Hello
As coffee lovers, we love finding a place that we can drop in and grab an amazing coffee every day. That goes beyond just the drink. We have sought out the experience that best fits us, a community spot where the locals go and out of town visitors find. That ritual has been part of our lives in every city we’ve lived, every country we’ve traveled and that holds true if its for a 3 day visit or 3 years in Bucktown.
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Crazy Gander Coffee Company 150 Madison Avenue - Memphis
Without 150 Madison, there would be no Crazy Gander Coffee Company. In November 2018, we were house hunting. We expressed to our realtor our desire to stay downtown. After a walk through of the Brass Door soccer room (formerly The Mad Earl) and the upstairs apartment - we took on the task of renovating and modernizing the building.
We have taken in all of our experiences living, working, and travelling to try and capture the potential of this downtown space. We are hopeful that patrons will find a pleasant place to stop during their downtown journey, and will take that opportunity to grab a coffee and enjoy a small part of Memphis.
About 150 Madison - From the earliest days, Madison Avenue was known as "The Wall Street of Memphis" with the old Customs House at the end of the street on Front; and the First National Bank of Memphis, chartered in 1864, at Madison and Third. We’re located just on the other side of what was “Bankers Row” which ran from from Front Street to 2nd Street. The map wall was drawn by hand and is based on a 1911 map of the area. This building, 150 Madison Avenue, completed construction around that time and was itself a bank by 1912. The downstairs vault now serves as a prep and storage area for the staff.
About the Crow Lady - We knew before the building was ours that we wanted to put a mural on the west wall of the structure. Brandon Donahue is a Memphis native, Art Professor at the University of Maryland College Park and the artist behind the "Crow Lady" mural. Brandon works in painting, assemblage, sculpture, street art, murals and more. In March of 2020, Brandon returned to Memphis and helped put a personal stamp on the building.
Brandon is a renowned visual artist whose primary medium are assemblage, sculpture and airbrushing techniques. His artistic medium, aesthetics and style are what drew our eye as his works are extensions of the street art traditions we wanted to represent 150 Madison to Memphis.
Brandon finished the project in March of 2020, taking only five days to put up thousands of brush strokes; he finished the piece by placing a coffee cup in hand as the final stamp on the newest mural brightening downtown Memphis.
