A BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee sign will be installed on top of the redeveloped Hickman Building, just north of AutoZone Park. 

This week, we salute the people behind three small-scale attempts at something new on the Memphis food-and-drink scene, three related attempts to fill a major need and another for a meaningful endeavor coming to a close.

A veteran hospitality worker recently opened a new coffee shop Downtown. 

Customers who want to go to Edge Alley just one more time only have a few days to do so. 

The Mississippi River is a big deal. One of the world’s great rivers, it hosts an abundance of wildlife habitat and provides drinking water for almost 20 million people. But it seems to carry less reverence than other iconic water bodies across the country. 

Baker Aika Renzo opened Wagashi Japanese Bakery in November to fill a culinary void in Memphis.

St. Jude Memphis Marathon participants come from all 50 states and Puerto Rico as well as 75 countries.

Related stories:

Here are the road closures for the St. Jude Memphis Marathon

Guest Column: St. Jude Marathon celebrates ‘best Memphis has to offer’

The $261 million project is expected to be completed by early 2027.

The race on Saturday, Dec. 2, will close roads across Downtown and Midtown, with some closures beginning Friday, Dec. 1.

AutoZone Park’s Deck the Diamond Holiday Spectacular features archways, reindeers, presents and trains lighting up the ballpark, glowing gold, white and purple.

The new restaurant opened on Front Street last month in the brick-and-steel maze that once held the William C. Ellis & Sons Ironworks & Machine Shop.

The bar at 605 N. Second St. will also serve smoothie bowls, freshly pressed juices, salads and wraps, as well as offering a grab-and-go section. 

The producers planning a May music festival in Tom Lee Park announced they are planning a barbecue contest there the same month — and at the same time as Memphis in May’s barbecue contest at Liberty Park.

The flyer features deals and discounts from 14 local businesses, including ARCHd, Boshi Botanicals, Everbloom Design, Shop Mucho and Mbabazi House of Style. 

The Downtown Memphis Commission and the Downtown Mobility Authority plan to host a kick off event at the end of the month to start exterior work. 

The slaying on Tennessee Street is the latest in city’s march toward another possible record year of homicides.

The restaurant would be on a 1.37-acre lot in Uptown near St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. There are plans for a dual-lane drive-thru, outdoor seating and parking.

Riverside Drive will reopen to traffic on Monday, Nov. 13, with some restrictions.

The goals of the new roundabout design are to reduce crashes, relieve congestion and provide route continuity for I-55.

Beginning in February or March of 2024, work at Beale Street Landing will also render the dock there unusable for most of next year. 

More than 50 Downtown restaurants are set to take part in this year’s Downtown Dining Week.

Wayne’s Candy Co. was founded back in 1947 and sells a variety of candies. “Where else can you pick up cases of jumbo Kit Kats and Hershey bars along with a fishbowl of Lemonheads and foot-long Pixy Stix?” 

“I was baptized for the most part figuratively in Memphis,” Terrence Howard said. “And I don’t mind dipping in the water again just to remember what was important.”

The building’s owner plans to change its rooftop sign, which reads “LYFE Kitchen,” with one that would read “The Chisca.”

“With this project, it was kinda different because a lot of times clients are trying to steer things toward more of a clean-cut look,” said artist Brandon Marshall.