Written by: Phil Roberts

In the midst of a tumultuous year, there is a space for Black joy.

For most weekends this summer until mid-October, a pop-up retail project is where you could find MEMFOLK: an immersive experience brand that captures the ephemeral feeling of joy, and infuses it into a small space of about 125 square feet. Launched on June 26, 2020, they offer customers a place of rest for the mind, body, and soul. At the very least, it is a place where you can feel comfortable enough to be silly during stressful times.

Founded by Coresa Hogan and Ebony Archie in early 2020, the substance that MEMFOLK works with is Black folklore. Passed down through generations within families, and common among Black communities of many shades, it is often hidden from the mainstream. MEMFOLK takes these beautiful examples of Black culture, familial love, and expression, and creates inclusive immersive experiences for people of all cultures who feel excluded from mainstream spaces of creativity. “Though anyone will feel comfortable in our spaces, we make them so that they resonate with Black people,” says Hogan.

Filling the Void of Immersive Experiences for Black People

Both women are adopted Memphians. Archie arrived from Mississippi in 2011, and Hogan came to Memphis in 2012 from Alabama. They met through a part-time gig, and then helped each other with their personal blogs. They would regularly meet each other in Memphis’ creative scene at various events. The idea of starting MEMFOLK came in 2017 after they traveled to many U.S. cities the year before and found that there was something missing on the creative landscape.

“We didn’t see many immersive experiences that resonated with Blackness or the South, so we thought that it would be cool to create such spaces,” recalls Hogan. “Memphis is a very creative city so we knew we wanted to dive in here.”

There are generalizations about the differences between Blackness in the South compared to the North. When I asked Hogan how her and Archie’s upbringing in the South informs what MEMFOLK is, she talks about the importance of preserving history.

MEMFOLK @ BOXLOT. Photo by Danielle Smith.

“When our ancestors came here in slavery, there was a lot of erasure that went on. Folklore is a way to pass down that history,” she explains. “That’s why the word folk is in the name of the company.”

Next, they had to find a space for their new immersive experience. Hogan and Archie had a relationship with BOXLOT, a micro-retail and music lounge made from retrofitted shipping containers in Memphis’ Edge District. They presented a larger scale idea to them in February 2019, and reached out to them again later that year in December to pitch a smaller version of their brand experience concept. The smaller scale proposal was accepted, and that is how they got the space. “When we discussed MEMFOLK with BOXLOT, they wanted something that was going to bring some foot traffic to the place,” explains Hogan.

For new entrepreneurs in Memphis like MEMFOLK, BOXLOT provided it with an affordable pop-up space that can be used for temporary activations. It is less risky for entrepreneurs than signing a long-term commercial lease, and its hours of operations of Thursday to Sunday makes it convenient for business owners who may still be working full-time jobs.

A Space for Black Joy

Hogan and Archie chilling in the FLOWERBOX concept. Photo by Danielle Smith.

About every six weeks since in June, MEMFOLK launches a new concept. They have held three so far. Each concept takes something small or unattainable, and scales it up to something big. The first was FLOWERBOX, where visitors could walk inside a large flower box and feel grounded. It was a popular concept that created a lot of buzz in the community. They even held a marriage vow ceremony.

Marriage vow ceremony in the FLOWERBOX. Photo by MEMFOLK.

“When we started, we thought that it would be cool if someone got married in one of our spaces, but we thought this would be way down the road,” Hogan explains. “Then four weeks later this couple reached out to us to hold a marriage vow ceremony.”

The second concept was called SKYBOX, which was meant to make visitors feel like they were walking in the clouds. Guests were reminded to keep their heads up and elevate their minds. Finally, GIFTBOX is the concept which celebrates the one-year anniversary of BOXLOT, by looking like a giant gift.

The pandemic has meant that MEMFOLK can only have two customers in the space at a time, who spend between 15 and 20 minutes during regular visits. On Saturday mornings, they have private sessions for customers that can last 30 minutes to an hour. “Some customers bring their own photographers, but at the end of their visit, we can take polaroids of their experience for them to purchase.”

Elevate the mind in the SKYBOX. Photo by Danielle Smith.

A customer luxuriating in the GIFTBOX. Photo by MEMFOLK.

The concepts have attracted the attention of BOXLOT shoppers and people who want to celebrate their birthdays or other special moments in an uplifting space. Both Hogan and Archie have been surprised by the many ways that people have come up with to use the space. Beyond celebrations, people want to use it for their own businesses.

“Someone shot a music video in our space,” says Hogan. They also had a style & beauty blogger use it for a photoshoot. The connection to business makes sense to the women, because although MEMFOLK is about joy and creativity, it was built with business in mind, and art was layered in after the fact. This makes their work attractive to coffee shops, restaurants, and other hospitality companies that are looking to create authentic brand experiences for their customers to enjoy. These “Instagrammable” moments that can become marketing tools for businesses. “We have a mixture of clients,” says Hogan, “but we love supporting other Black businesses as well because we empathize with that journey of trying to scale.”

MEMFOLK partnered with Muggin Coffeehouse in Whitehaven, TN to create this curated wall in their café. Photo by MEMFOLK.

Black Creativity in Memphis and Beyond

MEMFOLK partners with local artists to help them create their concepts. Even though they are not experienced artists themselves, by tapping into the talent that is available in the city, they become an outlet for others to show what they can do to the community. “Memphis is a minority-majority city and there’s lots of Black people here who are doing really creative things,” says Hogan. When MEMFOLK wants to create special beats for their customers to listen to, they partner with sound engineers. When they need unimaginable imagery, they partner with digital artists.

“Slavery took a lot away from the Black mind, and there’s a lot of trauma that was passed down because of that, which lasts even today,” describes Hogan. “So any creative thought or output that Black people have now, is fighting against that.”

This month, MEMFOLK’s temporary activation at BOXLOT came to an end, but they have plans to turn their pop-up space into something with a fixed address. “Our goal is to find a permanent space eventually,” says Hogan, “but for now we want to expand to other cities in the south. We’re working on something for Atlanta.”

Joy in the SKYBOX. Photo by Danielle Smith.

In a year that feels like ten years in one, Black people are dealing with a pandemic, a storm of dispiriting news in terms of racial justice and equity, and a getting crazier by the hour political atmosphere. It all makes immersive experiences like what MEMFOLK offers all the more vital. A nice place of respite, and an experience that their customers never knew they needed.

“It’s really important to show that in spite of the solemnness of the times, that there can still be joy,” says Hogan. “When people visit our spaces, they often tell us: thank you for creating this!”