they wouldn’t outside our building,” said Shauna Bateman, executive director of the Church Health YMCA. She also cited bookstores, libraries and restaurants as other places that help bind a community and its people. That’s important so people will better understand each other and appreciate their differences.
The YMCA will also double as the wellness facility for Church Health Family Medicine Clinic, which provides medical care for uninsured workers and their families. Church Health has 65,000 patients on its roll. Dr. Scott Morris, Church Health’s founder and chief executive, recalled earlier this week that Church Health opened what it first called the Hope & Healing Center 27 years ago at 1115 Union.
“The reason we did that and the reason this partnership is now in place is that being healthy is not about the absence of disease,” Morris said. “It’s ultimately about helping people live the life well lived.”
Todd Richardson, who is co-leader of the Crosstown Concourse re-development, said at the ribbon-cutting that Wednesday’s Church Health YMCA ceremony forced him to fight back tears. He said he was moved to “see all of you here in this space which was originally the conveyor system for Sears retail distribution center.”
Similar to the YMCA, the revived bookstore promises to boost community engagement — and revive some jobs, too. The bookstore, investors say, plans to have a different name, occupy 10,000 square feet instead of 18,000, and move its front door to face Perkins Extended.
A smaller, locally owned bookstore will hopefully have a better shot at economic vitality. Yet the bookstore plans to employ the same core group of veteran employees, maintain a restaurant and revive book-signing events and children’s programming that were staples at Booksellers. The bookstore could open by midAugust, if all goes right, said investor John Vergos, whose family owns Charlie Vergos Rendezvous restaurant.
The other four bookstore organizing investors are: Matthew Crow, president of Mercer Capital; Christy Yarbro, a former schoolteacher; Wilson Robbins, who worked at Booksellers as coordinator of the children’s books and children’s area; and Frank Jones, an investor and regional manager for Cumberland Trust.