International JXN pp 9-10 // Of Flags and Symbolism p 12 // Inside 2 Museums pp 13-14 Making Progress pp 20-21 // Taste of Europe pp 33-34 // Best of Jackson 2018 p 48-49
Spring 2018 | FREE // Vol. 10, No. 4
Coolest
Offices Creative Spaces
pp 36-42
Local Menu Guide,
starts p 27
BOOM_Feb 2018_bleed.pdf
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“... I think very highly of Mississippi in terms of the people here, the opportunity that’s in Mississippi.” —Beau York, “Red Hot Topic,” p 12
36 24
9 JXN Becoming International Come June, Jackson will be crawling with dancers from around the world.
24 The Business of Business Entrepreneur Quarterly aims to help people make their ideas reality.
12 Analyzing Our Demon A new podcast aims to create dialogue around the state flag.
27 MENU GUIDE Paid advertising.
13 A Legacy of Joy and Pain See what stories the newest museums have to tell about us and our history, including the bloodier part. 15 Petrifying History Stone giants aren’t very far away. 18 EXPAT Finding His Voice Duvalier Malone uses influence to bring light to Mississippi.
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19 DO GOODER Ministering With T-Shirts Whitney Wells sees her business of creativity as a ministry. 20 PROGRESS High Activity What’s been happening in the metro? 22 BIZ Mysterious Circumstances Puzzles, murder and blackholes! 23 Making Memories Entrepreneur Laurie McCarthy wants to help people preserve their past.
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Work. Live. Play. Prosper.
33 BITES A Taste of Europe That’s what La Brioche gives Jacksonians. 36 COVER Coolest Offices These days, office doesn’t have to just mean cubicle. 44 ARTS Behind the Scenes Drew McKercher for hire. 45 A Floral Family Learn about Little Bluestem Farms. 46 MELODIES From Gospel to Hip-Hop A day in the life of Miz Tiffany. 48 Best of Jackson 2018 This year’s event was an amazing time. 50 COOL, TOO Museums Galore Believe it or not, the state has ways to learn while traveling. 52 EVENTS Spring Time What to do, what to see. 58 LOCAL LIST Travel Guru Iyanna L. Colley gave us her top 10 in Jackson.
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editor’s note
It’s a Job, and I Love It Editor-in-Chief and CEO Donna Ladd Managing Editor Amber Helsel
Assistant Editor Micah Smith
Editorial Writers Dustin Cardon // Anais Eliseeva ShaCamree Gowdy // Mike McDonald Lashanda Phillips // Alex Thiel Abigial Walker Listings Editor // Rebecca Hester Interns Adam Berken // ShaCamree Gowdy Photography Stephen Wilson Ad Design Zilpha Young Business and Sales Advertising Director // Kimberly Griffin Digital Marketing Specialist // Meghan Garner Sales Assistant // Cassandra Acker Distribution Manager // Richard Laswell Assistant to the CEO // Inga-Lill Sjostrom President and Publisher Todd Stauffer CONTACT US Story pitches // editor@boomjackson.com Ad Sales // ads@boomjackson.com BOOM Jackson 125 S. Congress St., #1324, Jackson, MS 39201 p 601.362.6121 // f 601.510.9019 Would you like copies of BOOM Jackson for recruiting, welcome packets or other corporate, institutional or educational uses? Call 601.362.6121 x16 or email inga@jacksonfreepress.com. BOOM Jackson is a publication of Jackson Free Press Inc. BOOM Jackson, which publishes quarterly, focuses on the urban experience in Jackson, Miss., emphasizing entrepreneurship, economic growth, culture, style and city life. © 2018 Jackson Free Press Inc.
Cover photo of Rob Cooper from Pearl River Glass Studio by Stephen Wilson See more on pages 36-37
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and as of January 2017, managing editor. few weeks ago, I got to talk to an ac Don’t get me wrong. Like most people, I quaintance that I haven’t seen in a while. We had a brief conversation, don’t always love my job. There are a lot of deadmostly about life and work. One thing lines to meet and stories to write and people to talk to. Every day, I meet challenges, and some that stuck out to me was when he said this about seem insurmountable. Sometimes I get overwhere he works: “I hate it, but it’s a job.” whelmed or have bad days, That interaction brought but despite the craziness a memory to mind. I was that happens in the newsyounger—I think maybe a room, I love my job and sophomore or junior in high what I get to do. I love that I school—and I was looking for get to talk to people and tell a job and being picky about their stories. I love that I get where I wanted to work beto help convince people that cause I was young, and I could Jackson is better than they be. My stepdad told me that I think. I’ve fallen in love with should just find a job, regardthe city through working less of what it was, but my for these publications. mom said something along Managing Editor People who go into the the lines of, “This is no longer Amber Helsel journalism field often don’t the generation where you have do so for the money, so that to choose any job. She can do was never something I worried about. I was just something that makes her happy.” The person I ran into is a little more than happy to be doing something I loved. Like a lot a year older than me, so he’s definitely a millen- of millennials and young people in general, I want to do something that’s fulfilling. nial. We’re a generation of many people who Luckily, Jackson is filled with people like largely decided that we’re going to do what that who want to see the city improve, regardmakes us happy, regardless of money. I know plenty of people around my age (including less of how strapped for cash it is. We are a commyself) who are doing a job that makes them munity of do-it-yourselfers just trying to make the place where we live, work and play better. happy, whether that be in their career field or I and others at BOOM Jackson and the working as an entrepreneur. That wasn’t always me. I took a job for the Jackson Free Press do our part by putting out money right out of college. I was a server at the JFP Daily, our weekly publication and this a chain restaurant, and I hated it. I hated it to quarterly magazine you’re holding in your hands. We strive to tell stories about people you my core. But at that point, it was a way to make money. For the first few months I worked there, know and love: your neighbors, your friends, I freelanced for a newspaper in Rankin County. people you see everyday. While the “Welcome to Jackson” mural Later, I quit working at one restaurant and went is quite literally a welcoming sign for the city, to another, which was even worse. Things changed in March 2013 when I there’s another mural that speaks to the people here who do what they love: Justin Ransburg’s started my internship at the Jackson Free Press “I Believe in Jackson” mural on the side of a and became the editorial assistant a month latbuilding in Spengler’s Corner. He believes in er. I made some more job changes, but all the Jackson. We believe in Jackson, and we are willwhile, I was transitioning more and more into my job at the JFP. On Valentine’s Day weekend ing to work for what we believe. For many of us, this isn’t just a job. It’s a in 2014, I quit food service for good. way to showcase the good and shine a light on It was a tough decision to make, but I knew the bad in a city that we love and want to help. it was the right one. Now, I did that partially for selfish reasons (I wanted to spend time with my then-boyfriend, and the restaurant wouldn’t let me), but it turned into one of the best decisions I ever made. I got to completely own my role at the Jackson Free Press and BOOM Jackson, going from editorial assistant to assistant editor,
Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
Imani Khayyam
Art Director Kristin Brenemen
// by Amber Helsel
boomjackson.com
contributors
SERVING
OUR
COMMUNITY
COMFORT IN A MUG
ShaCamree Gowdy
FOR
Former editorial intern ShaCamree Gowdy recently turned “I’m not on the red carpet yet, but I’ve started writing my speech just in case,� into her life’s motto. She hopes to casually run into Blake Lively someday, so they can discuss the positive impact “Gossip Girl� had on their lives. She wrote about Duvalier Malone.
OVER
TWENTY
YEARS
C U P S E S P R E S S O C A F E.C O M
Alex Thiel Freelancer Alex Thiel is a Jackson-native writer, filmmaker and musician active in Jackson and Oxford. A graduate of the University of Mississippi, he asserts that his Ole Miss fandom was biologically determined, and in fact, not a choice. He wrote about Podastery’s “Red Flag.�
Micah Smith Music Editor Micah Smith is a longtime fan of music, comedy and all things “nerd.� He is married to a great lady, has two dog-children named Kirby and Zelda, and plays in the band Empty Atlas. He wrote about Miz Tiffany.
Kimberly Griffin Associate Publisher Kimberly Griffin is a Jackson native who loves Jesus, her mama, cooking, traveling, the Callaway Chargers, chocolate, her godson, working out, Mississippi University for Women and locally owned restaurants, not necessarily in that order. She’s also on a crusade to help the community understand the difference between butter beans and lima beans.Â
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We welcome our new Minister
Rob Lowry
This is such an exciting time to be in Jackson and especially the Fondren area. Fondren Presbyterian Church has a rich history of serving and advocating for our neighbors in Jackson. Being a part of this historic church and this exciting ministry is a great joy for me. The prophet Jeremiah called on the people to ‘seek the welfare of the city.’ I am so excited to work with the members and friends of Fondren Presbyterian Church as we continue to seek the welfare of our city.
Fondren Presbyterian Church the church with open doors
3220 old canton road • Jackson 39216 601.982.3232 • fondrenpcusa.org 8
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Raising a Red Flag p 12 Inside 2 Museums pp 13-14 Petrifying History p 15 Raise Your Voice p 18 Creative Ministry p 19 Progress pp 20-21
USA IBC Turns Jackson
International // by Amber Helsel
Michal Slawomir Wozniak (left) and Gisele Bethea (right) dance during the 2014 USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson.
courtesy USA International Ballet Competition
A
crowd of what felt like hundreds of dancers hailing from 20 countries around the world, including the U.S., France, the Republic of Korea and Japan, marched through the aisles of Thalia Mara Hall carrying their countries’ flags. They walked up the stairs and onto the stage, beaming proudly for the large audience. Former USA International Ballet Competition junior gold medalist Joseph Phillips then lit a torch, cueing the start of the 2014 USA IBC. That year’s event was the 10th one, with competitions happening every four years since its founding in 1979. This year, USA IBC returns in June 2018. The days of a USA IBC are filled with workshops, luncheons and other events, along with special performances from contemporary dance companies and more, as the competitors make their way through each stage.
Work. Live. Play. Prosper.
When dancers from around the world talk about this competition, they refer to it simply as “Jackson,” USA IBC Executive Director and Development Director Mona Nicholas says. “When you’re in the dance world, ours and (the other IBCs) are considered the ones they want to go to,” she says. “But Jackson, to be honest with you, and the world knows it as Jackson, it’s the most popular. They all want to come here.” Our city is the only one in the country that hosts an IBC, in part thanks to Thalia Mara’s determination to bring it here. In the late 1970s, a group, including choreographer, theater director and dancer Donald Saddler, and former American Ballet Theater Executive Director Jane Hermann, were looking for a home for the USA IBC. Mara wanted it in Jackson. She and others, including Robert Joffrey of Joffrey Ballet, created Mississippi Ballet International to produce
the first competition, which was in June 1979 and featured dancers from 15 countries. At the end of that competition, the International Dance Committee of the International Theater Institute of UNESCO sanctioned the competition, putting it in the ranks of cities such as Varna, Bulgaria; Helsinki, Finland; and Moscow in Russia. The U.S. Congress passed a resolution in 1982 that declared Jackson as the United States home of the IBC. As of the end of January 2018, this year’s competition had received more than 300 applications. Executive Director Mona Nicholas estimates the number of countries with dancers who applied for the 2018 USA IBC at 27. “At the beginning of March, we will have our selection committee come in and look at all of the videos, all 300 videos, and we will accept somewhere between 100 and probably 120 competitors to come,” Nicholas says. Vicksburg native Nicholas loved danc-
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Turning Jackson International
From left: Byul Yun (Republic of Korea), Shiori Kase (Japan) and Taiyu He (People Republic of China) competed in the 2014 USA IBC in Jackson. courtesy USA International Ballet Competition
ing while growing up. She took dances classes in many genres through college, and also danced under the tutelage of Debra Franco, owner of Debra Franco Preparatory School of Dance in Vicksburg. “I was hooked (on dance), big time,” Nicholas says. She graduated from Millsaps College with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management in 1987. She says that after college, she was tired of dancing and wanted to do something else. She became an account manager for Siemens Healthcare. However, dancing never quite left her. She got involved with the USA IBC as a volunteer in the early 2000s. “I was just a plain volunteer, and then I became a co-chair on a committee, and then I became a chair of a committee, and just over the years and each competition and reunion gala, I wanted to be a part of it,” she says. “It is so much fun to be a part of the people that actually make it happen because they do. The volunteers make it happen.” In 2013, the former executive director, Sue Lobrano, informed the board of directors that she planned to retire after the 2014 competition. Nicholas, who was president of the 10
Friends of the USA IBC, became the deputy director of the organization to help with the leadership transition. Nicholas became the executive and development director of the USA IBC in August 2014. “I had been in my job for 25 years and was kind of tired of it, and I thought, ‘You know, this would be a great way for me to kind of end my career is to have my last years really doing something that I really love in a place that I really love,’ because I love Jackson,” Nicholas says. While working as the deputy director, Nicholas began analyzing the competition to see how it could be better, and being the executive director gave her the chance to implement changes. Nicholas’ big focus over the last four years has been making the competition simpler for the dancers, especially for ones from other countries. One of the ways she is doing that is using the Jackson Convention Complex as the competitors’ rehearsal spaces and a place for the competitor class. “[I]magine being from another country, and not speaking the language and then trying to navigate where to go,” Nicholas says. “I just couldn’t help but notice (that) there was this beautiful facility right next door to us. It’s
Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
just got so much open space, and it was just waiting for us.” Nicholas says the dancers will be able to rehearse all day and then walk to Thalia Mara Hall for technical rehearsals and the competition. USA IBC is also using the Westin Hotel as its official hotel. “This whole strip on Pascagoula Street will be turned into the international village,” she says. “Everything will be happening right here.” This year, competitors will live on the Millsaps College campus, and the International Dance School will be on the Belhaven University campus. The Arts and Lecture series is at the Russell C. Davis Planetarium. After each competition, Nicholas says the University of Southern Mississippi does an economic-impact study for the USA IBC. The 2014 study showed that the competition brought $12.1 million to the state of Mississippi. “It’s really a huge event for our state,” she says. “It’s important that people support it, that the state supports it, that our city supports it.” The 2018 USA IBC is June 10-23, 2018. For more information, visit usaibc.com. boomjackson.com
Work. Live. Play. Prosper.
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JXN // flag stephen wilson
Red Hot Topic
// by Alex Thiel
W
hen Podastery owner Beau York travels outside of Mississippi for speaking gigs and industry events, he often finds himself being a spokesperson for his home state on the national podcast scene. “Whenever I go anywhere, Mississippi follows me,” he says. “I was down in New Orleans for Entrepreneur Week last year, and they had all the flags for where the different speakers were from. When I realized this was the situation, I started having a panic attack, walking through and wondering if they actually put our flag up. They, of course, did not. “That’s frustrating because I think very highly of Mississippi in terms of the people here, the opportunity that’s in Mississippi, … (but) we have this history that’s embodied in our flag that is both painful and a poor representation of who Mississippi is today.” York’s Podastery Studios on North State Street oversees production of several niche podcasts, including “Let’s Talk Jackson,” “Truth’s Table” and the pipe-tobacco-centric “Country Squire Radio.” But his latest podcast will tackle something a little different: the Mississippi flag. York, along with co-host Chellese Hall, envision the podcast, “Red Flag,” as an opportunity to share the complicated
Stephen Wilson
artist
Beau York (left) and Chellese Hall (right) are the hosts of a new Podastery Studios podcast, “Red Flag,” which aims to create discussion around the Mississippi state flag. story of the state flag and its history with a broader audience. “I’m a firm believer in the power of the medium, the power of podcasting and how it’s been able to impact people’s lives and thinking,” York says. Instead of following the typical week-toweek release schedule of Podastery’s other shows, “Red Flag” will be a miniseries that the studio releases in its entirety later this year. Podastery is currently raising funds to complete the project, but supporters can sign up for updates and download the first episode now. “The first half of the series is very much a history lesson but (centered on) the flag itself,”
York says. “The second half is much more about today. We actually started out telling the story of how we’re changing the flag, … (but) we needed to, from a storytelling standpoint, first ask the question, ‘Should the flag change?’” York says that he supports the Laurin Stennis flag proposal but wants any new flag that Mississippi adopts to “focus on where we’re going, as opposed to where we have been.” “I’m not trying to erase our history,” he says, “but there’s a difference in remembering our history and idolizing our history, especially when it’s a pretty messed-up history.” For more information, visit redflagpod.com or find Podastery Studios on Facebook.
Peekaboo
V
irginia Carter, who owns V. Carter Firm, is a storyteller. But her medium isn’t necessarily in a physical story format. She helps companies rebrand themselves through their content, biography and identity, and she also tells stories through her art. Recently, Carter let us see what she keeps in 1. Necklace her bag. Here is what 2. Business card we found. holder
3. Journal 4. Art 5. iPad
6. “Sensory Marketing” 7. “the jackson storyeller”
Can we peek inside your work bag? Write editor@boomjackson.com. 12
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8. Art 9. “We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live”
// civil rights Courtesy Mississippi Department of Archives AND HISTORY
Mississippi’s True History // by Amber Helsel
T
he Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum opened on Dec. 9 to much fanfare. The museums give a full picture of the state’s history, from Native American culture to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. Here is some of what you might see while at the museums.
The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum tells powerful, unfiltered stories from the Civil Rights Movement, including Emmett Till’s murder.
Each branch of the museum tells a story from the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi. The sixth one, “I Question America,” explores violence during the movement.
In the center of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, the lighted sculpture, “This Little Light of Mine,” becomes more active as more people gather under it.
Work. Live. Play. Prosper.
“Black Empowerment” tells the stories of civil-rights heroes such as Forrest Hill NAACP leader Vernon Dahmer, who died after the Ku Klux Klan burned his family’s house, car and grocery store.
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JXN // history
2 Museums,
continued from page 13
Part of the MMH follows the state’s colonization by Europeans through “frontier justice,” Native American removal and Mississippi’s eventual statehood.
The Museum of Mississippi History (MMH) explores the state’s history, including the people who inhabited the area from 13,000 B.C. to 1518 A.D.
The MMH has a “scenic overlook” that’s great for selfies—from this vantage point you can see all the “One Mississippi, Many Stories” signs. The MMH features exhibits such as one on the state’s news stations.
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Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
Courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History
In the MMH, visitors can reflect on Hurricane Katrina’s effect on the state in “Rising from the Ruins.”
The MMH has replicas of landmarks in Mississippi’s blues history such as Lucille’s Place juke joint.
boomjackson.com
// nature
A Petrifying History
Natalie Maynor
A
bout 30 minutes north of Jackson is a natural landmark that is thousands of years old: the Mississippi Petrified Forest. The trees are tall—so tall that they make it hard to see the sky. In the fall, leaves in shades of brown cover the walkways and bridges. In the spring and summer, green dominates the scene, covering nearly every inch of the forest. Large chunks of petrified wood sit at different places on the trail, most serving as markers on the trail. R.J. “Bob” and Shirl Schabilion bought the forest in August 1962 and taught locals about conserving and preserving natural resources. Eventually, they opened the site to the public. Scientists believe the forest formed 36 million years ago when fir and maple logs floated to the site down an ancient river. As the area continued to flood, water covered the logs with more sand and silt, causing the once-100-plus-foot giants to decay and the petrification process to begin. As the glaciers gradually melted near the end of the Ice Age, the river carried glacial dust, depositing it on flood plains. Dust storms buried
// by Amber Helsel
the petrification process, many of them have basically turned to stone, so they’re cold to the Many of the trees in the Mississippi Petrified touch. One of the most popular Forest in Flora are thousands of years old. exhibits is Caveman’s Bench. It’s a large hunk of wood that has been weathered into somewhat of a bench. Many visitors who go to the forest will stop to sit on the bench and take selfies. The petrified forest has more than 20 exhibits, including eroded bluffs that are beginning to reveal more petrified wood, and a dried-out ravine. The trail has signs identifying plants such as the loblolly pine tree. One interesting part about the forest is that, as the weather erodes the area, more of prehistory reveals itself. After the walk, visitors enter the Earth Science Museum, which has examples of petrified wood, gems, geodes and fossils from Mississippi and across the world. In the back of the gift shop, the forest, and grass, bushes and trees grew in visitors can search for precious stones in the the soil. Then, wind and rain tore away at the gem-mining flume, and watch comedic and eduplant life and soil until small gullies appeared. cational black-light exhibits that feature characNature widened and deepened the gullies into ravines, and erosion ate away the lower layer of ters in a mine. The gift shop contains different red sands and silts of the Forest Hill formation. types of gem stones from across the world, and Rain drilled at the grains of sand until some of also, jewelry, toys and other items. The Mississippi Petrified Forest (124 Forest the petrified logs became visible. As the sands moved away, the logs tumbled into the ravine, Park Road, Flora, 601.879.8189) is open Sunday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more creating the Mississippi Petrified Forest. information, visit mspetrifiedforest.com. The nature trail takes about 30 minutes to complete. After paying admission, a door leads Stone-like wood and trees dot the nature out to a wood-lined path that winds through trail at the Mississippi Petrified forest. trees, hills and large petrified trees. With
AMber Helsel
Work. Live. Play. Prosper.
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THANKS for Voting
UMMC
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Join our team! Visit careers.umc.edu.
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JXN // initiate
One Bold Step // by ShaCamree Gowdy
D
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home state as much as he can. On Feb. 25, 2017, after hearing the news that Carolyn Bryant lied about Emmet Till grabbing her, Malone and his organization put together the “Emmet Till: We Demand Justice” rally, deciding that he could not call himself a community activist and speak up against injustices if he was going to stay silent at a time where voices definitely needed to be heard. “I was inspired by Congressman John Lewis, who used to always say, ‘Speak up and speak out when you see injustices within your community,’” Malone says.
The rally, which took place in Mississippi, emphasized to Malone the need for brave men and women to take action just like Lewis did in order to initiate change. He says that it was also a reminder that even when the status quo and society tells you not to do something, you should always take those bold steps because your one step could be the one to change the generation. He has a book coming out in April that he says will speak on his experience of finding an authentic voice outside of his home state. It will follow the journey of how both D.C. and Mississippi helped contribute to his voice.
Duvalier Malone, a Mississippi native now based in Washington, D.C., uses his voice and position as a political columnist to inspire and initiate change in his home state and the nation in general.
Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
COURTESY DUVALIER MALONE
uvalier Malone may no longer live in his home state of Mississippi, but the impact it has had on his life and his work is with him forever. Malone, who is originally from Fayette, Miss., now resides in Washington, D.C., where he is a political columnist (he often writes opinion columns for the Jackson Free Press). He also works with various nonprofits and communities to help bring resources from D.C. back to Mississippi. He first travelled to the nation’s capitol when he was 16 years old after winning an essay contest. At the time, he says that he was an average student living in poverty with his recently divorced mom, so winning the contest was a big deal for him. “I was able to meet politicians and people from different backgrounds, and that trip literally changed my life,” he says. “I came back and told myself that I needed to get my grades up and work harder, and I ended up graduating with honors.” After being given the opportunity to rise above his situation of poverty and all that he went through as a child, Malone says he made a commitment to always come and give back to his home state, no matter where he is in the world. He graduated from Alcorn State University with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2008 and went on to attend Jackson State University, where he obtained his master’s degree in political science in 2012. From there, his political work in Mississippi led him to D.C. Mississippi was a good training ground for him because it gave him the opportunity to build his career and get connected, but one of the things holding the state back is its inability to unify, he says. “D.C. is a more liberal city and the opportunities for advancement are so great,” he says. “It was very hard to build certain relationships and alignments in the political arena in Mississippi because you had so many people pulling at the same thing.” Regardless, Malone says he doesn’t take for granted what he learned in Mississippi, and that’s one of the reasons he uses resources obtained in D.C. to give back to his
boomjackson.com
DO-GOODERS // share
Read It T Ministry: Wear Your Cross, Share Your Story // by Lashanda Phillips
Work. Live. Play. Prosper.
courtesy Whitney Wells
W
hitney Wells aspires to make art more accessible and collaborative through her Christianbased, Afro-centric apparel shop, Read It T Ministry. Prior to starting the business, Wells painted T-shirts with fabric paint as a hobby. Over time, family and friends who admired her creativity began to inquire about purchasing her custom-made shirts. In 2016, she launched Read It T Ministry. “I (wanted to) create a business that represented myself. I wanted to do something that I was interested in,” she says. Although Wells is the sole operator of the company, she often partners up with her husband, Terrence, who is a graphic designer, photographer and poet. He provides some of the Africa-inspired artwork that customers will find on Read It T Ministry clothing. The business sells youth- and adult-sized T-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts, as well as accessories such as snapback caps, necklaces, bracelets and boots. She also offers wholesale and custom orders for special events. The company’s name comes from her response when others would ask her about the connection between the artwork and the scriptural references on her apparel, she says. She would tell them to read the Bible verse and see what the artistic interpretation of the scripture meant to them. Wells, who is a member of Shady Grove Missionary Baptist Church, says in the past, some of her peers have pressured her to remove the word “ministry” to shorten her business name. She decided to keep it anyway, wanting to remain true to her reason for creating Read It T Ministry. “It’s a business, but it’s my ministry,” she says. “I want whatever I’m doing to be about my love for Christ.” While Wells says that she has never seen herself as artistic, she has always been creative. Her business, which also includes a blog element, provides an opportunity to make art feel more open to her customers, she says. “I (thought) it would be fun to make art easily accessible,” she says. “Some people
Whitney Wells launched her apparel company, Read It T Ministry, in 2016 as a way to inspire and make art feel more accessible to others.
can’t afford to buy a huge canvas, and so this is something where a lot more people have more access to art and feel like they’re a part of it.” Before launching Read It T Ministry, Wells attended the University of Mississippi, where she received a bachelor’s degree in biology in 2010, and obtained a master’s degree in environmental science from Jackson State University in 2015. For the past three years, she has worked as an environmental scientist for the state of North Dakota, testing water quality. Her posi-
tion also means that she splits her time between North Dakota and Mississippi. Despite her scientific full-time gig, she hopes to one day focus solely on Read It T Ministry to ensure its longevity not just as a business but as a source of inspiration. “I want people to buy it because they’re inspired by it and wear it years (from now) because they’re still inspired by it,” Wells says. For more information, visit readitt ministry.com or find Read It T Ministry on Facebook and Instagram.
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JXN // progress
New Living Spaces, Renovations and More // by Dustin Cardon
Capitol Art Lofts Now Complete
20
Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
boomjackson.com
Stephen WIlson
smaller buildings, which formerly housed Dev- sive-care unit with private rooms, additional sur The Capitol Art Lofts, an apartment com- ille Camera and ASAP Printing, one will receive gical suites, pediatric-intensive-care unit rooms plex in downtown Jackson, finished the last two additional floors to house apartments, and an imaging center for children. and another will be remodeled to contain a For more information, call 601-983-0199 or phase of its construction in January. The first two-story courtyard. visit umc.edu. phase of the construction, which centered on the complex’s Lott Building, finished in November 2017, after which the Art Lofts began moving in its first tenants. The second building is called the Kerc Building. The Art Lofts contains 31 apartments across the two buildings, 12 of which are in the Kerc building and 19 of which are in the Lott building. The apartments offer affordable housing aimed at artists, veterans, disabled and people employed in the medical field. Each apartment comes with a washer and dryer, a dishwasher, a microwave, a stove, a refrigerator with an icemaker and a filtered kitchen fauThe Fondren Streetscape Project began in late 2017 and is expected to be completed by July 2018. The cet with a built-in soap dispenser. changes include changes to meet Americans With Disabilities Act requirements. The Art Lofts also has a business and fitness center, studio and art gallery space, bike racks and gated parking for Trustmark Breaks Ground on New Trade Mart Exhibit Hall residents only. Fondren Office Cindy Hyde-Smith, commissioner of the For more information, visit capitolartlofts. Trustmark bank held a groundbreaking Mississippi Department of Agriculture and com or find the business on Facebook. ceremony for its future Fondren branch at the Commerce, announced that construction of a corner of Old Canton Road and Duling Avenue new Mississippi Trade Mart exhibit hall will begin in spring 2018 and be finished by 2020. on Tuesday, Feb. 13. The Fondren office is set Louisiana Developer Investing $10 Hyde-Smith said in January that the curto open in 2019. Million in Downtown Jackson rent Trade Mart, which was constructed in For more information, call Trustmark Metairie, La.-based developer E.J. “Kip” 1975, is outmoded and has a flat roof that leaks, Public Relations Coordinator Ashlee Reid at Gibert, who owns commercial properties in and will therefore be razed and replaced with 601-208-2533 or areid@trustmark.com. the metro Jackson area and on the Mississippi the new structure. coast, plans to invest $10 million in downtown The new 105,000-square-foot Trade Mart, Jackson as part of an effort to bring in new resChildren’s Tower at UMMC which will be more energy-efficient and feature taurants and jobs. Gibert, who purchased the The University of Mississippi Medical Heritage Building at 401 E. Capitol St. along Center hosted a groundbreaking ceremony WiFi and a new kitchen, will be attached to the with three smaller buildings nearby in fall 2016, for a new seven-story, 340,000-square-foot chil- east side of the Mississippi Coliseum. The current building will remain open during constructold the Mississippi Business Journal that he dren’s tower on Dec. 1, 2017. Children’s of Mistion, which will begin after the Dixie National expects renovations on the buildings to be finsissippi, an umbrella organization that consists Rodeo and Livestock Show in February 2018. ished by the end of the year. of Batson Children’s Hospital and all UMMC The Heritage Building, originally conpediatric care and outpatient clinics, joined with structed as Jones Dry Goods in 1904, will re- the Junior League of Jackson to start raising La Brioche Opens Downtown ceive new elevators, restrooms, heating and money for the building in April 2016. The $180 The Museum Café at the Mississippi Mucooling systems, and a new roof. Of the three million facility will include a new neonatal-intenseum of Art has undergone a number of chang-
courtesy Capitol Art Lofts
scaping and signage, bicycle racks, sidewalk es since the recent departure of Executive Chef ment is constructing the Community Bank Headquarters building at Waterton, which will accents, a new transit shelter and changes to Nick Wallace, beginning with the café reopenbe part of a larger 230-acreage development the neighborhood’s drainage system. ing on Dec. 9, 2017. It and the Museum Store George Ewing, landscape architect for with 560 single-family living spaces and 800,000 had temporarily shut down in October 2017 the City of Jackson, is the project manager square feet of commercial space. The headquarwhile the Mississippi Museum of Art prepared ters itself will be a four-story, 90,000-square-foot for the renovations, and Jackson-based firm its bicentennial exhibition, “Picturing MissisNeel-Schaffer Inc. is the design consultant. structure in the Waterton central square. sippi: Land of Plenty, Pain, and Promise.” Both The building’s second floor and half of were renovated during the shutdown. On Feb. 8, the museum announced that La the third floor will be tenant space. Commu- Brookwood Country Club nity Bank’s accounting, marketing and credit Brioche Patisserie would now operate the MuStratum Development Fund held an departments will be on the remainder of the seum Café as a second location. The original loopen house on Thursday, Dec. 28, for the third floor. The fourth floor will house Com- newly renovated 12,500-square-foot clubcation of the family-owned, French-style bakery munity Bank’s executive offices as well as house and event venue at Brookwood Counopened in Fondren Corner in 2014. community rooms that can be divided into La Brioche opened for lunch at the mutry Club (5001 Forest Hill Road, Jackson), a smaller meeting spaces. seum on Friday, Feb. 16, and began serving local golf course, restaurant and event facility breakfast on Saturday, Feb. 17. The early that closed in January 2015. The venue will menu at the new La Brioche includes ham and reopen in sections over the course of 2018. Fondren’s Renovations cheese croissants, mini soufflés, bacon and egg Brookwood’s kitchen, bar and restaurant Fondren recently began an overhaul as brioche, yogurt parfait and more. For lunch, underwent renovations in January, and manpart of the Fondren Streetscape Project, in La Brioche has sandwiches including turkey which developers will reconstruct the sidewalks agement expects that the driving range will and brie, mufalettas, and probe ready by spring this year. A sciutto and mozzarella; turkey workout facility and other ameand provolone, or hummus nities, such as tennis courts, a and eggplant wraps; kale and fishing pond and Brookwood’s salmon, spinach and beet, or 18-hole golf course are also in arugula and prosciutto salads; the works. and desserts such as petit For more information or fours, macarons, cheesecake to book an event, call 601-760bites, cookies, cream puffs, 3661 or find Brookwood Coungelato, sorbet and more. try Club on Facebook. The museum location will also feature espresso and Mississippi Children’s coffee throughout the day and Museum Satellite Location will be open late on occasion The Mississippi Chilfor special museum events. dren’s Museum is building a La Brioche will handle all casatellite location in Meridian. tering for breakfast and lunch The new museum will be on events at the museum. the site of old Sears depart The bakery is open Tuesment store at 403 22nd Ave. day through Saturday from 8 in Meridian. a.m. to 3 p.m. The breakfast The new MCM satellite menu is available from 8 a.m. location will have 20,000 square to 11 a.m., and lunch is from feet, with 9,500 square feet of 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Museum exhibit space. The new location Capitol Art Lofts completed construction in January, though tenants have been moving in since November 2017. The new apartment doors will open to the public at will have three main galleries complex features 31 units in two historic downtown buildings. 8 a.m. to accommodate La Brifocused on health and nutrition, oche’s breakfast service; howliteracy and STEM subjects, as ever, the galleries will remain well as cultural exhibits on eastclosed until 10 a.m. throughout the Fondren Business District. It in- ern Mississippi history. For more information, call 601-960-1515 or The Meridian MCM’s developers concludes parts of Old Canton Road, North State visit msmuseumart.org. tracted Wier Boerner Allin, a Jackson archiStreet, Fondren Place and Duling Avenue. Among the renovations will be new side- tectural firm that has designed and constructed locations such as Babalu Tapas & Tacos, walks with curb ramps that meet current reCommunity Bank’s quirements in the Americans with Disabilities The Iron Horse Grill and The Apothecary at New HQ Community Bank recently announced Act, and changes to traffic signals at intersec- Brent’s Drugs, to design the new museum. For more information, call 601-981-5469 plans to build a new headquarters in Flowood. tions to improve pedestrian safety and accessibility. The district will also receive new land- or visit mschildrensmuseum.org. Louisiana-based Southern Lifestyle Develop
Work. Live. Play. Prosper.
Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
21
BIZ // mystery
Making an Escape (Room)
E
// Abigail Walker
stephen wilson
Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
stephen wilson
22
with a rooftop theme. “We’ve had a great reaction from the community,” Sistrunk says. “Our goal is that everyone gets to solve a part of the puzzle and have a fun time.” He says most of the escaperoom participants are from the Jackson metro area, with about 70 percent being new players. But some drive from Louisiana or beyond to play at JXN Escape Room. Sistrunk describes the world as a “niche community,” where everyone pretty much knows each other: “Once people have played the rooms in their area, they go out and find more,” he says. He says he and Krakowska have played more than 60 escape games in multiple states and even in Europe, and that they try to make their rooms unique by planting Easter eggs inside each one. “We try to make them so that it’s personal and very interactive,” Sistrunk says. He also says that they design the puzzles to make sense, but the majority of the experience is up to the players themselves. Each room has a game master who monitors the group and offers clues when needed. Sistrunk says that the rooms themselves aren’t scary, and playAt JXN Escape Room, players have ers are able to one hour to complete their room. leave at any point (though the clock keeps running). “We make them challenging, but not so hard that it’s impossible,” Sistrunk says. He says they often have businesses come play for corporate team building, but the majority of players are friends and family, millennial age and up. The rooms are catered to adults, but kids accompanied by adults are also welcome to play. Sistrunk adds that the obsession with shows like “CSI” have perpetuated the escape room trend, but mostly that people are just looking for something different to do on a Friday night. “It’s a chance for them to get out of their daily routine and be a character and solve a live puzzle,” he says. For more information, visit jxnescaperoom.com and enterlocked. com or find the businesses on Facebook.
stephen wilson
ver since Clint Sistrunk and wife Paulina Krakowska opened JXN Escape Room in February 2016, Jacksonians have been searching for lost treasure, escaping black holes and even solving murders. “We started playing escape games in the summer of 2015, and we loved them,” Sistrunk says, “so when Paulina initiated the idea to open our own escape room, I ran with it.” JXN Escape Room (916 Foley St.) was the second escape room in the state and first in Jackson when it opened. Recently, the couple opened a second location, ENTER/LOCKED JXN Escape Room allows players to solve (6718 Old Canton mysteries, puzzles, murders and more. Road, Ridgeland). “We design all our games in house,” Sistrunk says. He says their creative process consists of choosing a theme and then, with the help of friends and employees, figuring out puzzles to go along with it. “We almost always argue on the details,” Sistrunk says, “but it just takes one idea to get us going.” Players have one hour in each room, working together to solve clues and escape before time runs out. The rooms at the JXN Escape Room location include the Spaceship, the Historian and the Cellar, each ranging in difficulty. Their ENTER/ LOCKED location has one room right now called the Murder Motel, and more rooms are in the works, including When JXN Escape Room first opened, The Temple and one it was the first of its kind in Jackson.
boomjackson.com
// entrepreneur
Preserve, Create, Design // by Amber Helsel
E
COURTESY LAURIE MCCARTHY
At ScanSouth, Laurie McCarthy can do everything from scanning slides and photos to recoloring and restoring old pictures.
Work. Live. Play. Prosper.
catering company VIP Grand Events. After the that, she worked with Ed Inman for his publication from 1981 to 1982. McCarthy and Zy Ad- success of the site, the company asked her to come work for them as its business developdock started bi-weekly publication Jackson Style & Affairs in January 1982, which later turned ment director in January 2000. VIP landed the contract to be the official caterinto monthly publication It’s Frier for the Mississippi Telecom day! After they closed the paper Center (now the Jackson Conin September 1987, McCarthy vention Complex), and McCawent to work as a graphic derthy helped open the building signer for The Clarion-Ledger. in December 2005. “Graphic design was what After the business closed I was most interested in,” she in July 2012, McCarthy found says. “(It was what I was) most herself without a job for the good at. I can write, I can sell … first time in her life. She debut I liked to also do the actual cided to go back to college at work of the paper.” Belhaven. She graduated with She worked at the Ledger a bachelor’s degree in busifrom 1988 to 1990, when she Laurie McCarthy always ness management in 2016 and became the business developknew she wanted to owner her own business. is currently working on her ment director for Westword master’s in business adminisAdvertising. She started her tration at Millsaps College. own graphic-design business in May 1991. One day, she was scanning photos of her As technology changed rapidly in the late ’90s mom. A friend, Lissy Ross, came over and told and early 2000s, she worked at different busiher she had slides of photos and didn’t know nesses, doing everything from graphic design what to do with them. to marketing to printing, transitioning from the McCarthy says the way Ross had planned analogue world into a digital space. on scanning them was inefficient, so McCaIn the late ’90s, she created a website for rthy and her husband, Pat McCarthy, decided to buy a slide scanner. The project made her see a need for this service, so she started ScanSouth in 2017. Along with seeing a need and honing in on it, McCarthy says she is also the type of person who will say yes to someone’s request and then get the equipment to do that, so she is constantly adding services to ScanSouth. That’s how she began doing videos, she says. She scan everything from films to slides to negatives, and with her background in graphic design, she can also do color correction and repair on photos, among other skills. “I know how to do it; I just was waiting for someone to want this particular (service),” she says. On why its important to preserve old photographs and relics, she says, “It’s all about history,” and also a way to stay connected to family. “Everybody is connected but so alone too, and this sort of gives them a (better) family experience,” she says. For more information, visit scansouth.com. STEPHEN WILSON
ntrepreneurship runs in Laurie McCarthy’s blood. The New Jersey native moved to Jackson when she was in ninth grade. Her father, William L. West Jr., started a communications business in Jackson called Nation Wide Paging. “He put radios in cars and then later telephones in cars for doctors and lawyers mainly at the time, and I was the only high-schooler with a phone in my car,” she says. “It was a little princess phone on the hump.” After graduating from high school, she went to Millsaps College for a year, then Belhaven University (then Belhaven College). She then worked with Bill Minor at his newspaper, the Capitol Reporter, from 1979 to 1980. After
Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
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BIZ // sandbox
Growing Jackson’s Entrepreneur World // by Dustin Cardon
FILE PHOTOS
O
24
n Dec. 21, 2017, Mantle. founder Christopher Lomax met with Susan Farris, marketing manager for the Mangia Bene Restaurant Management Group at Sal & Mookie’s New York Pizza & Ice Cream Joint. They were discussing a partnership to grow Mantle’s Sandbox program, in which members can use a card to receive discounts at local stores, gyms and restaurants, including Sal & Mookie’s. During the meeting, Lomax and Farris came up with the idea to launch a series of events and networking opportunities for local business people called Entrepreneur Quarterly. “Sal & Mookie’s has been looking into entrepreneur groups and co-working spaces to set up partnerships with, so we found that we had a shared interest in doing something that was larger than just our two businesses,” Farris says. Entrepreneur Quarterly’s mission statement is “find your niche; grow your reach,” because, Farris says, “this isn’t going to be just another meetup where you pass out business cards.” She says that they want to see people exchanging ideas, making new friends and getting outside their comfort zone. “We want everyone who comes out to see the scope of what EQ is going to be and to discover how vibrant the Jackson business community is,” Farris says. The first EQ event will begin with an opportunity for visitors to mingle and network, followed by a series of panels in which representatives of Jackson entrepreneurial groups will introduce their businesses before opening the floor for questions. Topics of future meetings will vary between speakers and panels based on participants’ interests and needs. “After the first meeting, we hope to have local community leaders such as (businessman/lawmaker) Joel Bomgar or (cartoonist and media figure) Marshall Ramsey come out as guest speakers, though we’re still considering who to invite at this point,” Farris says. “We want this to be loose, interactive and organic, and to engage with participants to determine their interests and what people are talking about. If we find that local entrepreneurs need help with marketing, or developing a financial plan, or finding starter funds, we want to address those specific issues and mold EQ to suit the community’s needs.” All EQ events will take place inside Sal & Mookie’s from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and will be free to attend. Each event will also feature free pizza and discounted bar drinks for visitors. The first events for 2018 was on March 1. The other dates are June 7, Sept. 6 and Dec. 6. Farris says that some local web developers and tech entrepreneurs might not realize that there are other groups out there besides the ones they already know. For more information, visit mantlesandbox. “Meeting them can help them view the world differently and com/eq-jxn, call Susan Farris at 601-982mutually generate new ideas,” Farris says. “Developing new skills is 4443 ext. 17 or find Entrepreneur Quarterly something that’s greatly helped by meeting fresh faces, talking to new on Facebook. people and stretching yourself out.”
Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
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Work. Live. Play. Prosper.
Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
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Thanks for voting us Best Beer Selection and Best Meal Under $10 Best of Jackson 2018
Bringing The Community Together: Promoting Racial Harmony and Facilitating Understanding Monthly Discussion Luncheons Second Wednesday, 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Join us to “lunch and learn” with provocative speakers and discussions held at the Mississippi Arts Center in partnership with the City of Jackson.
2018 Dialogue Circles Ongoing for adults and youth, see website Dialogue Jackson presents dialogue circles, a series of facilitated, curriculum-based discussion sessions that can open minds, change hearts and build lasting friendships. Thanks to The Nissan Foundation for their generous support.
2018 Friendship Ball Gala
Locations Download our new app!
Woodland Hills Shopping Center Fondren • 601-366-5273 Maywood Mart 1220 E. Northside Dr. • 601-366-8486 English Village 904 E. Fortification St. • 601-355-9668
April 21, 2018 Join the board of directors and members of Dialogue Jackson to celebrate the contributions of two prominent leaders on issues of diversity and racial harmony. Plus food, drink and dancing!
More information: www.dialoguejackson.org
Westland Plaza 2526 Robinson Rd. • 601-353-0089 26
Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
boomjackson.com
Jackson Menu Guide
Spring
2018
Aladdin Mediterranean Grill p 30 Barrelhouse p 30 Bonfire Grill p 31 Eslava’s Grille p 31 Fusion Thai & Japanese Cuisine p 32 Green Room p 32 Gumbo Girl p 31 Iron Horse Grill p 29 Pig & Pint p 28 Pizza Shack p 32
Menu Guide (pages 27 - 31) is a paid advertising section. For these and more visit www.jfpmenus.com
V O T E D IB E S T IB IB Q SMALL PLATES Pork Rinds & Queso ... 6.99 Fried Boudin Balls … 6.99 Sausage & Cheese Plate … 9.99 Pork Belly Corn Dogs … 7.99 Pimento Cheese … 6.99
IB E S T O F J A C K S O N 2 0 1 5 - 2 0 1 8 SALADS BLT Salad … 8.99 // House Salad ... 6.99 Smoked Chicken Caesar ... 9.99 ‘QUE PLATES
SMOKED WINGS White BBQ // Hot BBQ // Memphis Style // Asian Style 6pc ... 8.99 / 12pc ... 12.99 Pecan Wood Smoked Wings / House-Made Pickles / Smoked Garlic Ranch Dressing
P&P DISCO FRIES
French Fries / Queso / Smokehouse Beans / Pickled Onions / Pico de Gallo Jalapenos / Mississippi “Sweet” BBQ Sauce / Sour Cream
Brisket … 11.99 // Pulled Pork … 10.99 Smoked Chicken … 10.99 NACHOS
Smokes Poblano Queso / Smokehouse Beans / Pickled Onions Pico de Gallo / Mississippi “Sweet” BBQ Sauce / Sour Cream
Pulled Pork … 10.99 // Smoked Chicken … 10.99 Brisket … 11.99 TACOS Flour Tortillas / Mango-Jícama Cole Slaw / Pico de Gallo / Mississippi “Sweet” BBQ Sauce
Choice of 2 sides: Collard Greens / Fries / Smoked Tomato Cole Slaw / Potato Salad / Pasta Salad Baked Beans / Pork Rinds / Side Salad / Fried Green Tomatoes / Watermelon
Award Winning Pepsi-Cola Glazed Baby Back Ribs Half-Slab … 15.99 / Full Slab … 26.99 Pulled Pork Plate … 12.99 Brisket Plate … 14.99 Smoked Half Chicken Plate … 13.99 ‘Que Sampler … 22.99 Pitmaster Sampler ... 29.99 Grand Champion Sampler for 2 ... 49.99 Red Beans & Rice ... 13.99 SIDES Collard Greens / Fries / Smoked Tomato Cole Slaw Potato Salad / Pasta Salad / Watermelon Smokehouse Beans / Pork Rinds Fried Green Tomatoes / Side Salad ... 2.99 PIGLET PLATES
(Served w/ Fries & Soda, Lemonade or Iced Tea)
Brisket (2) … 8.99 // Pulled Pork (2)… 8.99 Smoked Chicken (2) … 8.99 Fried Green Tomato Tacos (2) ... 7.99 BBQ Taco Sampler (3) … 10.99
Kid’s Burger ... 6.99 // Kid’s Chicken Tenders ... 6.99 Kid’s Corndog ... 6.99
SANDWICHES
DESSERTS Bananas Foster Pudding … 4.29 White Chocolate & Cranberry Bread Pudding … 4.29
Choice of 1 side: Collard Greens / French Fries / Comeback Cole Slaw / Potato Salad / Watermelon Smokehouse Beans / Pork Rinds / Red Beans & Rice / Side Salad / Fried Green Tomatoes Banana Foster Pudding (Add $1.50) / White Chocolate & Cranberry Bread Pudding (Add $1.50)
BBQ Pork Sandwich … 8.99 BBQ Chicken Sandwich … 8.99 BBQ Brisket Sandwich ... 9.99 Fried Green Tomato BLT … 8.99 White BBQ Chicken Sandwich … 8.99 The Bacon Melt …11.99 Boudin Burger …10.99 Fried Bologna Sandwich ... 8.99
TAKEOUT ONLY
(Takeout Only... No Substitutions...)
The P&P 6 Pack ... 55.99 The P&P 12 Pack ... 109.99 The P&P BBQ Pork Taco Pack ... 49.99 The P&P Baby Back Rib Pack ... 59.99 The P&P Pulled Pork BBQ Nacho Pack ... 69.99
3139 N STATE ST, JACKSON PIGANDPINT.COM (601) 326-6070 M28
Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
jfpmenus.com
Jackson Menu Guide.
Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
M29
MEDITERRANEAN GRILL
Barrelhouse Social Hour _____________ 4pm-6pm M-F
$1 – Off All Draft Beer $2 - Domestics Budweiser Bud Light Michelob Ultra Miller Lite Miller High Life PBR Tallboys Coors Light Coors Original Yuengling Yuengling Light
:H DUH QRZ RQ :$,75 ,EZI ]SYV JEZSVMXIW HIPMZIVIH VMKLX XS ]SYV HSSV
Soup&Salad 5HG /HQWLO 6RXS *UHHN 6DODG *UHHQ 6DODG )DWRXFKH 7DERXOL 7]HNL 6DODG $UDELF 6DODG &KLFNHQ 6KDZDUPD 6DODG %HHI 6KDZDUPD 6DODG *ULOOHG &KLFNHQ 6DODG 6KULPS 6DODG
$3 – Off Select Glasses of Wine $4 – Well Drinks
Cathead Vodka Four Roses Bourbon New Amsterdam Gin Espolon Tequila Plantation Rum Dewars Scotch
Add meat on your salad for $3.50 Add feta on your salad for $0.50
Appetizers $ODGGLQ·V 6SHFLDO +XPPXV 'LS %DED *DQXM 'LS 0XVDEDKD )RXO 4XGVLD (mixed hummus & foul) /HEQD )ULHG .LEE\ 0HDW RU 9HJJLH 'ROPDV 3LFNOHV DQG 2OLYHV )HWD &KHHVH DQG 2OLYHV 6SLQDFK 3LH )ULHG &KHHVH )DODIHO %DVPDWL 5LFH Z 6DIIURQ )UHQFK )ULHV
$5 – Meatballs Daily Cocktail Special _____________
Monday-Saturday: 4pm-until
)DODIHO *\URV /XOD .DEDE chicken or lamb &KLFNHQ .DEDE %HHI .DEDE /DPE .DEDE &KLFNHQ 6KDZDUPD %HHI 6KDZDUPD +DPEXUJHU &KHHVHEXUJHU 3KLOO\ 6WHDN
3009 North State St. 3009 N State St, Jackson, MS 39216 barrelhousems.com (769) 216-3167
3.99 4.99 5.49 5.49 6.49 5.49 5.99 6.49 4.79 4.99 5.49
Entrees
served with salad, hummus, rice and white or whole wheat pita bread
&RPELQDWLRQ 3ODWH 12.99 6KDZDUPD 11.69 &KLFNHQ /XOD 10.69 &KLFNHQ 7HFND 11.69 &KLFNHQ .DEDE 11.69 /XOD .DEDE 12.69 %HHI .DERE 12.99 &RPELQDWLRQ .DEDE 16.99 %HHI 6KDZDUPD 3ODWH 12.99 /DPE .DEDE 3ODWH 12.69 *\UR 3ODWH 11.69 /DPE &KRSV 16.99 /DPE 6KDQN 15.99 %LJ &RPER 17.69 )ULHG .LEE\ 10.99 +XPPXV ZLWK /DPE 10.69 6KULPS 3ODWH 12.99 7LODSLD 3ODWH 11.69 %DUUDPXQGL 15.99 0HDW *UDSH /HDYHV 3ODWH 9.69
Desserts
)UHVK %DNODYD %XUPD %DNODYD )LQJHUV %LUG 1HVW 7LUDPLVX
1.95 1.95 1.95 1.65 3.69
$INE IN OR 4AKE /UT #ATERING $ELIVER Y
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,AKELAND $R &ONDREN
(Additional parking is available behind the restaurant. Turn down the hill at the end of the strip by the Capri.) Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
14.69 3.95 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 2.50 3.50 4.00 5.95 3.50 2.50 2.50
Sandwiches
Barrelhouse is located in the center of Jackson’s historic Fondren district at
M30
2.95 5.49 3.75 4.49 4.49 4.49 4.49 7.59 7.99 7.59 8.59
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jfpmenus.com
ibachi
All Hibachi Served with Fried Rice, Sweet Carrots (Saturday & Sunday Dinner Only) Dinner served with Salad Lunch Time: 11am - 3pm
We have you covered with specials all week long!
DATE NIGHT SPECIAL Monday - Wednesday Enjoy an appetizer, two entrees, and a dessert to share
All for $30!
Yakimesi (Fried Rice)
DAILY LUNCH SPECIALS
Vegetable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Chicken . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Shrimp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Steak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Combo (choice of two meats) . . . . . . . . . 9 Combo (Chicken, Shrimp and Steak) . . . . 11
Open from 11:00-2:00
Thai Noodle or Fried Rice
LATIN SATURDAYS Groove to live latin music while Chef Jairo serves up the best latin food in town: Arroz con Pollo, Bandeja Paisa, Caldo de Res, Empanadas, Paella, Pastelon, Papa Rellenas, Tostones, and more!
2481 Lakeland Drive 601.932.4070
Hibachi (L) (D) Vegetable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 7 Chicken . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 7 Shrimp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 8 Steak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 8 Salmon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 9 Tuna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 9 Red Snapper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 9 Scallops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 9 Chicken & Shrimp . . . . . . . . . 9 10 Chicken & Steak . . . . . . . . . . 9 10 Chicken & Scallops . . . . . . . 10 11 Steak & Shrimp . . . . . . . . . 10 11 Steak & Scallops . . . . . . . . 10 11 Shrimp & Scallops . . . . . . . . 10 11 Jumbo Shrimp . . . . . . . . . . 10 11 Chicken, Steak & Shrimp . . . 12 13
Jackson Menu Guide.
Your Choice of Chicken or Vegetable 8 Beef 9 . . . . . Shrimp 10 . . . . . Combo 11 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pad Thai 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pad Kee Mow 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thai Fried Rice
Thai Entrees
Served with Steam Rice 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Garlic Pepper 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mix Vegetable 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sesame Chicken
118 Service Dr Suite 17, Brandon, MS 601-591-7211 Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
M31
E TH G
OM RO
E RE N
- Pool Is Cool-
APPETIZERS
Battered Fries - $3 Fried Pickles - $5 Cheese Stix - $5 Nachos w/ Cheese - $8 Nachos Supreme - $8 3-Way Sampler - $10 (tenders, wings, & fried pickles w/ fries)
SANDWICHES
108 Burger - $6 Pork Chop Sandwich - $7 Philly Cheesesteak - $8 2 Grilled Munch Dogs - $7 Grilled Cheese Sandwich - $3 Grilled Ham & Cheese - $4
MUNCH BASKET
(Includes Bread & Fries) 2 pc Catfish Basket (grilled or fried) - $10 4 pc Tender Basket - $10 7 pc Tender Basket - $14 Chick-On-A-Stick Basket - $10
Thai Lunch Special Mon - Sat: 11:00am - 3:00pm Chicken, Tofu, Pork Or Vegetable 9 Beef 10, Shrimp 11, Combination (choice two meats) 12, Seafood (shrimp, squid & mussels) 13
Thank you all for voting The Pizza Shack a winner in Best of Jackson 2018 for “Best Place for Pizza.”
Served with Soup or Spring Rap (No soup with To Go Order)
L-1. CURRY OH CURRY L-2. SPICY BASIL L-3. CASHEW NUT L-4. EVER GREEN L-5. GARLIC AND PEPPER L-6. GINGER DELIGHT L-7. LAMA FIVE L-8. MIXED VEGETABLE L-9. PAD THAI L-10. PAD KEE MOW L-11. PAD PRIK L-12. PRIK KHING L-14. SPICY BASIL FRIED RICE L-15. PAD SEE-EW
Japanese Lunch Special
Items Below Serve with Soup, Salad. Vegetable, Steamed Rice or Japanese Fried Rice (No soup with To Go Order)
H-1. HIBACH VEGETABLE . . . . . . . . . . 7 H-2. HIBACH CHICKEN . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 H-3. HIBACH STEAK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 H-4. HIBACH SHRIMP . . . . . . . . . . . 10 H-5. HIBACH FISH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 H-6. HIBACH SCALLOPS . . . . . . . . . . 11 H-7. HIBACH FILET MIGNON . . . . . . 12 H-8. HIBACH CHICKEN & STEAK . . . 11 H-9. HIBACH SHRIMP & CHICKEN . . 12 H-10. HIBACH STEAK & SHRIMP . . . 13 H-11. HIBACHI FILET MIGNON & CHICKEN . 13 H-12. HIBACHI STEAK & SCALLOP . . 13 H-13 HIBACHI CHICKEN & SCALLOP 13 H-14. HIBACHI SHRIMP & SCALLOP . 15 H-15. HIBACHI FILET MIGNON & SCALLOP 15 H-16. HIBACHI FILET MIGNON & SHRIMP . . 15
925 E. Fortification Street Jackson, MS 39212 (601)352-2001 Fax: (601)352-2080 Mon-Sat 11am – 10pm Sundays 11am – 9pm
Call today and place your order. Ask us about The Pizza Shack catering for your next gathering or event!
Now you can access local restaurants’ menus any time, day or night, on your computer, tablet or smartphone!
WINGS (Your Way)
(Sauces: Yum Yum, Honey BBQ, Hot, Lemon Pepper, Naked, Regular Fried) 6 pc Wing - $8 12 pc Wing - $14
444 Bounds St. Jackson MS
601-718-7665 32
Large Lunch & Dinner Menu of Authentic Asian Cuisine Also Available Two Locations Open Daily 11:00am-9:30pm for Dine-In or Carry-Out IN FLOWOOD OFF LAKELAND DR: 1002 Treetop Blvd 601-664-7588 IN MADISON ON HWY 51: 1030-A Hwy 51 601-790-7999
Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
Plus, get maps, phone numbers, social media feeds and much more!
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// decadent
Jazz and Pastries at La Brioche // story and photos by Anais Eliseeva
La Brioche Patisserie introduces Jacksonians to European pastries such as entremet, a French mousse-based cake.
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hen people walk into La Brioche Patisserie, the scent of coffee and fresh pastries envelops them. Jazz melodies such as “La Javanaise” by Madeleine Peyroux and “Le Temps D’un Jazz” by Daniel Roure play in the background, giving the place a touch of romanticism reminiscent of a classic European pastry shop. The difference is that La Brioche is smack-dab in the middle of Mississippi. The shop is the brainchild of two sisters, Alejandra Mamud and Cristina Lazzari, from Rosario, Argentina. Mamud and Lazzari fused their traveling experiences with their passion for baking and coffee to share it with the community of Jackson and the surrounding area. Before opening La Brioche in 2014, both sisters traveled, collecting knowledge and experience from different cultures. Mamud, who is the pastry chef at La Brioche, studied at the French Pastry School in Chicago. She graduated in 2011 and then mastered her skills at various hotels, restaurants and bakeries in the same city.
Work. Live. Play. Prosper.
“My sister always liked sugar and art,” and frequently traveling between Sweden and southern Italy, where her husband Patrik Lazzari says. “She thought a bakery is a perfect way to combine both. It’s where you can Lazzari lived. Cristina says that one of the challenges get creative and express yourself while letting they encountered early on was that many other people enjoy it.” Once Mamud came back from the French Jacksonians weren’t familiar with their differPastry School, a brioche bread was the first ent products, including their now popular entremets—French mousse-based cakes. thing she made at home. That’s where an idea for the patisserie’s name came from. La Brioche’s logo represents a “B” in a form of a heart La Brioche Patisserie serves with a strand of wheat and a treats such as croissants. doily in the background. “The ‘B’ stands for ‘Brioche,’ and it resembles a heart that represents the love for wheat and baking, while the doily is what you put under your mugs, implying the coffee part of it,” Lazzari says. Lazzari works as the general manager at La Brioche. She acquired her love of coffee and pastries from her experiences living in Miami Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
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BITES // from page 33
La Brioche Patisserie opened in Fondren in 2014, and the business expanded to open a second location at the Mississippi Museum of Art in February 2018.
“People here in Mississippi are used to cupcakes,” she says. However, people have since latched onto their treats. Jennie Barney, the marketing coordinator and graphic designer at La Brioche, says the atmosphere is what makes the patisserie stand out. “Also, it brings different cultures together and introduces something really different to people who haven’t experienced it before,” she says. Something people may notice at La Brioche is that entremets are titled with feminine names. “That’s French,” Lazzari says. “In France, if you go to their patisseries, you will see cakes
labeled with women’s names. It’s just sort of a rule of thumb for them.” Lazzari’s two favorite entremets at La Brioche are “Natalia” and “Celeste.” “They are named after my two daughters,” she says. The one called Natalia is filled with lemon and raspberry flavors, while Celeste is a combination of dark chocolate, pistachio and almond. “They are the best-sellers,” Lazzari adds with a smile. “It just happened to be.” At La Brioche, people will find all sorts of goodies, including Argentinean alfajores, macarons, Italian gelato and different types of croissants. “We go a lot with seasons,” Lazzari says.
“In summer, you will see more fruit-based desserts and … when we are moving towards cooler weather, it’s more about chocolate, caramel and heavier stuff.” Besides the regular pastries that customers can find on the display counter most of the year, La Brioche offers special desserts for various holidays, including a Valentine’s Day “Eve” entremet, which was a chocolate cake dipped in Grand Marnier with butter-cream icing, and layered with strawberries, macarons, chocolate pieces and gold dust. “That’s the creativity in the kitchen,” Lazzari says. “That’s where the art part comes in. It’s not just about baking, but also how you can express yourself. That’s the artistry of it.” The business model of La Brioche reflects Lazzari and Mamud’s attitude toward people. “We try to do what we like to receive,” Lazzari says. “We like quality, delicious food, good service, cleanliness and atmosphere. This is what we like to give. What you experience being at La Brioche is how we would like to be treated in other places.” The shop also previously offered sandwiches, salads and other entrees for catering, but its lunch menu recently became a regular offering at its new second location, which opened at the Mississippi Museum of Art in February. For more information, see pages 20-21. La Brioche Patisserie (2906 N. State St., 601.988.2299) is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. La Brioche at the Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St., 601.960.1515) is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit labriochems.com.
For Mardi Gras this year, La Brioche Patisserie served mini galette de rois.
La Brioche Patisserie serves special treats such as decorated strawberries for holidays. 34
Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
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Season 52
creativity • expressioin • confidence
Register now for summer camps! June 4-15: First Stages for rising 2nd-5th grade
June 4-15: Acting Intensive for rising 6th-12th grade
By Tom Stoppard, Lee Hall, & Marc Norman
Apr. 17 – 29, 2018
Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Glenn Slater; Book by Cheri Steinkellner & Bill Steinkellner
June 18-July 15: Broadway Camp for rising 6th-12th grade
For more information, call 601.948.3533 ext. 232 or visit newstagetheatre.com
Season 53
May 29-Jun. 10, 2018
Order your tickets today! 601-948-3533 | newstagetheatre.com
subscriptions on sale now! Call the box office at 601.948.3533 or download a form at newstagetheatre.com before July 31 to take advantage of the Early Bird rates.
ns_52_BOOM_7.625x4.925.indd 1
Celebrate Spring
2/14/18 4:16 AM
Northeast Jackson’s Largest Showroom Free Gift Wrapping Gift Certificates Friendly Knowledgeable Staff Glasses To Loan Case Discounts Quick Chilling Service Get our app! (Next door to McDade’s Market Extra) Mon. - Sat., 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Maywood Mart Shopping Center & /PSUITJEF %S t www.mcdadeswineandspirits.com Please Drink Responsibly Work. Live. Play. Prosper.
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Coolest Offices
Coolest Office creative
Pearl River Glass Studio
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// photos by Stephen Wilson, stories by Amber Helsel ley streets. In the front of Pearl River Glass is the Design Arts Market, where colorful plates, ornaments, sculptures and more decorate the walls. Most of the pieces showcase the business’ most known technique, fused glass, which is where artists layer thin pieces of glass and then fire them together in a kiln. A door in the gallery space leads to a small courtyard, and then into the production studio. It’s divided into areas for the different glass processes, including ones for cutting glass, layering pieces and firing them. Young also has more spaces, one of which he plans on converting into a teaching studio, and others he plans to turn into studios for local artists, photographers, writers and more. “We’re trying to get additional studio spaces in the neighborhood to get more art and stuff going on down here,” he says. “We’re working on it.” For more information about Pearl River Glass Studio, visit pearlriverglass.com. —Amber Helsel
rtist Rob Cooper sits at a light table painting a piece of blue glass. The wall behind him is covered in glass art pieces and other art, along with a stereo and CDs, cubes filled with glass sheets and supplies for glass painting. “The paint is almost like a thin ceramic glaze that you kind of brush directly on the glass and then fire it in the kiln,” he says. Cooper is a studio artist at Andy Young’s Pearl River Glass Studio in midtown. The business been a staple in the midtown neighborhood since Young moved it into its current space on Millsaps Avenue in 1976. The business can do everything from architectural glass such as the Holocaust memorial at Beth Israel Congregation, window art for churches, stained-glass-window restoration, and water jet cutting for everything from glass to steel to aluminum. At 17,000 square feet, the business’ space spans through buildings on Millsaps Avenue, and Wilson and Wes-
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The Design Art Market at Pearl River Glass Studio in midtown showcases work that often features the business’ most known technique, fused glass.
Amelia Key (left) cuts glass at Pearl River Glass Studio. RahLeeCoh Ishakarah (bottom right) removes lead from an old stained glass window during a restoration.
Work. Live. Play. Prosper.
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Coolest Offices
Coolest Office bright
Mississippi Light Collaborative/ MSU School of Architecture
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location, says. “This last year is focused on urban design and professional practice, so they get to meet the local practitioners. … The bulk of the architects in the state are in this city, so it’s an opportunity to know them and get jobs and (for) us to bring them in as adjuncts or critics on projects.” In a room in the center of the building, tall walls covered in light brown wood reach up toward a high skylight. During a recent Light Collaborative space opening event, an interactive, electronic quilt was projected on one of the walls. When Kurkjian, a Brighton, U.K., native, first arrived in Jackson, she had a contract with the Mississippi Museum of Art to be the designer and producer for its “Mapping a Modern Mississippi” initiative. She left in November 2016 to pursue Mississippi Light Collaborative, which resulted in the first annual Mississippi Light Festival in 2017. When she first had the idea for the festival, she thought the only person who would understand the concept was an
he outside of the Mississippi State University School of Architecture on Capitol Street is deceptive. The building’s white façade blends in with the other storefronts, so if you aren’t looking carefully, you may miss it. Inside is a different story. From the front door past the school’s library, a tall structure of black fibers and strands of LED lights called the “Infinity Ladder” reaches up toward a high ceiling. Small origami boxes, which are sometimes lit with small LEDs, hang from the adjacent hallway’s ceiling. The Mississippi Light Collaborative, which is the brainchild of local artist Anik Kurkjian (the “Light Lady”) shares the first-floor space at the Mississippi School of Architecture downtown, where fifth-year students go to complete their degrees. “The idea was that the students come from Starkville, and they come to Jackson, where most of the practitioners are,” Jassen Callendar, who is the director of the downtown
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The Mississippi State University School of Architecture’s downtown location is where fifth-year students go to complete their degree and eventually get a certification.
The MSU School of Architecture’s library is one of the first things people may notice when entering the building.
architect, so she met with Callendar. When he learned that the Mississippi Light Collaborative didn’t have a space, he offered to let her use the first floor of the building. They held an opening event for the space on Thursday, Feb. 1. Some people may not realize it, but when they look up to the top of the lightwell, they’re looking up at the floor that houses the fifth-year students. “(Aspects like the lightwell) are the things that always inspire people when they come in the front door,” he says. On the top floor, large desk areas with blueprints, designs, cardboard models and more snake through the halls. The second floor houses offices and classrooms. Callendar says that most of the wood flooring in the building is original, and a few of the walls have exposed bricks and paint layers. “It’s just beautiful, the light that trickles through this place,” Kurkjian says. For more information about the Mississippi Light Collaborative, visit mslightcollaborative.com or find the organization on Facebook.
Work. Live. Play. Prosper.
The Mississipi Light Collaborative’s space has light-based artworks such as the “Infinity Ladder.”
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Coolest Offices
Coolest Office productivity
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Mantle.
uling School experienced a resurgence around 15 years ago. These days, it is home to local businesses such as SMoak Salon, restaurants such as Babalu Tapas & Tacos and Saltine. But not only is it a hub for local businesses; it also became a hub for entrepreneurs when Christopher Lomax opened Mantle. in April 2016. Mantle. gets its name from the part of an oyster that helps form pearls from sand, which is fitting for Lomax’s vision to create a proverbial sandbox to help ideas (sand) eventually grow into established business (pearls). Along with the Duling Hall location, Lomax opened Mantle. Suites in Fondren Corner in May 2017. The first thing people will see when going up the stairs of the Duling location, besides screen-printed designs of membership logos from Studio Chane, is a photograph by local photographer Anne Bryant. “For me, I just believe in the whole eat local, shop local (idea),” says Rick McKnight, who serves as Mantle.’s concierge and operations manager. He says that Mantle. has an expansion plan (the next location is Oxford), and everywhere the business goes, it will add in local elements. Many of the rooms in both locations include art work from local artists such as Bryant and abstract artist Elizabeth Fowler, whose work is on the walls of Mantle. Suite’s lobby. All members have 24/7 access to shared spaces such as the living room at the Duling location, and coffee, Internet, lockers and more; however, higher memberships give patrons more access, including offices and workspaces. Lomax says they aimed for Mantle. Suites to be for more established businesses. For more information, visit growatmantle.com.
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The name Mantle. comes from the part of an oyster that helps pearls form sand. When Christopher Lomax launched the venture, his vision was to create a proverbial sandbox to help people turn their ideas (sand) into established business (pearl). Members get perks such as access to shared spaces, and coffee and Internet. The city club is currently working to expand its offerings to its members.
Mantle. Concierge and Operations Manager Rick McKnight (right) says that when the business begins its expansion (the second location will be in Oxford, Miss.), it will add local elements from the cities.
Work. Live. Play. Prosper.
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Coolest Offices
Coolest Office community
Center for Social Entrepreneurship
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n Robinson Street in west Jackson, an Ethiopian flag and a U.S. flag on a yellow house waft in a breeze. Inside, the house is filled with artifacts from different countries, including an ornately painted fan from Japan and a brown vase with a raised design of a church from Croatia. The house is colloquially known as the “International House,” and though its original purpose was to house international Jackson State University students, it’s now home of the nonprofit organization the Center for Social Entrepreneurship. Executive Director Shante Crockett says that when the students would come back from a break, they would bring items back to the house. Systems Consulting Associates founded the organization in 2007. In April 2016, it moved into the International House. When CSE moved there, organization staff asked JSU Gallery1 director Shon McCarthy help them identify and put the items together. “When we moved in, stuff was everywhere,” Crockett says. CSE is a nonprofit that tries to improve the lives of the people in the surrounding 13 blocks (their target area), she says. “We use this area as a proof of concept, meaning this is our baby, our little sample area,” she says. The area’s boundaries are Central, Rose, Grand and Prentiss streets. CSE focuses on education, community engagement, economic development and housing improvements. For more information, visit cse-ms.org or find the organization on Facebook.
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Would you like us to feature your office? Email amber@jacksonfreepress.com.
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The staff at the Center for Social Entrepreneurship—Chief Administrative Officer Robin Kurtz-Lendner (left), education intern Kia Johnson (back right) and Executive Director Shante Crockett (right)—help the people within its target area: the 13 blocks around the house’s location on Robinson Street. The boundaries are Central, Rose, Grand and Prentiss streets.
CSE resides in a house dubbed the ‘International House’ because its original function was to house international students from Jackson State University. Crockett says that when students would come back from break, they’d often bring items from their home countries. Jackson State University Gallery1 Director Shon McCarthy helped CSE staff identify artifacts and put them together.
BEST OF
Best of Best of
(601) 982-8300 Finalist: Best Beauty Shop or Salon Best of Jackson 2016-17
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Winner: Best Barber Shop Best of Jackson 2016-18 ™
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ARTS // envision Ghostnote Creative
Through his company Ghostnote Creative, Jacksonian Drew McKercher has created video, web and photography content for clients around the state and the nation.
Drew McKercher: Ghost Behind the Scenes // by Mike McDonald
I
n musical notation, ghost notes have rhythmic value but often have no discernible pitch. For Drew McKercher, the term was a fitting description for the work he does in his business, Ghostnote Creative—moving behind the scenes to help clients reach their goals. Originally from Vicksburg, McKercher has lived in Jackson since 2006. He graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts in 2017.
For the first couple years of college, he would make commercials, but shifted to focus on his business Morningbell Records and Studios in 2012. When it closed in 2014, he began Ghostnote after deciding he wasn’t interested in retail. “I wanted to be up and moving around,” he says. “I got tired of waiting for the customers to come to me.” His services within Ghostnote range from photography and web design to videography.
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Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
Stephen WIlson
Drew McKercher began his company, Ghostnote Creative, in 2014, combining his skills at web design, photography and videography.
“I enjoy editing videos and taking pictures,” he says. “It’s nice to get paid for what you like to do. I’ve found that everybody needs video of some kind at some point.” McKercher, who is also the director of video content at the Godwin Group, has worked with clients in and around Jackson, including the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Trustmark Bank, Montessori Academy and St. Andrew’s Episcopal School. In one project for Table 100, he produced food photography. “You need dramatic lighting, good presentation, a food stylist and the right composition,” he says. “All these attributes combined must make the viewer want to eat the food.” Music videos are also part of the Ghostnote repertoire. McKercher has produced for Young Valley, Jaxx City and his own band, Spacewolf. “I like to do a lot of things,” he says. He would like to one day write, direct and produce short films, and eventually do the same for a feature-length picture. “I am working my way there,” he says. “It’s tough to find time, though.” The video that stands out to him above all others, he says, is one he did for Young Valley’s “The Fly,” which won “Best Video” at the Crossroads Film Festival in 2015. They filmed the music video in part on Ridgewood Road, and Young Valley wanted to make the focal point an old Ford Mustang. “The idea for the video just developed as we continued filming,” McKercher says. In his business, he is typically afforded the freedom to complete each project with the ideas he brings, but there can be challenges. “Clients always have revisions and edits, which I appreciate,” he says. “It doesn’t always turn out the way I envision originally, but I deliver the best product possible.” For more information, find Ghostnote Creative on Facebook. boomjackson.com
// growing
The Business of Flowers // by Amber Helsel
started a community-supported agriculture, or CSA, subscription service for flowers and started selling at the Mississippi Farmers Market.
In growing flowers for Little Bluestem, Foose likes to keep the business focused on growing organically and sourcing locally. Stephen WIlson
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uring certain seasons, Jacksonians can find a colorful cart that brightens up Fondren Corner more than usual. Depending on the time of the year, people may find everything from succulents in the winter time to peonies in spring and summer. That flower cart is just a sample of what customers can get from Leake County-based Little Bluestem Farm. Owner Beth Foose has always gardened and says that she wanted to produce something to sell but had not yet had the opportunity. “We were on a road trip to Texas, and I just decided that I was going to try selling flowers,” Foose told BOOM Jackson. Mary Margaret Saulters, Foose’s daughter who also assists with Little Bluestem’s social media and wedding events, says that her mother told her family on the way back from Big Bend National Park in Texas. “Since then, it’s just become a family business. … I had never imagined that it was going to grow into what it’s grown into. We’ve been pretty overwhelmed with the support we got for the business, but I think we all kind of laughed it off on that road trip,” Saulters says. “We were like, ‘Yeah, right, Mom. We’ll have a flower farm. OK.’” Foose began the business in 2016. In the first year, she says she planted zinnias, sunflowers, cosmos, celosia flowers and more into an old vegetable garden at their home. She also
Beth Foose (right) runs her flower business, Little Bluestem Farm, with help from her daughter Mary Margaret Saulters (left).
“A CSA is a good business model for a small farmer because you have subscriptions, and people pay, and you really need the revenue to invest in seeds and prepare the ground and all of those kinds of things,” she says. In the last year, the business has expanded the CSA program and started the flower cart in Fondren Corner in June 2017.
“It’s the right thing to do,” she says. “We have a responsibility to ... not exploit the natural world.” In the future, Foose says she would like to expand the CSA program and the floral arrangements for events that Little Bluestem does, and also have more of a retail presence. This year, Foose plans to introduce bees to the farm. For more information or to check availability, email littlebluestemfarmms@gmail.com or visit littlebluestemfarm.com.
courtesy Little BlueStem Farm
Work. Live. Play. Prosper.
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MELODIES // impact
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Hip-Hop
& Praise
Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
COURTESY MIZ TIFFANY
prophetically, I could see iffany Coleman-Mcthe words written there,” Gee smiled brightly she says. “I kept having this as she walked into vision of the notebook being the sanctuary at We filled. Two months later, I Care Church in Jackson on a said, ‘OK. It’s now or never. dreary Sunday afternoon. I have to start writing.’ And Decked out in a black I did. That notebook was leather jacket, the Jackson filled in a day.” native looked a bit different Since then, she has from what churchgoers saw performed for audiences onstage only a few hours eararound the country, and in lier that day. As gospel rapAugust 2017, she became per Miz Tiffany, she would the first female rapper to certainly be different from // by Micah Smith perform on the Impact Netwhat they heard. work’s gospel TV showcase, Coleman-McGee began “Bobby Jones Presents.” writing hip-hop music at age She also released her debut 11, taking inspiration from EP, “I Ain’t Preaching to the ’90s-era artists such as Queen Choir,” in October 2017. Latifah and MC Lyte. In recent years, her enBy age 18, she was retertainment career has gone cording and performing as into even more avenues, as a secular rapper under her she has also become a modchildhood nickname, Tiptap, el, an actress with appearas well as the stage name ances on FOX’s “Empire” Don Queen. Everything and OWN’s “Queen Sugar,” changed when she was inand a children’s author with volved in a car accident, and her new book, “Hippos suffered a severe brain and Downtown.” She plans to spinal-cord injury. release more books in the “I was in a coma for series in the near future. three days,” she says. “What Despite more people a wakeup call. After I came learning about her minout of that, I stopped really istry as Miz Tiffany, she writing songs altogether, essays that not everyone is pecially with the message accepting of gospel hipthat was behind it. I didn’t hop music. At her first want to leave that legacy and church performance, one didn’t want to put that type of of the older women on the energy out into the world. It front row stood up and bejust wasn’t my mark.” gan praying—an act that After the accident, she Coleman-McGee says she began focusing on her eduTiffany Coleman-McGee began a career as gospel hip-hop artist Miz Tiffany wasn’t sure the woman cation, earning a bachelor’s after more than five years on hiatus. Since then, she has performed around meant in a nice way. degree in psychology from the country while also working as a model, actress and children’s author. “I thought she was Tougaloo College in 2005, praying me out,” she says and a master’s degree in with a laugh. “But the harder I saw kingdom and win lost souls.’” “I was like, ‘Lord, this just library and information science At first, Coleman-McGee her praying, the harder I rapped, from the University of Southern cannot be it. What else do you says she was not sure if she the harder I went, because I said, Mississippi in 2012. She also want me to do? I’m a wife, I’m a ‘I know God called me to do this. could write in the way she needmarried her husband, Terence mother, I’m a college graduate, This is not evil or anything, and if and I have a graduate degree,’” ed to, but she had faith that if it McGee, and the couple now has you just stop listening to the beat she says. “‘Is there something was God’s plan, then the words three children. and listen to the words, then you’ll were already there. more that you want me to do?’ About five years ago, though, know it’s his spirit.’” “I went and purchased a And God called me into ministry. Coleman-McGee says she began For more information, visit He said, ‘You can still use your notebook and a new pen, and I sensing that God had more in sat it on the head of my bed. Just miztiffany.com. music to glorify me, to glorify the mind for her. boomjackson.com
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hub.hindscc.edu/nahc In compliance with the following: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX, Education Amendments of 1972 of the Higher Education Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and other applicable Federal and State Acts, Hinds Community College offers equal education and employment opportunities and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability or veteran status in its educational programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Dr. Tyrone Jackson, Vice President for Utica Campus and Administrative Services and District Dean of Student Services & Title IX Coordinator Box 1003, Utica, MS 39175 . Phone: 601.885.7002 or Email: titleIX@hindscc.edu
Work. Live. Play. Prosper.
Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
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Work. Live. Play. Prosper.
Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
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COOL TOO // experience
T
ravelling is good for the soul, and it helps you learn a little bit more about the world around you. In most issues of BOOM Jackson, we feature a “Cool Too” story and visit another city in Mississippi or a surrounding states. One cool thing about Mississippi, though, is that only takes about two to three hours to get to each border of the state, so a lot of tourist attractions are a fairly short drive away. Here are some of the sights to see this spring and summer. Infinity Science Center
Amber Helsel
INFINITY Science Center (1 Discovery Circle, Pearlington, 228.533.9025) From Ocean Springs, drive an hour west on Interstate 10 toward Louisiana to experience the INFINITY Space Center, a nonprofit museum that serves as the official visitors center for the NASA Stennis Space Center. The museum has 35,000 square feet of exhibit space. Some of the exhibits include the hurricane prediction lab, where people can learn about the science of storms and how data is used in predicting severe weather; the Biome Boardwalk, which has four biomes (a community of plants and animals that have common characteristics for their environment) and natural habitats. In the spring and summer, INFINITY also offers tram tours down the Possum Walk Trail, which teaches people about the ecology and history of the area. Admission to the museum also includes a bus tour of the NASA Stennis Space Center. INFINITY is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, $8 for children, and those ages 3 and under get in for free. For more information, visit visitinfinity.com.
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Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art (386 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, 228.374.5547) The sculptures outside the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi are larger than life—a fitting tribute Mississippi artist George Ohr, also know as “the Mad Potter of Biloxi.” In 1999, Frank Gehry began the design for the museum, but in August 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed the construction site and OOMA’s predecessor, the George Ohr Arts and Cultural Center. Five years later, museum patron Jerry O’Keefe, Gehry and Biloxi Mayor A.J. Holloway cut the ribbon and opened the first phase of the new museum. One of the museum’s permanent exhibits, “George Ohr: I Am the Potter Who Was,” tells the story of Ohr’s life and includes photos, archives, videos and information on the different phases in the artist’s career. The museum also has exhibits such as “City Within a City: African American Culture in Biloxi,” which highlights the history of black Mississippians in Biloxi after World War II. The museum also has classes, workshops, a gift shop and more. OOMA is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students with ID, $8 for seniors and military. Children under the age of 5 get in for free. For more information, visit georgeohr.org.
B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center (400 2nd St., Indianola, 662.887.9539) The Mississippi Delta has a few museums dedicated to the blues, and it should. But if you want to get a broader understanding of blues culture in the Delta, one of the best stops is the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center. The museum tells B.B. King’s story, sure, but his story is intertwined with the history of the blues. The exhibits include a theater where you can watch a film about B.B. King, get an inside look at the Delta in the 1930s, and see King’s experience in Memphis in the 1950s, and his journey from artist to icon in the 1960s. The museum is open Sunday and Monday from noon to 5 p.m., and Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, $10 for students with ID, $10 for children ages 5 to 7, and free for children ages 0 to 5. For more information, bbkingmuseum.org.
courtesy BB King Museum
// by Amber Helsel
courtesy Ohr-OKeefe Museum of Art
Three Museums and a Zoo
Hattiesburg Zoo (107 S. 17th Ave., Hattiesburg, 601.545.4576) The Jackson Zoo is awesome, but the state also has other great zoos. One such example, the Hattiesburg Zoo, is smaller than ours but has a lot to offer. You may meet a peacock roaming the area, but the zoo also has around 100 species of animals from around the world. The zoo also has exhibits such as a “Touch Africa” petting zoo, an African drum station and a “Bug Hub” playground, where kids (and adults) can slide down tall mounds and play on insect-themed playground equipment. For more information, visit zoohattiesburg.com. Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
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Events // alive
MARCH
1
Sing Your Song 2 March 1, 7-9 p.m., at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). A dozen finalists perform their original songs for an audience and a panel of judges featuring “American Idol” season-eight winner Kris Allen. $20-$50; call 601.960.1557; email tammy@ greaterjacksonartscouncil.com; find it on Facebook.
Cirque Goes to the Cinema March 3, 7:30 p.m., at Thalia Mara Hall (255 E. Pascagoula St.). The Mississippi Symphony Orchestra performs alongside aerial flyers, acrobats and jugglers. Includes music from “Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone,” “Carmen,” “Flashdance,” “Star Wars” and more. $20-$54; msorchestra.com.
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“Motown the Musical” March 7, 7:30 p.m., at Thalia Mara Hall (255 E. Pascagoula St.). The play tells the true story of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy’s rise from a career as a featherweight boxer to becoming a famed music mogul. $70-$80; jacksonbroadway.com.
Fleet Foxes March 9, 7:30 p.m., at Thalia Mara Hall (255 E. Pascagoula St.). The Seattle-native indie-folk band’s latest album is titled “Crack-Up.” Doors open at 6:30 p.m. $30.50-$42.50; call 877.987.6487; ardenland.net.
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Mississippi Anime Fest March 10, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., at Mississippi Trade Mart (1200 Mississippi St.). The festival includes vendors, panels, games, cosplay contests, artists and special guests such as Anjali Bhimani, J. Michael Tatum, Tara Jayne Sands and more. $15 in advance, $20 at the gate, $5 for ages 2-8, free under age 2; msanimefest.com.
16
St. Paddy’s Day Pre-Parade Supershow March 16, 7:30 p.m., at Lucky Town Brewing Company (1710 N. Mill St.). Teezy Thomas and Porschia Cooper are the hosts. Performers include DevMaccc, Dono Vegas, 5th Child, Flywalker, Timaal Bradford, Vitamin Cea, Mike Hustle, Sippi Queen and Beezie. $10 before 9:30 p.m.; find it on Facebook.
22
“The Fighter” March 22, 5 p.m., at Lemuria Books (Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 N., Suite 202). Michael Farris Smith signs copies of his latest book. Reading at 5:30 p.m. $26 book; call 601.366.7619; lemuriabooks.com.
23
Moving Images in Mississippi: “Freedom Song” March 23, 6:30 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). The 2000 drama screens as part of the film series, which celebrates cinema and Mississippi with a screening on the fourth Thursday and Friday of each month. Includes a panel discussion featuring guests Scott Barretta, John Read and Jimmy Wood. Free; call 601.960.1515; msmuseumart.org.
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CelticFest Mississippi 2018 March 23-March 24, at Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum (1150 Lakeland Drive). The festival honoring Irish and Celtic heritage features food and drink vendors, games, music from artists such as the Máirtín de Cógáin Project, the Coyne Family Band, Finvarra’s Wren, Chambless & Muse, the New Orleans Strathspey & Reel Society, The Old Ways, Celtic Crossroads and Spirits of the House, and more. Admission TBA; celticfestms.org.
17
Hal’s St. Paddy’s Parade & Festival March 17, 9 a.m.-10 p.m., in downtown Jackson. The theme for this year’s parade is “Artfully Alive at 35.” The festival takes place at 3 p.m. at Hal & Mal’s and features The Molly Ringwalds, The Bluz Boys and Southern Komfort Brass Band. $10 festival; halsstpaddysparade.com.
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Easter Egg Hunt 2018 March 31, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum (1150 Lakeland Drive). The egg hunt features divisions for ages 0-3, ages 4-7 and ages 8-12. Includes egg dying, face painting, games, carousel and train rides, hot dogs, and pictures with the Easter Bunny. $7 for adults, $5 for ages 3-18; call 601.432.4500; msagmuseum.org.
Jackson area events updated daily at jfpevents.com.
Post your own events or send info to events@boomjackson.com
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Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
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flickr/Olivia Kitunen; flickr/Performing Arts Photo and Video; file photo; courtesy Anjali Bhimani; flickr/Visit Mississippi; file photo; file photo; file photo
1-3
“Little Women: The Musical” March 1-3, 7:30 p.m., March 3, 2 p.m., at Belhaven University Center for the Arts (835 Riverside Drive). The musical adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s novel follows the life of the March sisters. $10 admission, $5 for students and seniors; belhaven.edu.
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Work. Live. Play. Prosper.
Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
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Events // variety
APRIL
Big K.R.I.T. April 5, 9 p.m., at Hal & Mal’s (200 Commerce St.). The Jackson-native hip-hop artist’s latest release is “4eva Is a Mighty Long Time.” Doors open at 8 p.m. $28.50 admission, $75 early entry package, $125 meet and greet; ticketfly.com.
6
13
‘80s Flashback Benefit April 13, 7 p.m., at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). Pirouline hosts the 1980s-themed fundraising party, which features music from U.S, food, drinks and more. Proceeds go to the OMS Life Foundation, which works to combat and raise awareness of Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome. $65; call 601.856.7454, ext. 113; pirouline.com.
Zoo Brew April 6, 5 p.m.-9 p.m., at Jackson Zoo (2918 W. Capitol St.). The annual craft beer festival and fundraiser includes live music, a wing-eating contest, food, vendors and more. Exhibits will stay open until dusk. $20 designated driver, $40 in advance, $45 day of event, $70 VIP; jacksonzoo.org.
Ridgeland Fine Arts Festival April 7, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., April 8, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., at Renaissance at Colony Park (1000 Highland Colony Pkwy., Ridgeland). The 10th annual festival features artists from across the country, live music, children’s art activities, a 5K run, the Sante South Wine Festival on Saturday, and more. Free admission; call 601.605.5252; ridgelandartsfest.com.
7
Jazzy Jeans Brunch April 7, 10:30 a.m.2 p.m., at Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.). The Coleman Alexander Prosser Foundation Inc. and the Beta Delta Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority host the fundraiser. Includes a silent auction, vendors, food, drinks, and more. $65 per person; email candiesimmons@ hotmail.com; find it on Facebook.
14 Touch A Truck Jackson April 14, at Trustmark Park (1 Braves Blvd., Pearl). The Junior League of Jackson event allows guests to explore and learn about trucks, emergency response vehicles, heavy machinery and other equipment. Admission TBA; email touchatruck@jljackson.org; touchatruckjackson.com.
14
Fondren Urban Ultra April 14, 7 a.m.-7 p.m., at Fondren Church (3327 Old Canton Road). The Mississippi Ultra and Trail Society hosts the USA Track & Field-certified event which features runners and relay teams of two to four people racing in a 5K loop. Participants must complete at least one lap in the 12-hour tine limit. $70 individual, $60 per person on relay team; ultrasignup.com.
17
Arts & Lecture Series: Annual Writers’ Program April 17, 7-8:30 p.m., at Millsaps College (1701 N. State St.). In Gertrude C. Ford Academic Complex. The speakers are Mary Miller, author of “The Last Days of California” and “Always Happy Hour,” and Kevin Lewis, author of “Perfect Little World” and “The Family Fang.” $10; call 601.974.1130; millsaps.edu.
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Chris Young April 18, 7:30 p.m., at Brandon Amphitheater (8190 Rock Way, Brandon). The Murfreesboro, Tenn.-native country artist’s latest single is titled “Losing Sleep.” Kane Brown, Morgan Evans and Dee Jay Silver also perform. Doors open at 6 p.m. $105-$199; brandonamphitheater.com.
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“Turandot” April 28, 7:30-10:30 p.m., at Thalia Mara Hall (255 E. Pascagoula St.). The Mississippi Opera performs Giacomo Puccini’s classic three-act opera, which tells the story of a cold and bloodthirsty Chinese princess. $30-$65; call 601.960.2300; msopera.org.
28
Worship Night in America April 28, 7 p.m.-11 p.m., at Mississippi Coliseum (1207 Mississippi St.). The contemporaryChristian concert features Chris Tomlin, Kim Walker-Smith of Jesus Culture, Matt Maher, Christine D’Clario, Tauren Wells and Pat Barrett. $12-$126; ticketmaster.com.
JACKSON AREA EVENTS UPDATED DAILY AT JFPEVENTS.COM.
POST YOUR OWN EVENTS OR SEND INFO TO EVENTS@BOOMJACKSON.COM
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COURTESY BIG K.R.I.T.; FILE PHOTO; COURTESY RIDGELAND FINE ARTS FEST; FLICKR / EELKE DEKKER; FLICKR/TOMAS DEL CORO; FLICKR; LUCKY TUCKER; FLICKR/KNIGHT FOUNDATION
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Crossroads Film Festival 2018 April 12-15, at Malco Grandview Cinema (221 Grandview Blvd., Madison). The festival features film blocks showcasing a variety of genres and forms, including short films, music videos, feature-length films and more. Admission TBA; call 601.345.5674; email info@crossroadsfilmfestival.com; crossroadsfilmfestival.com.
200 years. 100 artists. 1 Mississippi.
ON VIEW NOW THROUGH JULY 8, 2018
A W A R D
W I N N I N G
April 12 - 15, 2018 Films & music videos, after-parties and an Awards Brunch Locations in Greater Jackson, including Malco Grandview in Madison and Iron Horse Grill in downtown Jackson.
crossroadsfilmfestival.com Work. Live. Play. Prosper.
Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
55
Events // entertain
MAY
3
Brantley Gilbert May 3, 7 p.m., at Brandon Amphitheater (8190 Rock Way, Brandon). The country artist is best known for songs such as “Bottoms Up” and “One Hell of an Amen.” Aaron Lewis and Josh Phillips also perform. $19.75-$49.75; brandonamphitheater.com.
5
Cinco de Mayo Festival May 5, 5-11 p.m., at 201Capitol (201 W. Capitol St.). The second annual outdoor festival features food and drink vendors, dancing, live entertainment and more. Free admission; call 601.278.3944; email 201capitol@gmail.com; find it on Facebook.
Flowood Family Festival May 12, 4-10 p.m., at Liberty Park (694 Liberty Road, Flowood). The festival features train rides, slides, a petting zoo, kid’s karaoke, food and drink vendors, space jumps, a firework finale, and music from Grammy Awardwinning band For King & Country and Zach Williams. Free admission; cityofflowood.com.
12 The British Invasion II: Sgt. Pepper’s and Beyond May 12, 7:30-10:30 p.m., at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). The Mississippi Opera concert features music from The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Queen and Pink Floyd. $30; call 601.960.2300; msopera.org.
24 “This Property Is Condemned” Screening May 24, 6:30-9:30 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). The 1966 drama stars Natalie Wood and Robert Redford, and features a script from Francis Ford Coppola. Includes a panel discussion of the film’s cinematic, cultural and historic context. This event is part of the “Moving Images in Mississippi” film series. Free admission; call 601.960.1515; msmuseumart.org.
29
Dave Matthews Band May 29, 8 p.m., at Brandon Amphitheater (8190 Rock Way, Brandon). The Virginia-native rock jam band is known for songs such as “Crash Into Me,” “The Space Between” and “What Would You Say.” Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission TBA; brandonamphitheater.com.
Pepsi Pops: Picnic at the Park May 11, 7:30 p.m., at Old Trace Park (Ridgeland). The annual Mississippi Symphony Orchestra outdoor concert features food and drink vendors, a fireworks finale and more. Blankets and lawn chairs welcome. Admission TBA; call 601.960.1565; msorchestra.com.
12
Red Beans & Rice Festival May 12, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., at Renaissance at Colony Park (1000 Highland Colony Pkwy., Ridgeland). Local restaurants, churches, professionals in the food industry and individuals compete for votes as the best red beans and rice recipe. Proceeds benefit Stewpot Community Services. Admission TBA; call 601.353.2759; redbeansandrice.org.
Dinner & A Movie: A Food Truck Festival, Vol. 5 May 17, 5-10 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). The fifth annual garden party features mobile food and drink vendors, a movie screening at dusk, music, a cash bar and more. Free; call 601.960.1515; msmuseumart.org.
“A Shout in the Ruins” Book Signing May 22, 5 p.m., at Lemuria Books (Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 N., Suite 202). Kevin Powers signs copies of his latest book. Reading at 5:30 p.m. $30 book; call 601.366.7619; email info@ lemuriabooks.com; lemuriabooks.com.
22
29
“Sister Act” May 29-June 2, 7:30 p.m., June 3, 2 p.m., June 5-9, 7:30 p.m., June 10, 2 p.m., at New Stage Theatre (1100 Carlisle St.). The musical comedy tells the story of a wannabe diva who gets placed in witness protection in a convent. Recommended for ages 11 and up. $35 for adults, $28 for seniors, students and military; call 601.948.3533; newstagetheatre.com.
Jackson area events updated daily at jfpevents.com.
Post your own events or send info to events@boomjackson.com
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Troy Fischer; flickr / steven Isaacson; flickr/DeLerkim; file photo; file photo; file photo; courtesy Red Light Management; courtesy Grand Rapids Civic Theatre
3
Celtic Woman May 3, 7:30 p.m., at Thalia Mara Hall (255 E. Pascagoula St.). The multi-platinum Irish music ensemble performs in support of its latest album, “Homecoming—Live from Ireland.” $35-$100; call 800-745-3000; ticketmaster.com.
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Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
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MY LOCAL LIST
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Hotspots
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// by Iyanna Colly
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When it comes to finding the best places to go while traveling, its often helpful to talk to a travel agent. Iyanna Colly, who owns Travel Addict Travel Agency, is 1 one of those people, but she can also tell you what great spots to hit in Jackson. Here are her top 10 favorites.
MikeTown Comedy Club (4107 Northview Dr., 601.983.6046)—Lots of laughs in a safe welcoming adult environment is just what I need to de-stress and relax from a stressful week. It’s what I do when I need a break from “adulting.” Johnny T’s Bistro & Blues (538 N. Farish St., 601.954.1323)—This is my second favorite way to relax when I need a break from adulting. The food coupled with atmosphere is a perfect place for likeminded individuals to unwind. High Noon Café (2807 Old Canton Road, 601.366.1602, rainbowcoop.org)— I never knew plant-based meat could taste absolutely amazing prior to dining here. My faves are the vegan Philly cheesesteak and veggie pizza. 58
Rainbow Natural Grocery Cooperative (2807 Old Canton Road, 601.366.1602, rainbowcoop.org)—I am a firm believer in using food as mechanism for healing. Rainbow has one of the greatest selection of whole foods and herbs that feed your body on the cellular level. Cool Al’s Burger Joint (4654 McWillie Dr., 601.713.3020)—The restaurant’s vegan Caribbean burger topped with a fried plantain is one of the best burgers I’ve ever tasted. Magnolia Speech School (733 N. Flag Chapel Road, 601.922.5530, magnoliaspeechschool.org)—This was the reason why I moved from Louisiana in 2009. The instructional methods and caring teachers brought my son from non-verbal to verbal in two years.
Spring 2018 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine
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StudioAMN Art & Designs (5846 Ridgewood Road, Suite C212, 769.218.8165, studioamndesigns.com)—I love this studio because the owners customize your canvas to fit your theme. They even add cool jazz music to set the atmosphere. JXN Escape Room (916 Foley St., 601.376.9705, jxnescaperoom.com)—Who doesn’t love a good mystery? Mississippi Civil Rights Museum (222 North St., Suite 2205, 601.576.6800, mscivilrightsmuseum.com)—I’m still in awe over the beautiful depiction of history expressed in a way that honors the plight of African Americans. This is my favorite museum so far. Want to tell us your favorite places? Email amber@ jacksonfreepress.com. boomjackson.com
COURTESY IYANNA COLLY; COURTESY MIKETOWN COMEDY; FILE PHOTO; COURTESY HIGH NOON CAFE; COURTESY RAINBOW COOP; FILE PHOTO; COURTESY MAGNOLIA SPEECH CLUB; DEVNA BOSE; COURTESY 601 ESCAPE ROOM; FILE PHOTO
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Every.
The dance world
Four.
comes to Jackson.
Top dancers from around the globe take the stage of Thalia Mara Hall for two weeks of thrilling competition. They’ve trained a lifetime for this moment. Don’t miss it. Get details and tickets at usaibc.com/attend
Years.
June 10-23, 2018 Andile Ndlovu, 2014 Finalist Photo by Richard Finkelstein
Gertrude C. Ford Foundation
The official international ballet competition for the United Sates by Joint Resolution of Congress. Held under the auspices of the International Theatre InstituteInternational Dance Committee, UNESCO. Member of the International Dance Council and International Federation of Ballet Competitions. Funded in part by grants from the Mississippi Development Authority, Visit Jackson, the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, and Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency.
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