Meet Bryson & Peighton Cantrell | Non-Profit Owners & Entrepreneurs

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bryson & Peighton Cantrell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bryson & Peighton Cantrell, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
BookIt4Life originally started as a book club we created when we were 8-years old. We noticed our classmates weren’t reading books as much as we were, and they seemed to be judging books by the covers when we went to the school library to check out our bi-weekly books. We wanted a way to show and tell children how fun reading can be. That summer, we met at a local public meeting space to have meetings, once a month on Saturday mornings. It was so much fun! We started with five members (our core friends at the time). As the word spread, doors opened that led us to an interview on WREG, and speaking about our club to the Rotary Club of Memphis Central. The book club quickly evolved into a social club as we took on community service projects and the enthusiasm to help other children, we shifted into a non-profit.

Our second business, Memphis Children’s Business, came from our participation in a similar fair. We liked the fair but wanted to create our version that could reach more diverse areas and provide more connections with community partners and businesses. We’ve been hosting the Memphis Children’s Business Fair twice a year since September 2019. Our Spring 2024 fair will be held on Saturday, April 27th at Wolfchase Galleria!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
What sets us apart from others is that we focus on the growth and involvement of youth, starting at a young age. It is important to instill that mindset early and we are very proud of the impact we have had over the years! We started this journey at such a young age, with no expectations of being where we are now. Our goal was simply to expose others to what we knew in the best way we knew how.

Coming from that genuine place has led us to spaces and opportunities we would have never believed could be experienced at such a young age. Taking advantage of the many opportunities that have been presented to us has led us to where we are today. It has not always been easy. We’ve repeatedly learned our age has hindered us from being taken seriously. People tend to devalue what you are expressing and it takes open-minded individuals, and an unwavering support system to encourage you along the way!

We’ve learned the importance of not underestimating anyone’s potential, especially children. There are many children who have the drive and work ethic to accomplish many things – however, they may lack the support needed or may not have the opportunity to be in spaces where they can be seen. This is something we hoped to rectify. We want to emphasize that we were 8 years old when we got the desire to see changes happen in our school and in our community. This shows that you are never too young to start.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Ok! It’s a MUST to start with history in the city. We’d take our visitors to the standard tourist spots: Beale Street, The National Civil Rights Museum, Stax Museum, Graceland, and the Peabody to name a few. We’d also add The Withers Museum & Gallery on Beale. Next we’re off to find food! Pizza is a staple for us and we love Lost Pizza Co and Memphis Pizza Cafe (Overton Crossing). When we’re missing New Orleans, we sometimes pop into The Bayou Grill! And we can’t leave out Muggin’ Coffeehouse (Whitehaven) or Starbucks where we can get a latte’ fix! For fun, we enjoy catching shows at The Orpheum or visiting a local escape room where we are ALWAYS up for the challenge. If we have younger visitors we’d take them to Incredible Pizza or The Memphis Zoo (weather permitting). Some of the newest attractions we’ve enjoyed lately are TopGolf and AMUSE Museum. And lastly, if its a great Memphis weather day, we’d swing by Shelby Farms and visit the GOApe Adventure Park!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Knowing that God is present in all that we do, we want to recognize our parents, Bryant and Shera Cantrell, specifically our mother, who has been the backbone of our entrepreneurial journey! Our parents are the best support system that we could have asked for. Speaking of support systems, our family & familal connections have also been invaluable. We honor the memories of those that are no longer with us and thank the ones still present to offer encouragement and guidance. There are to many to name.

We also want to shout out the wonderful teachers that poured into our literary foundation, and have encouraged us over the years to keep going no matter what! We would be remiss not to mention Belinda Campbell, for introducing us to Rotary, and, Jacqueline Wallace, for introducing BookIt4Life to the Memphis Public Libraries, as well as the community support and partnerships from local businesses such TVA, Junior Achievement, and many more.

Website: www.cbfmemphis.com

Instagram: @cbfmemphis or @bookit4life

Facebook: @bookit4life or @cbfmemphis

Youtube: https://youtu.be/BEhNqPU7_hg?si=cgHO8Tz-rV8uv8Dl