1. Chocolate Soup
City: Germantown, TN
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (901) 754-7157
Address: 7730 Poplar Avenue
Description: Tucked in the Germantown Village Square shopping center at the corner of Poplar Avenue and Germantown Road, Chocolate Soup sells moderately priced children’s apparel, including girls’ sizes up to 16 and boys’ sizes up to 7. Chocolate Soup sells both its own designs, featuring hand-sewn appliqués, as well as other labels that include Heart Strings, Kite Strings, French Toast, and smocked dresses by Anavini. The merchandise ranges from dressy party clothes to the latest kid fashions and also includes baby gifts, elegant stuffed animals, and accessories such as pretty little purses.
2. Village Toymaker
City: Germantown, TN
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (901) 755-3309
Address: 7850 Poplar Avenue
Description: This old-fashioned toy store is jam-packed with carefully selected toys for all ages and prices. However, the best thing about Village Toymaker is its staff. Tell them the age and interests of the child you’re shopping for, and they’ll help you find the perfect toy. Gift wrapping is free.
3. Iris: The Orchestra
City: Germantown, TN
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (901) 757-7256
Address: 1801 Exeter Road
Description: This young upstart chamber orchestra burst onto the scene in 2000. With internationally known conductor Michael Stern (the son of the late violinist Isaac Stern) at the podium and guests such as cellist Yo-Yo Ma, IRIS immediately attracted sellout crowds. It is smaller than the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and is composed mostly of out-of-town musicians. Eight performances are given each year at the Germantown Performing Arts Center. Local music lovers are hoping that there’s room in this town for both orchestras.
4. Germantown Performing Arts Center
City: Germantown, TN
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (901) 757-7256
Address: 1801 Exeter Road
Description: This acoustically perfect theater, which opened in 1994, provides an intimate venue for performances of all kinds. The center, which locals refer to as “G-Pac,” hosts a series of popular performances that have included artists such as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Alison Krauss, and actor Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain. It’s also the artistic home to the chamber orchestra IRIS and brings in ballet companies and other performers as well. The theater seats 824 people, and no seat is more than 55 feet from the stage.
5. Germantown Arts Alliance
City: Germantown, TN
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (901) 757-9768
Address: 1930 Germantown Road South
Description: This nonprofit group, whose mission is to develop, support, and strengthen the area’s cultural environment, was spun off from the governmental Germantown Commission in 1992. The group’s main function is to raise money and give out matching grants to local arts groups as well as to local schools for arts programs. Since 1993, the Alliance has granted over $800,000 for community art projects. Among the arts groups it supports are the Germantown Community Theatre, the Germantown Symphony Orchestra, and the Germantown Community Chorus.
6. Germantown Community Theatre
City: Germantown, TN
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (901) 754-2680
Address: 3037 Forest Hill Irene Road
Description: Considered one of the best small community theaters in the state, this local theater makes its home in a converted turn-of-the-twentieth-century schoolhouse, where it puts on seven productions a year in its 116-seat theater. Founded in 1972, Germantown Community Theatre has staged performances of Catch Me If You Can, The Comedy of Errors, and Oliver! Every year the theater puts on The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, a favorite among local theatergoers during the holiday season.