The Commercial Appeal

POPULAR P&H CAFÉ SEEKS NEW HOME

HIGHER RENT WILL FORCE BELOVED ‘BEER JOINT OF YOUR DREAMS’ TO MOVE

- John Beifuss Memphis Commercial Appeal | USA TODAY NETWORK – TENNESSEE

Memphis’ celebrated “Beer Joint of Your Dreams,” the P&H Café, a beloved hangout, refuge and performanc­e space for artists, actors, politician­s, journalist­s, musicians, standup comics and other influencers, “creatives” and ne’er-do-wells, is planning to move from its longtime Midtown home. h Owner Matthew Edwards this week launched a $75,000 “crowdfundi­ng” campaign on the Gofundme website to support the bar’s relocation from 1532 Madison to a spot in the burgeoning Crosstown neighborho­od.

“I hope to hell we’re not closing the place for good,” said Edwards, 44.

He said the move was a response to a projected rent increase from the property’s new owner and to the eliminatio­n of all but a dozen of the bar’s designated parking spaces, due in large part to the constructi­on of a 230-unit gated apartment complex immediatel­y next door.

The move would not be unpreceden­ted. The P&H was located at Madison and Morrison near Overton Square before bartender Wanda Wilson bought the business in the mid-1970s, moving it to its current location.

“It’s an icon,” said Wilson’s daughter, Julia White, of Parsons, Tennessee. “I feel like Mommy Wanda put it on the map.”

A husky-voiced figure of eccentric, movie-gypsy glamour, the bewigged and bejeweled Wilson presided at the P&H nightly as a combinatio­n den mother and artistic muse until her death in 2015. Among the artists who conspired under Wilson’s demiurgica­l influence was Craig Brewer, who wrote his Oscar-winning “Hustle & Flow” (2005) in marathon sessions at the P&H, as well as his feature debut, “The Poor & Hungry” (2000), named for a legendary explanatio­n of the initials in the bar’s name. (A less charitable interpreta­tion was “Puke & Heave.”)

White inherited the building where the P&H was located, but the bar itself — its brand, contents and “intellectu­al property” identity — were purchased by P&H bartender Nancy Heaton and her husband, Bob. After Mrs. Heaton died in 2011, cook/bartender Edwards and his business partner, Robert Fortner, bought the bar/restaurant/nightspot.

White, who lives in Parsons, Tennessee, sold the building in June to Volunteer Buyers GP for $225,000. According to Edwards, his new landlords informed him that the rent on the property soon will increase to an amount that Edwards said he considers untenable. He also said he could not afford to buy the building from the landlords at what he said was their asking price of $450,000.

“For me, that’s a no-go,” Edwards said. “We’re struggling to pay the rent and keep the lights on as it is.”

As a result, Edwards — whose current lease expires Dec. 31 — has decided to relocate the P&H from Midtown to Crosstown. He said he believes the bar’s storied — literally, considerin­g the numerous writers, yarn-spinners and raconteurs who have passed through its doors — ambiance would survive such a move, along with the bar’s large collection of offbeat knickknack­s and artworks. The most distinctiv­e of these are the large ceiling-panel caricature­s of once familiar Memphis politician­s and personalit­ies, created by the late cartoonist, Brad Mcmillan.

“Obviously, we can’t take the graffiti, but we’re going to take everything we can,” Edwards said.

A relocated P&H would distinguis­h itself from its predecesso­r in at least one regard, however: Contrary to the establishm­ent’s longtime “The Beer Joint of Your Dreams” nickname, the new place will have a full liquor license, Edwards said.

Edwards said the pandemic-related shutdown and the continued coronaviru­s caution that has followed in its wake have severely hurt his business, which already was in decline due to constructi­on and other obstructio­ns that made the bar less accessible.

Currently, the P&H must cut off admissions at 34 people, Edwards said, in accordance with Health Department pandemic guidelines that permit no more than 50 percent occupancy in bars. Unfortunat­ely, that’s not a difficult mandate: These days, a dozen customers represents “a good night,” he said.

A bar like the P&H was not made for social distancing, Edwards said. “What do you go to a bar for? To hang out with friends, throw some darts, play some pool, listen to some bands... Karaoke night was our gold night, but we can’t do any of that. We’re trying to make a go of it, but it’s tough.

“Working a bar, sometimes you get so busy you don’t even know which way to turn, but after a good night, usually it’s gratifying. Right now there is nothing gratifying.”

Edwards said he chose $75,000 as the amount for his Gofundme campaign (to contribute, visit Gofundme.com) because that would be close to the amount needed to cover just the basic move-in to the new location. (He said a commercial-kitchen ventilator hood alone can cost $25,000).

“I’ve put a lot of effort into the P&H,” Edwards said. “Buying the place was the biggest decision I ever made in my life, until this decision to move.”

Reached by phone and asked about the P&H situation, Spencer Shadrach, of Volunteer Buyers, said: “I have no comment.”

 ?? JOE RONDONE/ THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL ?? Graffiti covers the wall next to pool tables in the back of the P&H Café in Midtown on Thursday.
JOE RONDONE/ THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL Graffiti covers the wall next to pool tables in the back of the P&H Café in Midtown on Thursday.
 ?? PHOTOS BY JOE RONDONE/THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL ?? Robert Pittman, who says he no longer drinks alcohol, sits at the bar with a cup of coffee while playing video games at P&H Café, where he has been coming for years, in Midtown on Thursday.
PHOTOS BY JOE RONDONE/THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL Robert Pittman, who says he no longer drinks alcohol, sits at the bar with a cup of coffee while playing video games at P&H Café, where he has been coming for years, in Midtown on Thursday.
 ??  ?? Matthew Edwards, co-owner of the P&H Café sits inside the Madison Avenue bar in Midtown.
Matthew Edwards, co-owner of the P&H Café sits inside the Madison Avenue bar in Midtown.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States