The Pix-Capri

Jackson’s first neighborhood movie theater, the Pix, was began operations in Fondren in 1940. Originally opening as a member of the Paramount-Richards chain, it was soon followed by another movie theater constructed on North Farish Street called the Booker-T.

The $45,000 “moving picture house” with one screen and 500 seats did well showing first run films in Fondren. By 1957 The Pix began to lose business and closed. It was rented for Live/venue purposes for five years, and by 1962, was sold to Cinema Guild, Inc. and had reopened as the Capri Theatre.

The neon name "PIX" remained on the side of the building, but the CAPRI was added to the overhang awning in the front.

Although more successful and long running than its predecessor, The Capri suffered financially because of the many multiplex theaters that came and went in Jackson. In the late 1970’s The Capri switched to second run/bargain films and in the early 1980’s it became a porn theatre, showcasing X rated films. By 1985 the Capri was closed.

The competition didn't last long, either. Today there are no movie theaters within Jackson city limits.

In 2004 the Pix Theater was added to the Mississippi Department of Archives as a historical landmark.

After being abandoned and used as a clothing store for twenty years, the Capri was reopened in 2005 by the Fondren Renaissance Foundation for live music, indie films and theatre performance. Various groups attempted to raise money to restore the theatre but were never successful, and it was abandoned again two years later.

By the summer of 2007, Crossroads Film Society began renting the theatre and restoration began that October.

A year later, October 2008, Jackson lawyer and developer David Watkins announced plans to develop mixed use development behind the Capri Theatre and his intentions to restore the Capri as a music venue, specifically blues and jazz.

Because "The Pix Theatre" is a historical landmark the name "Capri" cannot go on or in the building.

Photo courtesy of Chris and Frank Ezelle, (taken 1960 & 2006)

Briefly How God Made Fondren, As Best I Understand The Situation

First there were Indians.

Out of the Indian's land came the state of Mississippi, and Jackson was made in the middle of the state in 1821.

Mostly everything north of Jackson was farmland, and the Garland family owned about five thousand acres of farmland in the aforesaid north-of-Jackson.

In this property there was a road that went North to the next big town and was named after it: Canton Road. Where it forked with Tougaloo Plantation Road (now State Street) was where a town started.

So this town was on high ground, near the Pearl river, and directly adjacent to the state lunatic asylum. This state hospital provided a lot of jobs, although many of them were menial.

A black community formed around these jobs.

After the Civil War, the Garland's property (like other plantations and property) was destroyed and divided. A black man named Isham Cade bough a lot of the land at the fork, subdivided the land and surveyed it.

Because of the insane asylum this area was known ‘Sylum Heights for years, but it's legal name was the Isham Cade Survey (or subdivision).

The strip of State Street from the the fork with Old Canton to the PIX theater is still sometimes called Cade's Alley.

In 1893 David Fondren bought some of Cade's property and put up a general store.

A post office was established the next year in 1894. Today, the Fondren Post Office is less that a block away from the first one.

Some of the residents decided ‘Sylum Heights was not a desirable name for a community, and they petitioned the US Post Office to establish the station as Fondren.

Never exceeding a population of a few hundred people, Fondren was able to be largely self sufficient.

In 1925 the city of Jackson annexed Fondren when development in Jackson pushed housing to the south. Soon after that the residential area northeast of Cade's Alley became very fancy.

Fondren developed a lot more after that too but I am le tired and that's the basics.

Fondren Beverage Emporium

(I'm trying to write about something other than myself. Here you go.)

The Fondren Beverage Emporium went out of business recently due to the current economic crisis. One of Cade's Alley's more unusual locally owned landmarks, opened in 2006, closed and allowed the Orange Peel to expand a room North to sell furniture and knick knacks.

The Beverage Emporium not only sold drinks that are rarely found in Mississippi (Joya, por ejemple). One day I bought a fortune teller fish there that you could lay in your hand and by decipering it's method of curling, discover if you were in love, in lust, indifferent, or false.

The Beverage Emporium was not the only locally owned business to be brought down by the economy. However, other new businesses such as Sneaky Beans and The Auditorium have been doing better than established local businesses.

It has been unusual shops such as the Beverage Emporium that gave Fondren a sense of identity, of unusual speciality, to take pride in.

Reviewed on a worldwide traveling guide site, geckogo.com, The Beverage Emporium got one raving review. "Makes you feel like a kid again! Old fashioned candy, soda pop, even a popcorn maker and lots of fun for all ages."

DeepFriedKudzu.com also had a favorable review of the shop by 'ginger' who said, "They have drinks and candies from all over the world (and the nice part is that they're all non-alcoholic and it's a wonderful atmosphere for kids)."

Last November Mississippi Roads, a show on MPB broadcast an interview with The Emporium's owner, Matthew Bowdoin. To watch it, click here.

In December of 2007 the Fondren Beverage Emporium joined 5 other local business in sponsoring The Code, an innovative online show produced by the combined efforts Drew Davis and Daniel Guaqueta, focused on documenting music in the South.

That same year the Emporium joined Rainbow in sponsoring Mundo Melodia, a weekly radio show hosted by Daniel Guaqueta and Daniel Johnson on the local music channel 100.1FM.

If You Throw A Baby Into A Lake

(doo do-do, do-do, do-do-do-doo)

On account of me wanting to become a better writer, I have concluded that it would be a good idea for me to try to simply write whatever is on my mind for about a half hour every day. This is kind of my apology to the Dadu club because that means I will have a LOT of random jabber on here that may or may not interest you. Feel free to read whatever you want and critique it as well, since I want to improve and that's the only way I know how: trial and error. (See: My Life Story)

Today I am thinking about Elmer and how cute it is that he smiles all the time. I wonder if he actually is happy inside when he is smiling or if God just made his face like that. Elmer also seems to enjoy music a great deal. He stops and listens to classical and rap, tilting his head back in forth. Not really interested in any other genres.

I went through my clothes and came up with about three bags full that belonged to other people. One was Callie's, two halves were Emily's and KC's, and a big bag was Daniel's. I've realized that I don't have many clothes. I have two little stacks on my floor, a box full of underwear/belts/scarfs and then coats and dresses in my closet. Out of these I don't like half of them because they are out of style or I am just over them.

Not a lot is on my mind right now. Daniel is being annoying and prancing around. My last shift at Subway was last night and on my break I read The Murmur, it's a school paper type thing for people in med school. There were some very interesting articles in it and a lot of big words that I didn't know. It was just like when I was little and tried to read everything I got my hands on, and most of it I didn't understand. I didn't really care though.

Along the lines of writing thirty minutes a day my other requirements I've set for myself (seeing as I am not actually employed by anything or anyone else) are researching/reading thirty minutes a day. I already read What Is The What for an hour today at the reservoir with Elmer. It was Elmer's first time at the Trace and he liked it a lot. Chased a lot of bugs and ate most of them.

Brucie is working on recording his album and I'm gonna do some vocals on some of the tracks. Brucie makes me laugh a lot, and I'm not sure why because for a long time I thought he was one of the least funny people I'd ever met. But then, anyone who shares chocolate milk with me is alright.

Oh yeah, I'm kind of recording my album after Jason is done with his so maybe I should sing thirty minutes a day too. I could try writing a song everyday. That's what this guy from Nashville did for like three years. He was really serious about becoming a songwriter. Now he's in law school. I think he just over did it. I don't want to do that. But it might happen, and that's ok. You never know.

I went to Will and Anna's wedding this morning. I've been to three out of five weddings this summer. It feels closer to thirty. Speaking of thirty, I'm done.

Facebook and Hate

I've decided to delete my facebook account. I decided to figure out the things that I do a lot and always feel kind of bad about, and decide whether I should stop doing them or not. One was wearing all of Callie's clothes.. so I washed those and got them back to her. I don't think she cared, but she never is realy interested in wearing my clothes so then Ifeel like a moocher, and she's just better at taking care of her clothes than I am.

I never feel good about spending time on Facebook. I just always feel a little embarrassed and silly. I always lose just a tiny bit of respect for anyone who has a facebook.

I don't like the idea of having an infinite reach of trivial details in everyone's life that I know. I want to KNOW the people I'm friends with and enjoy getting to know who they are and stuff about them. I don't want to find out all about them in a really impersonal way. That's kind of creepy. For that matter, I don't want people to know all my business in a really impersonal way. I'll tell you anything but it seems a little needy to just post stuff all on the internet when there's no intrinsic value to anyone but me.

Also think it's probably a little vain that I have like a zillion pictures of myself on the internet. I just feel like that's a little weird.

I think it will make my life better not to have a facebook. I think I will spend more quality time with my friends and in the end be MORE connected socially.. I could be wrong. We'll see.

Also I just worked my last shift at subway. I brought home every scrap of food I could find, facing the reality that I will not be eating fresh every meal for free any more. I'm completely ok with this.