Named after Egypt’s ancient capital, Memphis has enjoyed – and, in some cases, endured – a colorful history. Founded in 1819, it suffered a horrific yellow-fever outbreak 60 years later that caused 5,000 deaths and tens of thousands to flee. In 1893, Memphis officials declared the city bankrupt. However, thanks to possessing the world’s largest spot market for cotton, the city revitalized by the early 20th Century.
With its growth came a thriving cultural scene. Blues, country and rock musicians from throughout Mississippi and the mid-South region flocked there. From B.B King to Howlin’ Wolf to legendary producer Sam Phillips talented Sun Records stable of Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley and others, Memphis gained a reputation as a music hotspot.
In 1991, civic leaders realized their vision of a structure that pays homage to the roots of its name and legacy with the completion of the Pyramid, a 321-ft.-tall structure that was designed for sporting events, concerts and other festivities. However, irregular sightlines and infrastructure difficulties spurred the building of a new arena for the NBA’s Grizzlies. By 2007, the Pyramid sat completely dormant – a forlorn, expensive paperweight sitting in the middle of downtown Memphis.
City officials pondered an array of potential solutions. In 2010, a savior introduced a plan to transform the titanic facility into a retail hotspot. Bass Pro Shop signed a 20-year lease with the city of Memphis, with up to seven, five-year renewals possible. There were fits and starts with construction delays, as well as a struggle to create regulations for its external signs that were agreeable for both Bass Pro Shops and local residents.
On April 29, the dream of a Memphis Pyramid reborn as a colossal Bass Pro Shops Pyramid came to fruition. Thousands of residents from Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas and points beyond congregated in the Pyramid’s parking lot for a grand-opening event that included entertainment by a local blues band and country legend John Anderson (he of “Swingin’” fame) perform, as well as guest appearances by such outdoors-show celebrities as champion fisherman Bill Dance, Eddie “Turtleman” Brown – host of Animal Planet’s Call of the Wildman – and others.
However, once the music and feel-good speeches were over, the signs assumed a starring role. As the crowd slowly filed inside, an abundance of neon signs materialized. A leggy female figure beckons shoppers to the ladies’ apparel section. A sign that identifies where hunting apparel could be found incorporates an old-fashioned rifle with luminous tubing. The shoe-department markers features neon animation creating three shoe steps – it would have been at a home at a 1930’s Main Street store. There were numerous examples of captivating neon signs – an uncommon, and extremely welcome, sight inside a retail facility.
When the late-evening crowd filed out, they were treated to a 90 x 66-ft., metal Bass Pro Signs logo sign with green-LED border illumination. Originally, Bass Pro Shops had planned to light the sign in yellow, but, at the behest of local officials, opted to a more muted, yet still vivid, verdant color.
In our August issue, I will write about the Bass Pro Shops Pyramid signage. It’s one of the most remarkable examples I’ve seen of signage playing a role in branding a civic icon. During the Bass Pro Shops Pyramid grand opening, the Memphis Grizzlies earned a series-clinching victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA playoffs. Also, the Beale Street Music Festival began the next night. As I walked Memphis’ streets, I encountered several uniformed city “ambassadors” who addressed me with a cheery, “Y’all finding everything OK?”
In mid-July, Cincinnati will host Major League Baseball’s 2015 All-Star Game. I can only hope that local officials and well-heeled corporate interests (hello, Procter & Gamble?) take steps to make our headlining event equally successful to Memphis’ red-letter day. If they’re smart, they’ll allow signage to play a key role.