If you grew up in Memphis, you’ve probably been on a field trip to the Pink Palace a time or two. Last year, a group of local creatives enjoyed their own field trip of sorts there: a tour of the facilities now also known as the Museum of Science and History (MoSH). And that in turn inspired them to create the Slowdown Cinema Club. The ragtag team has set up at MoSH’s Giant Screen Theater and turned it into a whole “moviegoing experience,” with nostalgic films and a locally stocked concession stand.
A film director, a shop owner, a photographer, and a corporate creative director all came together to create this gem.
Eli Berry is the owner of clothing brand Slowdown Dry Goods, grounded in the local skateboard community since its founding in 2019. The online store’s signature “I like Memphis” slogan has been “interpreted in a trillion different ways. It’s become a conversation piece,” Berry says. He started doing pop-ups anywhere from Downtown Trolley Night to Kinfolk restaurant. After he was laid off in 2024, he took a leap of faith with his clothing brand and found a brick-and-mortar location. “When an opportunity came to have a space next to my friends who were opening up Hard Times Deli, it was too good to pass up,” he says. The Slowdown Shop, also featuring Kelsey Berry Pottery, opened in April 2025.
Regarding the “Slowdown” motif, he says, “There’s not a lot of time for rest, so I wanted to create a brand that emphasized that essential part of being human, just being present, and enjoying what’s in front of you.”
In early 2025, the Pink Palace asked Berry to suggest merch ideas for their gift shop. They gave him a full tour of the facilities, including a visit to the Giant Screen Theater, typically used for spectacular nature films like Walking with Dinosaurs, or the occasional feature film. Berry’s two best friends, Josh Cannon and Nate Packard, had talked about opening a theater for years, and he called them on the drive home from his MoSH tour.
Packard, a freelance photographer, met Berry and Cannon while taking photos in the music scene and being involved with bands himself.
Cannon spent most of his young life as a touring musician while juggling a journalism degree. After graduating, his passion for movies led him to directing films. He also loved the community that came with film culture. “The greatest memories of my life are of not just seeing certain movies as a teenager,” Cannon says, “but who I saw them with.”
Cannon is currently working on a short documentary on Memphis’ Vietnamese community, commissioned by Crosstown Arts.
Mica Jordan is the creative director of Pyramex and Cannon’s wife. It didn’t take much for her to be sold on the cinema club idea.
Within a few months, they came up with the name, made the logo, created a fun promo video, and chose the first film to screen, Superbad. It immediately took off.
Last year, a different artist was selected each month for the featured film, but in their upcoming second season (2026), they’ve found a few local favorites and have since stuck with them.
The Slowdown Cinema Club team also curates a lobby experience as comfortable as your living room, with wacky furniture, music, video games, snacks, and a bucket designated for recommending movies.
One of Jordan’s favorite spots to be when guests arrive is selling concessions. She loves to speak with everyone and hear their connection to the movies. People will even sometimes come decked out in costumes, and whether you’re coming solo, bringing your family, or tagging along with a group of friends, Jordan says everyone is welcome.
You can purchase tickets for their bi-weekly screenings on the MoSH website, and the film schedule for the rest of the summer will soon drop on Slowdown Cinema Club’s Instagram.
Hot Rod will be screened on June 26th.
