Joe Poppenheimer
Serving our communities with an approach as unique as his name
From Barrister To Builder
Whether building or buying, commercial builder and antique collector Joe Poppenheimer looks for quality. The 60-year-old Hernando resident has contracted seven strip shopping centers on Goodman Road alone during the last three years. And he also developed the line of storefronts that includes his Horn Lake office.
Poppenheimer has been in real estate full time for 20 years.
“After building my first building, I knew that was my calling,” he said, although the calling was not his first.
After attending Rhodes College in Memphis, Poppenheimer went on to graduate from law school at the University of Mississippi in 1963. He practiced mostly as a plaintiff’s attorney for 15 years before making the career switch. “I more or less just had burnout with the law [profession],” he explained.
His brother, L. H. “Pop” Poppenheimer, built the first of a string of commercial projects in 1960. And even while Joe Poppenheimer was working legal cases, he collaborated with his brother on the developments, many of which were in Memphis and Whitehaven.
Poppenheimer continued their development endeavors after his brother died about 10 years ago. “He had taught me enough that I could continue, Poppenheimer said of his sibling. “I do owe everything I am to my brother.”
What’s kept Poppenheimer hooked since then is the satisfaction he gets from turning raw ground into what he considers attractive commercial developments. He’s also proud of his nurturing of DeSoto County’s economy, as his buildings bring in a number of small businesses. And more businesses at home means DeSoto Countians don’t have to travel far to do their shopping, he notes.
When Poppenheimer’s not making the buildings that house businesses, he pumps money into other businesses. He and his wife, Barbara, frequent antique malls across the country. His love of antiques began with the antique book collection he started at age 15. The interest was natural, he said, for his mother was an antique dealer for most of her life.
Poppenheimer’s collection has escalated to include bottles and toys, Coca-Cola collectibles and more. “There’s nothing I haven’t collected,” he joked. “The search is the thrill of it all – just trying to find something beautiful that you want to buy.”
After 45 years of collecting those objects of beauty, the shelves lining Poppenheimer’s walls are brimming with personal treasures. He says he appreciates the fine craftsmanship and special details of antique creations like the shiny copper hot dog vending bin that’s part of his collection. “It seems like in the early days, craftsmen were much prouder then of what they made,” he said, adding that the fast pace of life today doesn’t always allow time for such precise work.
But Poppenheimer says he still strives for quality in his own work.
When asked if he endeavors to craft anything fine himself, he grinned as he answered, “Just my little buildings.”
(The above article was written by Jean Purdy and appeared in the DeSoto Times Today on December 12-14, 1998)
Since 1998........
Joe Poppenheimer has continued developing and building commercial shopping centers in Southaven, Hernando, and Olive Branch, expanding his commercial real estate portfolio to twenty shopping centers in DeSoto County and the Memphis area.
He has strong ties to his family, including eleven grandchildren. He and his wife, Barbara, have enjoyed travels to Europe, Alaska, and the Western United States in recent years.
Joe is continually seeking opportunities to utilize his abilities to develop new commercial shopping center locations in areas with high growth potential.