Comeback Coffee leading Pinch rebirth
Southern sensibility meets Memphis pride in Comeback Coffee, a coffee shop that’s on track to become one of the first new businesses in years in the Pinch historic district.
The name isn’t a reference to the old Café Francisco, a Pinch coffee shop that closed a decade ago.
Nor is it a reference to the Pinch coming back from about 15 years in limbo, starting when the Pyramid arena was shuttered to make way for FedExForum.
“Comeback means a couple things,” said Hayes McPherson, who plans, with his wife, Amy McPherson, to open Comeback Coffee by the end of the year at 358 N. Main.
“For our Southern roots, it means we want everybody who walks into our doors to feel like they’re welcome, to feel like they have a spot in our home.
“We were both born and raised here in Memphis. We believe Memphis is a comeback city. Whenever we fall, we rise back up, stronger than ever.”
The McPhersons on Wednesday won a $58,832 exterior improvement grant from the Center City Development Corp. that will spruce up the outside and help convert an alley into a kitchen and outdoor dining area. They plan to spend about $130,000 on signs, lighting, furniture and the kitchen’s exterior shell.
The Pinch’s redevelopment has been the subject of considerable speculation in recent years as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital rolled out a more than $1 billion expansion plan.
But few property owners have invested in revitalizing the district’s surviving historic buildings, opting to wait and see what development moves are made by St. Jude in the area between the hospital campus and Main Street.
The Comeback Coffee building and adjoining 356 N. Main were bought by Amy McPherson’s father, Reggie Crawford, about three years ago.
Crawford said he bought the buildings because he wanted to see the neighborhood’s history preserved.
The McPhersons have lived on the top floor of 358 N. Main for about a year and will have their offices on the second floor and business on the first.