Good morning, Memphis! ☀️
Three things are true today: your local coffee options just multiplied by 58, the Edge District is about to get loud, and a local restaurant owner's memory is being honored tonight over pizza and dog adoptions.
Here's what's inside:
☕ We mapped every coffee shop in Memphis — all 58 of them
🎉 The Edge District's about to throw a block party
🎨 About 50 artists are about to paint an entire street
🍖 A weekend-long BBQ showdown rolls into Bartlett
🐾 A paws-itively sweet tribute happening tonight
📝 Your last shot at winning dinner on us
Let's get into it.
Food & Drink
☕ We Mapped Every Coffee Shop in Memphis (All 58 of Them)
Today's National Coffee Day, so we did the one thing we know how to do: built The Complete Guide to Coffee Shops in Memphis. Every roastery, cafe and coffee cart we could verify, from Downtown to DeSoto County, made our list. Some highlights:
♟️ Checkmate, then a chai latte. The 149-year-old Memphis Chess Club runs a full espresso bar inside its landmark Downtown clubhouse. Order a cappuccino, then challenge a stranger to a game.
🛹 Coffee that kickflips. Society Memphis Skatepark and Coffee in Binghampton pairs a full skate park with a second-floor coffee lounge that doubles as a live-music venue.
Read the full guide here.
Events
🎉 Alley Dayz Turns the Edge District Into a Block Party Wednesday
The Downtown Memphis Commission's free Alley Dayz series rolls into the Edge District this Wednesday, September 30, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
🎸 Alley cat jam. Live music from MAK RO and a DJ set from DJ NATE P take over the block, with local vendors like Hard Times Deli and Slowdown Dry Goods setting up shop.
🔑 Free swag, no strings. Slowdown Dry Goods is giving away a special keychain, and the whole thing — music, shopping, vendors — is free and open to everyone.
Get the details here.
Events
🎨 Paint Memphis Turns Broad Avenue Into a Live Canvas Saturday
Paint Memphis 2026
Paint Memphis brings this year's theme, "Where the Light Gets In," to Broad Avenue this Saturday, October 3, from noon to 6 p.m. And it's free!
🖌️ 50 artists, one street. About 50 artists will paint murals live along Broad Avenue between Summer and Holmes, turning storefronts into a giant open-air gallery in a single afternoon.
🐾 Bring the whole crew. Expect community activities, kids' crafts, vendors and food trucks along the route. Leashed pets are welcome too.
Get the details here.
Events
🍖 Bartlett's BBQ, Cars & Fall Festival Fires Up Oct. 2-3
City of Bartlett
The Bartlett Festival, BBQ Contest & Car Show takes over W.J. Freeman Park Friday, October 2 (5:30-10 p.m.) and Saturday, October 3 (9 a.m.-5 p.m.). The event is free to attend.
🏆 Smoke 'em if you got 'em. A Memphis Barbecue Network-sanctioned cook-off headlines the weekend, judging whole hog, ribs and more, alongside live bands both nights.
🚗 Cars, K-9s and a 5K. A car and motorcycle show, a Bartlett PD K-9 demo and the 10th-annual charity 5K (Saturday, 8 a.m.) round things out. Free shuttles run from Bartlett Baptist Church.
See the full schedule here.
Reader Survey
📝 Final Days: Take Our Survey, Win $50 for Dinner
Our 901 Today reader survey closes tomorrow, Wednesday, September 30. Take it and you'll be entered to win a $50 gift card to the Memphis restaurant of your choice. It takes less than five minutes.
Daily Picks
🗞️ Other News Around the 901
🗳️ Deadline dash. Shelby County residents have until Monday, October 5 to register to vote in the November election. Mail-in forms must be postmarked by October 4. Register online at shelbyvote.com or in person at the Election Commission's Downtown or Nixon Drive offices.
🏟️ Home field, at last. UofM broke ground last week on Liza Wellford Fletcher Stadium, a new soccer and track facility at the Murphy Athletic Complex. Eliza "Liza" Fletcher played soccer for the Tigers in 2007, on the team that won the program's first-ever conference championship; the stadium's first phase costs about $7 million.
🎓 Top of the class. UT Health Science Center's BSN nursing program just landed its second straight year as the No. 1 nursing program in Tennessee, per U.S. News & World Report, good for the top 6% nationally. Read more here.
🛒 Cha-ching. Aldi is cutting prices on nearly a third of its shelf items through Nov. 3, including Honeycrisp apples at $1.99 for a 2-pound bag. Some items are 35% cheaper than last year. See what's cheaper here.
🏘️ Meet your neighbors. Germantown's annual Neighborhood Summit is tonight at 5:30 p.m. at the Great Hall & Conference Center. The event is free, with refreshments, vendor booths and an awards ceremony for standout neighbors. RSVP here.
🤖 Help wanted. xAI (branded "SpaceXAI" in some local headlines) has posted more than 100 Memphis-area jobs, from engineers to electricians, as a City Council vote on a data-center moratorium is now set for Oct. 6. Read more here.
🐾 Wagging tails, warm hearts. Mellow Mushroom in Germantown hosts the "Steve Meek: Legacy of Love" adoption event tonight from 4 to 6 p.m., honoring the restaurant's late owner alongside Tails of Hope Dog Rescue. You can meet adoptable dogs, and dine in for up to two free kids' meals with a $15+ purchase. Learn more here.
⚽ Tigers take the pitch. Memphis Men's Soccer hosts Jacksonville tonight at 7 p.m. at the Track and Soccer Complex. Get the details here.
💰 Check your inbox. Amazon is sending out more Prime refunds, up to $200, automatically starting October 1. This is payback for past hard-to-cancel Prime practices. No claim needed, but watch for scammers asking for your bank info. Read more here.
📚 Catch up on guides. Missed one of our Memphis guides? Browse them all here.
📰 Catch up on newsletters. Missed a past issue? Browse the archive here.
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Trivia
🧠 Tuesday Trivia
That's it for today!
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Have a great Tuesday, Memphis. We'll see you tomorrow.
— 901 Today
