LUX Flourishes

- by Jon Devin, Friday, June 29th, 2007

“It’s all about the booty,” says Tadd Feazell, owner of Memphis’ urban fashion hot spot, LUX. “If you can make that look good, you can make everything else look good too,” he continues.

LUX and Feazell made a splash in the Memphis fashion scene in September 2004. Two and a half years later, Feazell has found that alongside designer tops and accessories, high-end name-brand jeans that show off the posterior play a pivotal role in a person’s overall image.

Brands like Diesel, Farmer, Earl, and his newest acquisition, True Religion, shape the derriere, he explained, with a tight fit and smoothness to a body’s natural curves. With prices ranging from $150 to $400 one might think that the jeans would create a tight fit on a wallet as well, but no matter, says Feazell. The jeans sell.

“You’re going to get noticed wearing these jeans,” he says. Feazell chose a converted 1920s cottage at 906 South Cooper St. in the heart of Memphis’ Cooper-Young Historic District to show off his flashy wares. It was a first for retail in an area known for trendy dining. However, since the opening of LUX, three other independent retail clothing stores have borrowed off his success and become his neighbors.

Originally occupying only the front room of the powder blue cottage, LUX has expanded twice to fill the entire building giving him 2,200 square feet of retail space. Ladies’ clothes are located in the front room while men’s metrosexual wear has been moved to the newer rooms in the back.

Feazell, a Memphis transplant from Corinth, Miss., relies on his own taste and fashion sense when choosing his stock, noting that trends usually start on television and in magazines. He and his staff work hard at portraying the image they sell as well. The biggest compliment, he says, is when someone comes into the store and says “I want to look just like you.”

A veteran of retail fashion, Feazell remembered starting in the business of retail clothing sales at the age of 15, knowing even then that someday he wanted to work for himself.

“I’ve just always known what I wanted to do and now I’m doing it,” he says. “I thought, I can do this,” he recalls, “And when I finally got the nerve, it was off.”

Along the way to attaining his dream, Feazell studied business at Ole Miss before moving to Memphis in 1998 as a manager for American Eagle. He worked there and in other clothing stores over the course of six years before taking the leap of faith which led to creating and owning LUX. Feazell also spent some time studying at the University of Memphis.

What was missing in Memphis fashions, he says, was an edge, especially in men’s sports and casual wear. He noted that high-end retail chains like Banana Republic and Abercrombie and Fitch also sell flatteringly tight, men’s clothes, but they stop short of the edge that Feazell describes as his specialty. So when he goes to wholesale markets, he looks for the clothes that most retailers are too nervous to buy.

Now he’s creating an edge for his own benefit.

LUX customers often come in looking for one specific item but end up being transformed in a LUX-style, custom-made makeover. “I love making people over,” Feazell says.

And he’s had plenty of customers to makeover. In the last year LUX has been featured in Cosmopolitan, Northwest Airlines Magazine, and the Business section of The Commerical Appeal. Customers, he noted, are generally young - in their late teens or twenties. But more and more 40- to 50-year-olds are checking into the hip-style scene as well creating quite a customer base for LUX’s clubwear. With business booming, Feazell is now busily awaiting the July 2007 debut of his online store at www.luxmemphis.com, and hopes to someday bring LUX to prospective locales in East Memphis, Nashville and Louisville, KY.

Feazell has high hopes for his online sales. After the Cosmopolitan article came out people all over the country began calling to order clothes - especially the jeans. He credits a lot of initial success to the great coverage.

So what else can you find at LUX? In addition to Feazell’s favorite jeans, he offers brightly colored casual tops for ladies in hues of aqua, lime, and orange - some with fringe, spaghetti straps, halter tops or off-the-shoulder skin appeal. Racks of bold earrings, leather braid wristlets and pendants adorn the counter. For men, name-brand tees and muscle shirts offer a relaxed look while athletic-cut striped or solid button-downs afford an edgy-yet-formal look when thrown over the prized jeans.

If anything let Feazell know that he was on the right track, it was the surprise he got last Christmas when cousins of Lisa Marie Presley stopped by LUX to purchase gifts for Lisa and her family. You know you dress like a rock star when the rock stars come to you for their clothes.

Feazell says he wouldn’t have made such an instant success without the help of his friends - too many to name, he says - who helped him get started with gifts of everything from his front door awning to his satellite radio subscription. The support of good friends coupled with childhood dreams spelled success for Feazell, and booties in Memphis will never be the same.

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Laying Down Roots: The Memphis Farmers Market

- by Jenifer Prather, Wednesday, June 13th, 2007

Seven years ago Sharon Leicham made an immense decision that would impact the rest of her life as well as the lives of the people of Memphis. This decision turned out to be an adventure, a move from Northern California to Memphis, Tennessee, to start a new life. The journey continues today, and Leicham’s impact on the Memphis community is just as fruitful as ever.

Leicham has a love and respect for the history of Memphis and the Mississippi River. “Growing up I heard songs about the river, saw movies and read books about it,” she says. “I thought it was magical. Now I’m actually living close to it and it is magical!”

When Leicham moved to Memphis she spent the first two years focusing on her work in California as a freelance writer and editor for a California-based publication and as co-chair for the Outdoor Industry Women’s Council. This left little time for exploring her new Memphis home. When she decided to finally separate her ties with California, she found work with the South Main Association, an organization which helped establish her commitment to the Downtown Memphis community. She served as secretary and two terms as president.

“My involvement in the South Main Association gave me important insights into community building,” she says. “My task was to build the efficacy of the South Main Arts community, promote its businesses and establish it as a sustainable neighborhood.”

During her terms as president, Leicham promoted what she knew best as a child -community, fresh produce and the love of the great outdoors. This focus became the visionary grounds which lay the foundation for the Memphis Farmers Market.

Leicham’s roots originate in the country’s most agriculturally productive state, California. Some of her most fond childhood memories are from growing up in the San Joaquin Valley where she learned the value of the earth and its ties to the community. One of her favorite memories is running outback to the tomato field to eat freshly picked tomatoes off the vine in the warm summer sun. A gift of California poppy seeds she received from a gas station might have solidified her love of the outdoors.

“I took that bag of seeds and planted them in the front yard,” she says. “I watched and watered them every day and finally they bloomed. That was such a delight. I’ve had gardens ever since.”

These memories are what prompted Leicham to join with others to promote the Memphis Farmers Market to the Center City Commission. Leicham now serves as vice-chair of the Memphis Farmers Market where she directs marketing and public relations. The MFM initiative was a year in the making, and as with any business, there were certain obstacles to overcome.

“Some of the vendors did not feel safe coming to the Downtown area; so I invited them to come and look at the market site,” Leicham says. “Once they saw how Downtown Memphis has changed and developed, they agreed to come.”

After a year of planning, the Memphis Farmers Market finally opened on Saturday, May 13, 2006 with 20 vendors. “Opening Day was the culmination of all our hard work,” she says. “As people streamed into the market, we knew it would be a success and an important addition to Downtown Memphis.”

Currently the MFM board is working on bringing in a wide array of vendors and entertainers. By bringing in more vendors, competition is accelerated, ensuring better price and variety of products for the customers. Specifically, the MFM is working on finding vendors specializing in eggs, chicken, seafood and dairy. The Health Department remains a consultant during this time to ensure that safety comes first when offering these types of goods. There are also plans to add an extra market day.

For Leicham and many others, the Memphis Farmers Market is more than an organization; it is a physical expression of community that succeeds due to its diversity. The market is a lifestyle shared by people from many varied backgrounds with a passion for purity and simplicity.

“When people visit the market, we want them to leave with a feeling of being connected, not only to the community, but also to a healthier lifestyle,” Leicham says.

Local restaurants are participating in this promotion of community and health. Restaurant Ciao Bella has begun to create and highlight dishes featuring Memphis Farmers Market produce. Robert Hayes Catering Services, Chef Ben Smith of Tsunami and Michael Patrick of EP Delta Kitchen all stop by the MFM for the best picks of local produce for their nightly menus.

“Overall, we see a microcosm supporting itself,” Leicham says. “How better to sustain your community than by the power of support - physically, emotionally, socially, mentally and financially.”

The next time you find yourself in the downtown area on a Saturday between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m., make time to visit the Memphis Farmers Market. If you see a white-headed woman, about 5 feet 2 inches tall, full of energy and a warm smile it is probably Leicham. Take a second to say hello and let her know what you think about the MFM. For more information and directions visit the website, www.memphisfarmersmarket.org.

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