[Publisher’s Note] Ode to Fondren

by Todd Stauffer
March 23, 2011

I moved to Jackson because of Fondren. (I can hear a few of you cursing Fondren now.) More specifically, it was because of Rainbow Whole Foods, which a friend of ours had turned us on to during a dinner in Manhattan. Earlier in the spring of 2001, Donna and I had been in Memphis for her niece's wedding; we'd driven a rental down into Neshoba County, where Donna was doing research and re-con for her master's project on her hometown's civil-rights history. On the way back, we'd scoped out some rental property in Oxford, a nice old Victorian on the main drag that we imagined could conceivably be temporary digs while Donna worked on a book.

"Get off the Interstate at Lakeland, head west, and the road'll just dead-end right there where the little natural grocery is ..." Words to that effect were the instructions we followed later that spring, as we got more and more serious about leaving New York City once our legal sublet on West 85th Street ran out. So we took that Lakeland exit, checked out Rainbow and realized its kinship with some of our favorite natural groceries over the years. It was a good home base for us as organics-obsessed vegetarians.

Not too long later, as we committed to a longer stint in Jackson, we got to exploring. One particular excursion landed us at aging, hulking and pink-ish Wildlife and Fisheries Building that sat unused--and a bit unwelcome--on State Street. It would, in relatively short order, become the Fondren Corner building, marking an important milestone in recent Fondren history. Fondren had a clear landmark to tout its progress.

(Funny story... I was just Googling to find the date of the Fondren Corner opening, when I came across a shot of the retro-styled "Fondren Corner" sign on Flickr with the cutline, "Most likely dates from the mid-50s.")

Since then, of course, Fondren has grown up quite nicely. Mike Peters teamed again with the Mattiace Company on renovations to turn an aging school on Duling Street into Fondren Place, complete with a new office building and a fabulous upscale remodeling of the period school building itself. (Bonus: JPS got paid, and a government building was put on the tax rolls.)

State Street has been graced with a beautiful architectural treatment to the Duvall Decker offices across from Fondren Corner, remodels of Butterfly Yoga and Mimi's Cafe and, of course, a facelift that portions of State Street received recently at the hands of the movie crew filming "The Help," leaving behind some paint and retro signage.

Then there are the restaurants: Que Sera Sera's beautiful patio renovation; Rooster's re-location and the wonder-lunch that is Basil's; Lenny's phoenix-like appearance from the bowels of an old beer joint; and one veggie-friendly Mediterranean restaurant after another. Jeff Good and Dan Blumenthal made a bold move when they renovated a burned-out hulk on Taylor Street and turned it into a mecca for 7-year-olds all over Central Mississippi--[http://www.salandmookies.com]Sal & Mookie's[/url].

(Even more brilliant was their nod to us watering-hole obsessed non-7-year-olds, with the advent of Pi(e) Lounge.)

Walker's Drive-In fit the neighborhood perfectly before there was a neighborhood, and their second building (I call it the "dinner" building) has provided some of the best multi-bottle conversation-a-thons I've ever had. Swank sashayed into Fondren when Nick's moved into its sparkly digs in the 3000 building--taking a risk by moving from its long-time location into the heart of the "Arts District." More recently, Mimi's and Brent's added short-order favorites and a "be seen" vibe to the local diner's life. There's even impeding sushi.

And don't get me started on Babalu. (Unless you're buying. Tonight.)

Retail? How about McDade's saving the local grocery store, circa. re-defining the gift-giving experience, and all the wonderful art, fashion and style that make up the ground floors of Duling, Fondren Corner, Mitchell Avenue and the anchors of Rainbow Plaza. Plus great coffee, the Wide World of Chane and all of those day-in-day-out services that one expects from a small "downtown"--from shoe repair and alterations to wash-and-fold and spa pedicures. And don't forget the ongoing renaissance in NoFo, where the Chinese restaurants battle for supremacy, a furniture warehouse appeared amid a nearly instantaneous renovation ... and retail is making a distinct comeback.

Looking out my window, I see three colorful "towers" dotting the landscape; through the passageway created by Morgan Place I see the Duling School (Ba-ba-lu!... sorry) and the doors to Duling Hall--which elicit fond memories of our most overcrowded Best Of Jackson party ever and our first BOOM Fashion Show last fall. I see Everyday Gardener and the Fondren Village sign ("Alex ... I'll take 'Other Signs Not Dating From the Mid-50s' for $600") plus the playground behind Bellwether Church (formerly Chane's skatepark) and Montgomery Hardware proudly flying Old Glory.

When I had occasion to walk around Fondren Unwrapped this past fall with the founder of the American Independent Business Alliance, he was, rightly so, aghast. Even when I told him that Fondren wasn't like that every night, seeing this neighborhood through the eyes of an impressed outsider was telling.

This weekend, another moment in Fondren's illustrious renaissance takes place. Here come the queens and wannabes to the first-ever Zippity Doo Dah parade. What they will see in Fondren is what we see every day out our windows--a homegrown small-business success story in the heart of Jackson. And if Fondren can be a source of pride for all of Jackson, it can also serve as a happy example of what is possible when people put their minds to it.

What they won't see is the hard work, late nights, dedication and persistence of these shop owners, restaurateurs, owners, managers and entrepreneurs who have cleaned out, fixed up, met, discussed, planned and executed a strategy to add yet another feather to Fondren's cap. These local business warriors make Jackson's arts district not just a nice place to visit, but one of the many and increasing reasons that people move to this fine city.

We salute all of y'all this weekend--Fondrenites and those who love them--and remind you to enjoy yourselves, make some money, and ... Be Particular.

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