Denetrice Gray says she loves helping others.
“What brings me joy is being able to help people and stand back and smile knowing that I’ve done something that matters and that makes a difference,” she said.
Gray is the owner of a newly opened restaurant in downtown Greenwood called Tasty Sipz.
The restaurant is housed in a one-of-kind, historic location — the former Greyhound bus station at 325 Main St.
Tasty Sipz offers a wide variety of daiquiris and other drinks and a menu featuring loaded nachos, loaded baked potatoes, wings and specials.
Gray said she opened Tasty Sipz because she wanted to bring something different to downtown Greenwood.
“I looked around, and I wanted to do something that Greenwood didn’t have. I wanted to put something in Greenwood that I knew people would enjoy but at the same time where they can bring their families and eat,” she said.
Gray splits her time between Greenwood and Southaven, near her son’s high school, Power Center Academy in Memphis.
She attended J.Z. George High School, but after her family moved to Greenwood her senior year, she ended up graduating from Amanda Elzy High School.
At Mississippi State University, Gray studied communications and business. After college, she returned to Greenwood, which she considers her hometown.
A while later, a job offer took her to Huntsville, Alabama, where she resided until 2017.
Gray is the mother of three. Her oldest, Tia Gray, is an Atlanta-based model and actress who has been featured in seven movies. Her daughter DeRavian Gray of Corinth, a graduate of Mississippi Delta Community College, is a certified nursing assistant and is preparing to go to school to become a registered nurse. Her son, Marvin Ivey Jr., is a high school senior, an honor student and a standout basketball player.
While in Huntsville, Gray worked for the government, and in her spare time started a nonprofit youth organization called YANA (You Are Not Alone).
“I started YANA because my son had made a lot of friends in Alabama, and he played basketball, and he played travel ball,” she said. “A lot of his friends couldn’t afford travel ball, so he was on his own. I told him I’d help him, and I’d start a youth basketball team where we could help the kids raise money so they could play travel ball.”
Gray started with eight players, which included her son. Within six months, she said, YANA grew to eight youth travel basketball teams for grades 6-12. YANA also included a girls dance team and a cheerleading team for girls ages three to nine. The programs attracted more than 130 participants.
The group raised money through raffles and other projects and was able to travel and compete in other states, such as Kentucky, Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.
“We traveled a lot, and we did a lot of volunteering,” Gray said. “It was incredible.”
The group would hold school supply giveaways, visit nursing homes and feed the homeless.
As soon as word spread about YANA’s success, parents and teachers began volunteering as coaches, tutors and counselors, Gray said.
“In order to be a part, you could not get in trouble at school and you had to have passing grades,” she said.
Gray resided in Huntsville for 16 years and operated YANA for seven of those.
“I just really love children. That’s my passion,” she said. “Even when my kids were growing up, my daughter would tell everybody we were the neighborhood house. Everybody stayed with us.”
Gray said other children in the community would say, “Hi, Mom,” whenever they would see her.
“My daughter would say, ‘My mom is probably mother to 30 or 40 kids,’” Gray said. “I love kids, and if I can help, I don’t mind helping a person.”
Even though she frequently visited Greenwood, Gray returned to Mississippi in 2017 to be near family.
“I’m the only girl, and I wanted to move back closer to my mom who still lives in Greenwood,” she said. “My whole family mostly lives in Greenwood.”
Gray first moved to Southaven, where she still has a house, but began staying more and more in Greenwood and is now a part-time resident.
When she came back, she continued giving back to youth under an organization she started called Vision. The group gave away 63 prom dresses, held an Easter egg hunt and teamed with nonprofit Sarah’s Touch for a school supply giveaway.
Gray said because Greenwood has many great youth organizations already established, she’d rather be a volunteer than start another one.
“I’d rather offer my time or offer what I can to help,” she said.
Gray said she’s been overwhelmed by the community’s support of Tasty Sipz, which is managed by Denise Wallace.
“The community has embraced it,” she said. “I can honestly say I had no idea it would get the kind of community involvement and the people there that it has. The mayor and (city leaders) have been there supporting it.”
The idea for the restaurant started with just a daiquiri shop. Gray, however, needed to have food items on the menu, so she selected food she enjoys but can’t find when she’s in Greenwood.
“I wanted to do something they didn’t have in Greenwood and bring with that a menu you couldn’t find anywhere else,” said Gray. “Our shirts are rainbow-colored shirts, our daiquiris are all different flavors, and my tables are all different colors, and that’s what I really love about it.”
People have asked Gray why she wanted to start a restaurant and daiquiri shop in Greenwood.
“That’s home, and I wanted it to be there,” she said. “If I do something and it’s going to be great, I want it to be at home and be great.”
•Contact Ruthie Robison at 581-7233 or rrobison@gwcommonwealth.com.
