Originally the main street of the Binghampton township, Broad Avenue served as the major commercial thoroughfare for the Binghampton neighborhood until the early-2000s extension of Sam Cooper Boulevard rerouted the street’s heavy traffic and shuttered most of its once-successful businesses. Beginning in the late 2000s, a concerted effort was made to reimagine the area as a thriving arts and entertainment district. Today’s Broad Avenue, which is classified as Memphis’ first mixed-use district, is a hotspot of artisan shops, nightlife and some of the city’s best eats and drinks with a focus on the local.
“We want the public to be part of this artistic endeavor, to meet the artists and take part in enhancing the neighborhood, during a day of work (for us), art appreciation, learning, and entertainment,” says Karen B. Golightly, Executive Director and Founder of Paint Memphis.
Like Memphis as a whole, Broad Avenue has changed exponentially over the last decade.
The Memphis Medical District Collaborative’s workforce development program connects residents to training, education and employment opportunities in and around the Medical District.
This two part series explores how race built Memphis. From a newly discovered 1930s redlining map to recent lawsuits, discriminatory housing policies have kept Black families from home ownership and Black neighborhoods from thriving.
Once one of the city's most distressed neighborhoods, the west side of Binghampton is now one of its hottest properties. Can the east side follow suit? And should it?
Lisa and Luis Toro opened their first business on Broad Avenue four years ago. Next spring they'll open their third business a bit off of Broad Avenue, and they've learned a lot about entrepreneurship along the way.
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