MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Frayser residents celebrated the opening of a personal injury clinic Thursday, hailing it another sign of development in the neighborhood.
“This neighborhood wants and deserves the same thing that every other neighborhood wants. They want beautiful buildings. They want good businesses. It’s not just Germantown, Central Gardens that wants that,” said Frayser Community Development Corporation Executive Director Steve Lockwood.
The Frayser Community Development Corporation waited five years for Thursday’s ribbon cutting.
The county gave the organization the decrepit building five years ago.
Over the years, Frayser has struggled with crime and blight.
The Frayser Community Development Corporation invested $380,000 into the building and asked the city for funds.
Lockwood said the city kicked in about $250,000.
“This is community development at its best,” said Robert Lipscomb, the Director of the city’s Housing and Community Development.
Together, FlexWorx opened its third location on Watkins in Frayser.
It is a clinic for personal injury patients.
“I came looking for Frayser, because this community was not served,” said FlexWorx owner Lea Ann Kelley.
She said people in Frayser had to haul somewhere else for personal injury services.
“If they’ve been in a car accident, their car is totaled a lot of times, and they’re not able to get there, and we are a community-based medical provider,” Kelley said.
“This is a beehive of civic activity,” Lockwood said.
There are many activities currently working in Frayser, like “success zones” around schools, packed community meetings, and the Frayser Exchange Club.
Lockwood said there is more work to do.
He would like to see more businesses, like restaurants and gyms, come to Frayser.