The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below.
Shanille Bowens-Harris
The road to finding a home for the Naturally Nurtured Collective wasn’t a smooth one. One of the biggest struggles was access to grants and funding to bring the vision I had to life. Being self funded with limited access to community and corporate sponsors has limited our reach at times, but we have remained steadfast with our focus remaining on closing gaps and positive health outcomes for birthing people and healthy, thriving babies. Read more>>
Ashley Isbell
I honestly think it’s photography related– looking back at the moments I don’t exactly remember (either because I was too young to remember, or it just faded) while I was preparing for my sister’s funeral. The photographs of my sisters and I, high school, etc. I still do to this today. My daughters make scrapbooks with photos of the things they’ve done (along with tickets, programs, etc.), so that one day they can look back fondly on their childhood as well! Read more>>
Melvin Davis
I started cooking around the age of 10. I helped my mom prepare thanksgiving dinner one year, and I fell in love with the craft of cooking. After high school, I attended and graduated from L’Ecole Culinaire in Memphis, TN in 2014, where I learned how to prepare dishes, knife skills, and presentation etc. After working in various restaurants I quickly learned that I wanted to manage my own kitchen and that BBQ was my passion. I took pride in learning all that I could about BBQ and honed in on my skills, which created The CueGuard Smokehouse in 2019. I started by selling turkey legs from my home, and had so many supporters that it inspired me to build out a food truck. In 2022, we launched The CueGuard Smokehouse food truck. Read more>>
Charmaine Tyrelle
Most southern musicians grow up in church, so as I journeyed through my school years, I decided to get in band, which opened many other opportunities for me. I started out playing trumpet in the seventh grade and quickly moved to many other instruments, such as: clarinet, flute, french horn, oboe, xylophone, etc. Through this tenure, I won numerous awards and achieved great heights in band and choral music. Music most definitely became my passion, and I was excited to be in my tribe. Read more>>
Meri Williams
This small, nerdy business of mine began in the height of the COVID-19 Global Pandemic when I found myself temporarily out of work, in poor health, and needing a source of income, no matter how meager. I started searching online for a new skill that could prove profitable, something that I could do from home that wouldn’t trap me at a desk or in front of a computer for 10-12 hours on end. I eventually decided to give soap-making a try. It was more interactive and would be a better outlet for my creativity and love of anime. Read more>>
Eddy Efaw
I came to Memphis in 1995 to do graduate work at Harding School of Theology. I had been an Art teacher in my home state of West Virginia for two years after undergrad and decided to go another direction for graduate school. Memphis was my first choice over another school in Nashville. While in graduate school I was introduced to Harding Academy and took a job teaching there in the 1997-98 school year. This year marks my 27th year teaching at Harding. Read more>>
Tami Montgomery
In 2008, I opened DRUS after receiving two unexpected phone calls from different people, both telling me that The Jungle was for sale. After the second call, I reached out to the owner, and within 30 minutes, I was meeting her at the bar. Two days later, I told her I wanted to buy it, and just two weeks after that, I was fully immersed in making it my own. It was a whirlwind—especially since I was never the person who dreamed of owning a bar. I hadn’t spent much time in the bar scene, and I had zero experience. Yet, here I am, nearly 17 years later, still dedicated to keeping DRUS alive and ensuring it remains a safe, welcoming space where people can come together, be themselves, and have a great time. Read more>>
Randii Reaves
The following year, I got my 200hr YTT certification. And I, also, got certified in aerial yoga. Few months later, I quit my job at the post office and started my yoga journey. Since then, I’ve had a successful studio. I have 3 city contracts teaching weekly classes, going on our third year. All classes are free, btw. I’ve taught at several schools, and businesses. And I also teach a handful of private aerial yoga and meditation sessions. Discipline and dedication have been two major factors in my journey. When you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work. And I absolutely enjoy everything that I do. Read more>>
Degenerate Breakfast
This new semester marked the start of a new life for many people, including myself. While I didn’t know exactly what kind of a career I wanted to pursue, I knew I had a passion for music and the music industry. I realized early on in my life that your level of success doesn’t usually come from how talented or hardworking you are, it comes from the people that you surround yourself with. My goal when coming to Memphis was not to sit in a dorm room all day stressing about a grade point average, the goal was to find a community of amazing musicians and people who were ready to create art and support each other. Now, in my fourth semester at the school, I am proud to say I have done that and more. In August 2023 all of this was a new opportunity, now it’s what I wake up to everyday. Read more>>
Savanah King
Today, my photography business is growing and evolving as I continue my journey of empowering women and families. Every session is an opportunity to create a space where authenticity and love shine, allowing my clients to see themselves in a beautiful and powerful way. I am learning, refining, and expanding everyday-always striving to serve others with an experience that feels both royal and deeply personal. Read more>>
Amy Keys
I believe that my clients knowing they can buy a great handmade painting and they don’t have to spend a ton of money is very gratifying. You should not have to spend a fortune to enjoy custom art that you love. Also life is too short to have generic stuff you don’t like on your walls and on your counters, so good art at a great price makes me happy. Read more>>
Princess Brown
Ashley’s Aesthetics Club was born out of a desire to create a welcoming and comfortable space for clients to receive high-quality beauty services. But my journey wasn’t without challenges. My mother played a huge role in encouraging me to start my business, and when she passed away a year ago, it was a turning point in my life. Her support and belief in me gave me the strength to push forward and build something meaningful. Read more>>
Tameshia King
I was born and raised in Memphis, where my journey as an entrepreneur first began. I’ve always had a passion for natural hair care, which led me to create King’s Bundle—a brand dedicated to providing high-quality Chebe-infused hair care products. When I first started, I was focused on building a strong foundation locally, but I quickly realized that in order to scale my business and bring my vision to life, I needed to seek out greater opportunities. Read more>>
Mike Wade
Under the name Gritsmitten, Michael boasts an arsenal of creative content, mixing, mastering, and musical abilities that command respect. His navigation of social media, musical savvy, and entrepreneurial spirit have garnered a following of content that is both entertaining and vastly educational. Read more>>
Bailey Inman
In 2014, I published my first novel, LEX; I was only 18 years old. As one would probably guess, a novel about such a complex issue written by a very sheltered teenager was improperly researched and grotesquely ignorant. When the handful of people who read it very gently pointed that out, I was so embarrassed. I tried to bury it, tried to laugh it off. It became the story I told at parties, the fun fact about me on syllabus day, the self-deprecating joke I’d use to disarm new friends. What was once my biggest dream became an interesting side quest that didn’t quite pan out. I got my degree in film and pursued a different form of storytelling all together. Read more>>
Exotic Love
Our Clothing brand Exotic Love Has been growing over the years. We are young Black adults who face the everyday Memphis challenges, our mission is to rise above the environment and promote love and peace through our garmets. We are set aside from my brands because we offer Unique Product that is not commonly found in the market. We share a positive message in our clothing and we also put a lot of hard work into every clothing drop we put out. We are still working daily to be one of the best leaders from the city while promoting a positive cause please join us on our path too success. Dm us at @iwearexoticlove any support offerings we take cashapp $Richofftees anything is appreciated. Read more>>
Julia Whitworth
I became lost in the beauty of the canvas and the colors at my fingertips, and time seemed to slip away.That evening, as I stared at the abstract painting I had created, I realized that it was a mirror of my emotions. Since then, I have sold out several collections of abstract paintings and have incredible collectors from New York to California and, of course, right here in Memphis, TN. I recently moved back to Memphis after living in Chattanooga, TN the last 10 years and i could not be more excited to be back in the 901. Read more>>
