Business
What it means to lose Tennessee’s first Ikea
As a brand, Ikea has a large regional draw with people still driving in from out of town to shop there. And then there’s the question of what the building might become.Related content:
Sophia Surrett
Reporter
Sophia Surrett is a University of Alabama graduate, where she received her B.A. in news media and M.A. in journalism and media studies. She has been with The Daily Memphian since July 2023, first starting as a business reporter covering various beats. Now, she covers food, restaurants, and hospitality and tourism.
There are 765 articles by Sophia Surrett :
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February 2026
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Business After decade-long run, IKEA Memphis will close
IKEA Memphis was the retailer’s first and only store in Tennessee.
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Real EstateFood Files: Playa Bowls opens in the Edge, The Melting Pot to return
Playa Bowls has opened its third location in Memphis, this time in the Edge District, and The Melting Pot is returning to the area and could be open as soon as 2027.
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Spirit of MemphisSeeds for lawyer’s success planted when she was a child
Instead of bedtime stories, Lauran Stimac would request her dad, Memphis-based lawyer Richard Glassman, to tell her about his cases.
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January 2026
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Food NewsFood Files: Wild Beet Salad Co., The Pop Spot opening
The Pop Spot Bar & Grill on Brookhaven Circle and Wild Beet Salad Co. in Cooper-Young are opening, and may be joined by a new restaurant on Mississippi Boulevard.
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Food NewsFood Files: Restaurants in Whitehaven, Downtown close for upgrades
It’s renovation time for a Whitehaven barbecue joint and a Downtown bakery. Also, a Highland Street restaurant is up for sale.
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BusinessMemphis Gift Basket to open first retail store with mini grocery
Online gift-basket retailer Memphis Gift Basket will open its first storefront and small fresh market this summer in Uptown.
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Real EstateIncentives aim to bring small businesses to Downtown Memphis
The policy changes, submitted by the DMC Policy Committee in December, align with the newly adopted Downtown Action Plan, which focuses resources on Main Street, invests in activation, infill and blight remediation and to maximize walkability.
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Ford MegasiteFord suppliers to pay $5M in property taxes to Stanton, Tenn., throughout 10 years
“Rebuilding Main Street and creating a vibrant downtown continues to be my main priority,” Stanton’s mayor said. “This funding gives Stanton the ability to move from planning to construction and to invest in the core of our town.”
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Real EstateFood Files: Cat cafe comes to Southaven, Gibson’s and Carrington Oaks Coffeehouse Collierville reopen
In this edition of Food Files: Fancy Cat Cafe in Southaven offers coffee and cats. Gibson’s Donuts made some upgrades, but “everything is back to normal.” And Carrington Oaks Coffeehouse in Collierville has reopened.
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Food NewsNot so fast, barbecue fans. Amid uncertainty over combined BBQ fest, community reacts
The announcement that the SmokeSlam BBQ Festival and MIM’s World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest would likely participate in a shared 2027 event was met with happiness, suspicion, disbelief and — from many MIM board members — confusion.
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BusinessAnother local AI data center planned, this one on Sycamore View
A Nashville-based investor has spent 18 months looking “relentlessly” for properties to house his modular AI data centers.
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Real Estate Seminar to showcase 2024’s commercial real estate outlook
Local commercial real estate experts will discuss how many businesses are building the spaces they will occupy themselves and how work from home is affecting office space in Memphis.
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Real Estate Seminar to discuss back to office trends and impact of possible tariffs
Three panelists and a keynote speaker will talk at the Daily Memphian Commercial Real Estate: Review and Forecast Seminar at the Memphis Botanic Garden on Thursday, Dec. 5.
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BusinessA Midtown ice cream shop serves more than just sweets
The first Mid-South Stella’s Ice Cream opened a few months ago in Midtown Memphis. Co-owner Rebecca Schneider said it felt like “angels were bringing this into fruition.”
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Food NewsFood Files: Chick-fil-A goes Uptown
Also, Max’s Sports Bar hosts a grand opening for its new upsized patio space, Urban Consequence Brewing Co. has closed and Cafe Piazza is open in Collierville.
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Food NewsFood Files: A slice of Good Fortune is in the cards
A new pizza place is planned for Downtown, a Germantown Mexican restaurant closes and Midtown gains a coffee shop.
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Food NewsFood Files: First Watch poised to open second Memphis location
First Watch submits a permit to look at a Wolfchase space. Raven & Lily in Collierville is now closed. Sanderlin’s Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken is now open.
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Food NewsFood Files: How the sausage is made at new East Memphis Italian deli
Also, the local board game parlor Board to Beers is officially open at its new location at 3482 Plaza Ave.
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Food NewsFood Files: Tonica Downtown, Little Petals East, Poppz opening
Tonica Downtown and Little Petals East Memphis are open to customers. Poppz Drinks & Sweets on Poplar will open in early November.
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Food NewsFood Files: A new spot coming to Brookhaven Circle’s former Bangkok Alley space
Also, Abner’s on South White Station Road and Poplar Avenue has closed, and Non-Vintage Wine Bar will soon join it.
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Food NewsFood Files: Catherine & Mary’s getting new look
After almost a decade, Catherine & Mary’s needed a little love, one of the restaurant’s chefs said. Also, a 7 Brew is going in a former animal hospital on Summer Avenue.
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Food NewsFood Files: Barefruit Cafe plans grand opening, more
Barefruit Cafe, Cook Out, Insomnia Cookies and Dave’s Hot Chicken are all making news.
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Real EstateFood Files: Raising Cane’s Memphis, New Middle Eastern restaurant opens soon
Jerusalem Kabob and Cafe will open in the former Cache 42 in the Hacks Cross Plaza. The second Memphis-area Raising Cane’s is to open soon. Latting Speed Shop and Team Car Cafe will close on Christmas Eve.
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Food NewsFood Files: 3 new coffee shops are now brewing
While three coffee shops are opening new locations, including the national chain Dutch Bros, one is taking a break.
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