Cooper-Young is an eclectic neighborhood and historic district in the Midtown section of Memphis, Tennessee, named for the intersection of Cooper Street and Young Avenue. The entrance to the neighborhood is marked by the Cooper-Young Trestle, a long steel sculpture which depicts homes and businesses found in the neighborhood. Created by metal artist Jill Turman, the sculpture was dedicated in 2000, and has become a source of community pride and identity. In 2012, Cooper-Young was listed on the American Planning Association's 10 Great Neighborhoods in the U.S list.
Economy
The neighborhood is known for its eclectic mix of shops, bars and restaurants. Java Cabana, Cooper-Young's coffeehouse, was once host to the Elvis Impersonator shrine, as well as the Viva Wedding Chapel, where hundreds of people were once married in the backroom by Elvis impersonators. Other restaurants such as Cafe Ole, Tsunami, Soul Fish, Cafe Palladio, Celtic Crossing, Alchemy, Aldo's Pizza Pies, Sweet Grass, Next Door, DKDC, The Beauty Shop, and Young Ave Deli represent diverse cuisines and reflect the creative spirit of the neighborhood. Also in Cooper Young, one will find The House of Mews, Goner Records, a local record label, Jay Etkin Gallery and Burke's Book Store. The neighborhood is also home to the award-winning boutique chocolatier, Phillip Ashley Chocolates. Cooper Young is also where Memphis' only hostel, Pilgrim House Hostel, is located.
Cooper-Young Festival
Each fall, the neighborhood hosts the Cooper-Young Festival, starting with an Art Invitational on Thursday, a 4-mile run on Friday, arts and crafts vendors, and live music performances on Saturday. The Cooper Young Festival is always the second Saturday after Labor Day each year from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The neighborhood is considered one of the more artistic and "hip" areas of the city, and shows evidence of successful urban revitalization in Memphis' core. The Cooper Young Festival, hosted by the Cooper Young Business Association, is a popular outdoor celebration in Memphis, Tennessee. It is one of Memphis' most highly attended festivals in Tennessee bringing in over 130,000 attendees and is continuing to grow. The festival is the largest single day event in the city where people pack into the neighborhood. It is free admission. 400 artisans from around the country go to sell their music, arts, and crafts along Cooper Street and Young Avenue. The festival came about in 1977 when a group of 500 residents from the area organized and decided to have it. November 5, 1977 was the date of the first festival. It was a community flea market with a stage and playground activities in the parking lot of Galloway United Methodist Church. It turned into a three-day festival called Cooper Young Business Association Street Fair. Starting with 7,000 visitors, the festival grew to entertaining 100,000 visitors. Every year the festival is kicked off with a neighborhood art invitational. An artist from the Cooper Young neighborhood designs a poster to represent the unique style of the Cooper Young area. Bands are brought in to perform on three stages over the weekend.
Community
The Cooper-Young Community Association, founded in 1976, serves as the main advocate for the residents of the area and produces a monthly neighborhood newspaper, The Lamplighter, to communicate neighborhood and city news. The CYCA also sponsors the Festival 4-Miler race - a 4-mile race through the neighborhood the night before the Cooper-Young Festival. The Cooper-Young Business Association serves as the primary advocate for the businesses and services of the neighborhood, and produces the Cooper-Young Festival along with other events to help draw attention to those businesses.
