The oldest business on Beale Street
A. Schwab has stood on Beale Street since 1876, the oldest business on the strip and the last of the original storefronts still operating. The creaky-floored dry-goods store keeps a working soda fountain and candy counter downstairs and a museum of century-old merchandise upstairs.
Its motto — 'If you can't find it at Schwab's, you're probably better off without it' — still fits a shop stocked with hats, harmonicas, hoodoo candles, and Memphis souvenirs, a genuine relic of Beale Street's heyday.
Every award, on the record.
Each Centurion Award is its own dated annual record, and staying current means clearing the bar again each new year. Open a year for the full citation and verification details.
2025 Centurion Award
Best Historic Shop in Memphis Memphis, TN · Awarded under the 2025 evaluation View the 2025 award →Awards run one calendar year and renew only if the business clears the bar again. Selection is by published criteria, never for sale.
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This page is the standing record for A. Schwab (2025). It was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record; the business did not have to apply for it to appear. It wasn’t voted on or sponsored, and selection is not for sale. Owners can claim the listing or ask us to remove it.
This page was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record; the business did not have to apply for it to appear. Own this business? Claim the listing to manage it, or ask us to remove it.
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