The coffee shop crowd had thinned considerably, after the morning customers moved on to start their workdays. Just inside the door sat shelves of fresh Meraki coffee, all roasted on-site. Signs trumpeted the creatively named original coffees and teas such as London Fog, Peppermint Bark Mocha and Delta Christmas Tea.
At a table in the middle of the room sat three people, reading and dreaming of plans to transform the future. Instead of the newest novel, Ben Lewis read the coffee shop’s budget numbers with his wife Staci (his partner in the Griot Arts and its Meraki Coffee shop) along with the manager of Meraki.
The three at the table, along with others, are planning a seismic event in the creative history of Clarksdale. For the town where the blues were invented and rock-n-roll was conceived, that’s no small task.
For the Griot team, planning the future has become even broader than running the coffee shop and guiding youth toward a brighter future. The new year has brought plans for an explosive expansion of Griot Arts’ facilities, programs and impact on the Mississippi Delta town of Clarksdale.
Griot Arts is a nonprofit organization, based in Clarksdale, that provides young people with life-changing experience in arts, education, and workforce development. Griot also owns and operates the Meraki Coffee Shop for the purpose of equipping young people for the world of business by providing experience, job skill training, and building both social skills and personal confidence.
As if those missions weren’t enough for a small-town nonprofit, the scope of their work may multiply exponentially by the end of this year.
It all began with a donation
Two of Clarksdale’s largest and most historic downtown buildings were donated to Griot Arts in late 2020. The Paramount Theater building is a visible symbol of what Clarksdale once was. Known even to newer residents because of its marquis in disrepair, it is a 16,000 square-foot diamond in the rough carrying the potential to become a theater and a multi-purpose facility.
The other building is a little less noticeable, though no less historic or filled with potential. “I call it the JC Penny building,” Lewis said with a laugh. “It was the JC Penny building in the 1920s or 30s, but the later location of JC Penny is what many people remember. But our building was the original JC Penny.”
The donation of these two buildings set off a chain-reaction that will change the look, image, brand, and impact of a city block in downtown Clarksdale.
But the path was not simple.
“Many were skeptical at first,” Lewis recalled. “We would need professionals to examine the buildings to see if they could be safely renovated. Then we had to decide what we wanted the buildings to become. After that, we had to learn the cost of doing it.”
The Griot team asked their board of directors to give them a year to discern the scope of the project, its cost and likelihood of success. The board agreed and the journey began.
Griot had limited resources and a mile-high of expensive tasks ahead just to discover whether they could do anything with the buildings. Despite the seemingly staggering challenges, Griot had a priceless asset that would serve them well. They had the trust of Clarksdale’s people who had seen them in action for years, changing lives and selflessly serving their adopted hometown.
That was why the donations happened. The costs of paying back taxes on the buildings were donated. So were the costs of insurance on the building for the next year. Stewart called an architect in Arkansas whom he had previously met. The architect was so impressed with Griot Arts, Clarksdale and the project that he began working for free.
Lewis and the Griot team connected with a lady out of Memphis who specialized in achieving tax credits for projects similarly situated to the Griot buildings.
They had hoped for abundant tax credits and grant funding, but the news became even better than they had hoped for. Traditionally used tax credits could cover as much as 30 to 40 percent of the construction costs. However, with the addition of New Market tax credits, as much as 80 percent of the construction costs could be covered. Before any of the tax credits are applied, the original costs of the construction work on the two buildings would be approximately $11 million. The additional soft costs of equipment, furniture and fixtures would be between two and three million dollars. “Eighty percent of that becomes pretty reasonable,” Lewis commented proudly.
From now until the summer, the project lies in the pre-design programming stage. Sometime in the summer, it will transition into the schematics and design stage. Finally, it will enter the development and design stage.
A facelift for downtown
“I hear the sadness,” Lewis said as he described an experience that has repeated itself many times. IT involved local buildings that are unused or underused. “When I talk about a building or walk by a building with people from Clarksdale, it’s easy to see the potential in a building that is vacant or not kept up well. So while I’m thinking about opportunities, the person from Clarksdale usually tells me what used to be in that building. I can hear the sadness as they explain how once-attractive buildings held businesses that are long-gone.”
The Griot team and board believe that transforming two historic downtown buildings can become the beginning of a trend. “There are so many negative narratives in Clarksdale,” Lewis said. “It’s really discouraging. But we can do something about it by beginning the change that downtown Clarksdale needs.
“Part of that negative narrative is people saying there’s nothing to do in Clarksdale,” he added. Our theater will have live performances, and we’re also working to have movies shown. Together, those will give the people of Clarksdale attractions in the downtown area. And when people respond to attractions, more attractions follow.
The narrative change, the Griot team believes, includes addressing the history of the buildings. “The theater still has a sign for a ‘Colored’ entrance. We can teach about the history and still embrace the great positive history of Clarksdale as well.
“And when people visit Clarksdale for performances and concerts, they will enjoy meals in town and they will often stay overnight. The economic impact should not be overlooked, and it will probably continue growing.”
Greater opportunities for students
Perhaps the most important part of the expansion will be the new and more diverse opportunities for students to experience the creative arts. One of the first changes will begin soon, with the hiring of the first professional instructors.
“We have relied on volunteer instructors, and they have been great,” explained Ben Lewis. “But when Covid hit, and also when volunteers have encountered new responsibilities in life, they quit volunteering. We lost all of our violin instructors when Covid arrived. We need instructors who will stay and develop relationships with the students.”
Along with new and more program opportunities, the theater will provide another important experience for the students, especially those in the performing arts. “The experience of standing on a stage and performing before an audience is powerful,” Lewis said. “That will help build their confidence and their self-esteem. It will help build work ethics for those learning to prepare for a performance.”
With the paid instructors and the ownership of a theater, the scope of the creative programs will change the paradigm of the organization is structured.
“We will transform this from arts programming into an arts institute,” Lewis explained.
Something great is in the oven…
Along with Meraki, the culinary arts will become a greater part of the experiences offered to students through the new, expansive Griot facility. Students will have the opportunities to learn from talented chefs and kitchen managers.
But that’s not all. The benefits of the expanded facility will extend to local small businesses as well. “We want our industrial kitchen to serve as an incubator for local small businesses,” Lewis said. “There are good new business owners who don’t have the capital to develop an industrial kitchen. We can help them in different ways.”
Creativity at any age
The community impact will expand even beyond economic benefits. Griot Arts plans to introduce adult programs in the creative arts over the next few years. The fun, self-improvement and confidence arising from creative arts will become available to people of all ages. The adult programs will be going at full speed within three to five years.
The community theater will become a venue of performances and movies that appeal to adults and seniors as well as young students.
“This town means so much to us, and we want people from all walks of life to have access to the creative arts,” Lewis added.
The Clarksdale Vortex
“I call it the Clarksdale Vortex,” Lewis said with a laugh. He was trying to explain why he and his wife moved down from Washington State for a seemingly one-year project but decided to stay, adopt it as their hometown and raise their family here. “We told our family we would be back in a year,” he added. “Then the year passed, and we talked about it and we wanted to stay. We’ve lived here seven years now. Our children are in local schools and happy. This is our hometown, and it’s our kids’ hometown.”
Ben and Staci have three children: Josiah (9) Nolan (7) and Micah (2).
“I’ve met so many people who just visit, but love Clarksdale and decide to move here,” he added. “And many others who might not move here but keep visiting each year. Like us, they appreciate what Clarksdale has to offer.”
Lewis shared the thoughts of many, who see a disconnect between visitors and transplants enamored with the town as opposed to the thoughts of many natives. “So many people don’t understand how unique and special Clarksdale is, and how special the Mississippi Delta is,” he said.
Empowering dreamers
Griot Arts was named after the legendary Griot, tribal storytellers in Western Africa who used a variety of means (acting, singing, et al.) to tell stories that passed along the history of their tribes.
The aspiration of the Griot team has never changed. Although the facilities and programs will soon reach new heights, it’s still all about empowering students to improve their lives through creativity and work experience.
“We want to be a catalyst for healing, education and growth,” Lewis said. Many lives have been improved and changed through Griot, and want even more to share in that experience.
As for the newly acquired downtown buildings, the Griot team believes they impose a heightened responsibility to the community. “We believe we have a responsibility as a steward of the theater and of both historic buildings,” Lewis added. There is such a diverse and deep history in both buildings. We want to steward the conversation to bring the buildings back into the life of the community.”
