Siblings prepare Asian restaurant for spring opening in Germantown

Siblings with decades of experience in the local restaurant industry are preparing to open their first eatery together at a shopping center in Germantown.

Cathy Hsu, Jeffrey Hsu, and Linda Wang expect to open the Asian-cuisine restaurant East Meet West at the end of April. The spot will be located at 7867 Farmington Road in the Farmington Centre shopping center, between Van's Alterations and Jazzercise Fitness Center.

“We thought it was the right time to open a restaurant together,” said Cathy Hsu, who will serve as the restaurant's manager.

Renovations are underway for the 1,800-square-foot space, which will seat 50 people in the dining area.

Read more in the Memphis Business Journal

Yoga instructor starts anew with Chickasaw Gardens studio

In the haste to open her very own studio during the busy holiday season, yoga instructor Yolandrea Clark had to handle a lot of details.

She found her building in the Chickasaw Gardens neighborhood at the end of November, signed her lease on Dec. 10, and was up and running on New Year's Day. Between setting up an online registration system, handling code enforcement, securing equipment, and even attending jury duty, she toiled over one of the last features of her studio to fall into place.

Clark really wanted a specific kind of flooring.

“I wanted rubber floors, because I have people with joint replacements. It’s much easier on them,” she said.

Read more in The Daily Memphian

Collierville chiropractor opening East Memphis office

A Collierville chiropractor is opening a second office location in East Memphis.

The Chiro Place, a family-based chiropractic practice that serves all ages, is opening its second office at 3179 Poplar Ave., across from East High School.

Owned and operated by Dr. Dena Granger, The Chiro Place is leasing a 1,500-square-foot space in Loeb Properties’ Shops of Chickasaw Gardens.

"Currently, with us being in Collierville we have a lot of patients who commute from the Memphis area," Granger said. "We were looking for a good, neutral spot to serve more of the Memphis community." 

Read more in The Daily Memphian

Korean restaurant opening near U of M

A local, family-owned restaurant is set to open its third location near the University of Memphis.

Du and Won Lee opened their first Korean restaurant in 2002, at South Mendenhall Road's intersection with Winchester Road, offering very traditional food and serving a primarily Korean clientele.

The Lees sons, Jun and Hwan, then took the reins in 2010. They renamed it DWJ and moved east, to 3750 Hacks Cross Road. Making the restaurant more accessible to a wider audience, the brothers found enough success at the new location to open a second location in Cooper Young two years ago. There, they've seen business boom.

Read more in the Memphis Business Journal

Renovated Donut Shop Rounds Into Shape

An incoming donut shop seems poised to add to the city’s whimsical, kitsch architecture and signage, in the tradition of the rotating Sputnik at Joe’s Wines & Liquor, the flashing neon at Gibson's Donuts and the long-gone Pop Tunes dancing neon musical notes.

The future shop at 1776 Union Ave. features a corner patio so round that it mimics the donuts to be made and sold inside.

In case there’s any doubt about the circular symbolism, a giant donut-shaped sign will be installed atop the patio, according to an architectural rendering provided by landlord Loeb Properties.

Read more in the Daily Memphian

New York Transplant Opens Local Pizzeria

One day in the early 1990s, the owner of a small, Long Island pizzeria was left shorthanded by a quarrel between his two sons. He turned to the dishwasher, Jose Granados, and told him he was going to learn how to make pizza that day.

Ever since, Granados has been making pizza off-and-on and saving up money to open his own place.

On Monday, the 43-year-old is set to achieve his long-held goal, with the opening of New York Style Pizzeria in Collierville.

Read More in the Memphis Business Journal

New Gym Opening In East Memphis

SHED Fitness has signed a lease to occupy 4,055 square feet at 1215 Ridgeway Road.

Marcus Esposito and Maureen Shorter Esposito, the local franchise owners, are currently building out their Park Place location, which is expected to open in August.

In the deal, landlord Loeb Properties Inc. was represented by vice president of brokerage Aaron Petree.

At SHED Fitness, participants are led through 3 to 5 stations of moderate to high intensity exercises for a total class time of 50 minutes. Private classes are also available.

Read more in the Memphis Daily News

Overton Square Restaurant Planning Expansion

Lafayette's Music Room is planning to expand in Overton Square.

The construction will expand the business to 1,300 square feet.

They plan to open the expansion mid-February. Loeb Properties, Inc. said Lafayette's Music room will remain open while the expansion is underway.

The venue recently upgraded their current location with the addition of indoor/outdoor bar serving two stories of patio space.

Watch more on Fox 13 Memphis

Lafayette's expanding in Overton Square

Lafayette's Music Room is expanding to create 60 to 80 more seats, a new space for the stage and a green room for performers, landlord Loeb Properties announced Wednesday.

Construction has begun to enlarge the music and bar venue into the 1,300 square feet next door at 2121 Madison that had been occupied by The Attic. The clothing store closed Dec. 31, but the owner still operates another Overton Square business, The Ivory Closet.

Read more in the Commercial Appeal

Pottery Studio/Coffee House to Open on Highland Strip

Belltower Artisans, a pottery studio and coffee shop founded in 2016 by college students Micah Dempsey and Christopher Galbreath, has inked a deal to move into a 2,788-square-foot space in the Highland Strip.

Aaron Petree represented landlord Loeb Properties Inc. in the deal.

Belltower Artisans offers a full range of pottery classes, from “Date Night” classes to multi-week beginner, intermediate and advanced level courses.

Dempsey and Galbreath first met in art class while attending Harding Academy, where they were studying pottery making. Eventually the pair opened their first location in Minglewood Hall, before deciding to relocate to the Highland Strip to be nearer to the University of Memphis.

Read more in the Memphis Daily News