Business Happenings

Now Open

Magic Milkshakes & More, a new milkshake shop owned by Lake Cyrus residents Monti & Shana Osman, opened its doors for business on Dec. 17 at 2801 John Hawkins Parkway in the Galleria Trace Plaza shopping center. It's a 2,500-square-foot spot formerly occupied by Pivot Fitness.

205-761-1008, magicmilkshakesmore.com

Coming Soon

A restaurant called HQ BBQ & Hot Pot plans to open in the former location of The Juicy Crab at 2740 John Hawkins Parkway in the Colonial Promenade Hoover shopping center.

need to seek approval from the city again because the council vote on Jan. 17 limited him to two homes on the property.

The Hoover City Council awarded Wayne Davis Construction of Montevallo a $150,787 contract to replace a culvert on Sulphur Springs Road.

205-665-1183, waynedavisconstruction.com

The BancorpSouth branch at 475 Southland Drive has completed its transformation to the Cadence Bank brand after the merger of the two banks last year, including new signage on the exterior of the building. 205-822-2566, cadencebank.com

The Hoover City Council has awarded Bama Utility Contractors of Fultondale a $1.56 million contract to improve a sewer pump station in the Applecross community.

205-849-7826

Personnel Moves

Sherwin-Williams has opened two new paint stores in Hoover — one in late November in a 12,500-square-foot building at 6309 Adena Lane in The Shoppes at Adena Lane next to Tattersall Park shopping center and a second one on Dec. 22 at 1051 Amber Drive in the Stadium Trace Village shopping center between Longhorn Steakhouse and Chipotle Mexican Grill. Adena Lane: 205-734-4547, Stadium Trace: 205-518-7977, sherwin-williams.com

Removery Tattoo Removal & Fading has opened a new office in the Diamond Head Building at 1957 Hoover Court, Suite 312. The new office started doing consultations with customers in January and expects to begin doing actual tattoo and ink removal in February.

866-465-0090, removery.com

Birmingham-based K&J’s Elegant Pastries opened its second location in Ross Bridge in late December called K&J’s Elegant Pastries & Creamery at 3601 Market St., Suite 101, in the former Dreamcakes location. The shop specializes in custom cakes and other sweet treats, including cupcakes, pastries, cookies, cinnamon rolls, ice cream, sundaes and “Kolossal Milkshakes.” 205-842-8357, kjselegantpastries.com

Urgent Team, a company that operates urgent and family care centers in 77 locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee, plans to open two urgent care clinics in Hoover under its Physicians Care Walk-In Clinic brand. One is scheduled to take up 2,600 square feet in the new Hoover Crossings shopping center at 1539 Montgomery Highway, Suite 101, according to the Hoover Building Inspections Department. The other is slated to go in the 3,108-squarefoot former Backyard Burgers location at 1989 Montgomery Highway. Building permits have been obtained for both locations, and the company hopes to open both locations in late March, spokeswoman Amy Thomas said. 615-988-2000, urgentteam.com/brand/ physicians-care

JP Morgan Chase plans to open its fourth Chase Bank branch in Alabama in the Stadium Trace Village development in Hoover. The bank will be on the corner of John Hawkins Parkway and Stadium Trace Parkway behind Aldi. The other Alabama locations are in Auburn, Tuscaloosa and downtown Birmingham. chase.com

Relocations And Renovations

The Chick-fil-A at 3020 John Hawkins Parkway has received approval from the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission to redesign its parking lot and drivethrough lanes to include a double drive-through lane around the building. The interior of the building also will be renovated, city officials said. 205-987-7568, chick-fil-a.com

News And Accomplishments

The city of Hoover has hired Lathan Architects to do design work for conversion of nine athletic fields to artificial turf surfaces, including seven fields at Hoover city parks and the varsity baseball fields at both Hoover and Spain Park high schools. The estimated cost is $9 million, City Administrator Allan Rice said. 205-988-9112, lathanassociates.com

Burn Boot Camp has welcomed Olivia Stringer back to its Hoover location at 1021 Brock’s Gap Parkway, Suite 121, as the interim lead trainer there. Stringer played volleyball two years at Birmingham-Southern College and graduated from there in May 2022 with a major in health sciences. She is certified personal trainer and has been a support trainer at Burn Boot Camp’s Homewood location the past two years. Burn Boot Camp also has added Sierra Awtrey as a trainer at the Hoover location and Ashley Nolin as a trainer at both the Hoover and Meadow Brook locations. Awtrey has worked in the fitness industry since she was 15 and is a former cross-country and track athlete at the University of Montevallo. She has a bachelor’s degree in exercise science with a minor in business. She is a certified personal trainer and holds certifications ranging from nutrition to reformer pilates. Nolin was a gymnast for 12 years and cheerleader for six years. She graduated from Auburn University with a degree in apparel merchandising and a minor in business. She also is a certified personal trainer and recently won first place in all categories in her first National Physique Committee bodybuilding competition. Hoover: 205-335-1884, Meadow Brook: 205-903-8154, burnbootcamp.com

Alfa Insurance agent Ben Franklin opened a new office in a 2,000-square-foot space in the Bluff Park Village shopping center Nov. 1, and the office became fully operational in January. Franklin and associate agent Hope McCormack moved to the new office from the Columbiana Road location in Vestavia Hills. That office remains with two other agents in it. Franklin has been with Alfa nine years and been in the insurance business since 1999. 205-421-4299, alfainsurance.com/benfranklin

Sonic Drive-In has opened its new restaurant at 30 Meadowview Drive in the Meadow Brook area, just off U.S. 280. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. 205-637-6769, sonicdrivein.com

Mavis Tires & Brakes opened a new location at 6301 Adena Lane at The Shoppes at Adena Lane in Hoover, next to Tattersall Park, on Dec. 29. 205-949-4316, mavis.com

Pizza Hut has opened in the former Taco Bell location in the Publix shopping center on Valleydale Road. This location offers carry out and delivery and is open seven days a week from 10am-8pm.

205-778-1905, pizzahut.com

After Shock LLC on Jan. 17 failed to get approval from the Hoover City Council to build an automobile washing facility at 3441 Morgan Road on an outparcel of the Publix shopping center at the intersection of Morgan Road and South Shades Crest Road. A motion to approve the request died because no one would second the motion. The name of the car wash on sketches submitted to the city was Shine Time

The Hoover City Council on Jan. 17 gave David Hare approval to use the Hare Farm at 613 Sanders Road and 2421 Savoy St. as an event venue for events such as a Christmas fair, marketplaces, seasonal pumpkin patch, weddings, corporate parties, and birthday parties. David and Teresa Hare purchased almost 9 acres of the former Smith Farm in Bluff Park in 2019. The property currently includes a house, barn, pond, expansive grassy areas and some trees. Hare said the barn will be a key part of the venue, but he also plans to build an open-air pavilion, 20-by-40-foot meeting room and walking trail on the site as well. Eventually, he may want to build himself a new home on the property as well, and that’s one reason he wanted the property rezoned from an R-1 single-family residential district to a planned residential district zoning, he said. He also may want to add additional homes on the property in the future, but if he did that, he would

David Custred has joined ACCi (American Computer Consultants Inc.), a company that offers information technology and cybersecurity services, as director of operations for its Birmingham-area office at 2496 Valleydale Road. Custred previously was vice president of operations for McLeod Software, where he worked since 1998. He also is the immediate past chairman of the board for the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce. 205-987-8711, acci.business.site

Anniversaries

Wellness Worx at 3055 Lorna Road celebrated its first anniversary in December. 205-721-3635, thiswellnessworx.com

Fancy Fur Pet Grooming & Boutique is celebrating its 15th anniversary at its Inverness location. The company offers specialty pet items and food, as well as grooming for all breeds. 205-408-1693, fancyfurpets.com

Closings

The Juicy Crab location in the Colonial Promenade Hoover shopping center at 2740 John Hawkins Parkway has closed. thejuicycrab.com

The Krispy Kreme at 5357 U.S. 280 has closed. krispykreme.com

Have a community announcement? Email Jon Anderson at janderson@ starnesmedia.com to be considered for inclusion in an upcoming issue.

Lucy Helland, a sixth grade student at Bumpus Middle School, was crowned Miss Yellowhammer State Preteen 2023 on Oct. 25, and will compete in a USA National Preteen pageant in Hollywood, Florida, in July 2023. Photo by Jon Anderson.

Hoover 12-year-old named Miss Yellowhammer State Preteen

By JON ANDERSON

Lucy Helland, a sixth grade student at Bumpus Middle School, won the Miss Yellowhammer State Preteen pageant this fall, for the second year in a row.

Helland, the 12-year-old daughter of Nick and Stacy Helland, now advances to a USA National Preteen pageant in Hollywood, Florida, in July 2023. She placed as first runner-up in the national pageant this past July.

The pageant includes a private interview, talent competition and opportunities to model evening wear, casual wear and fun fashion wear. Participants in the pageant also will compete for scholarship money based on their community service activities.

Helland for the past two years has collected handwritten letters and cards to be given to people in nursing homes, foster children, members of the military and patients at Children’s of Alabama hospital. Her goal is to bring smiles to people’s faces with “happy mail.” courtesy of Hoover Public Library.

Helland also serves as a junior ambassador for Garrett’s Place, an organization in Bessemer that works to meet the needs of foster children. Last year, Helland collected enough money to buy more than 250 new pillows for foster children at Christmas, and this year she raised enough money to buy 500 new pillows and 500 new blankets.

Helland is a straight-A student at Bumpus and enjoys dancing and playing volleyball.

People visit the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama table to learn about volunteer opportunities at the 2022 Kindness Summit at the Hoover Public Library.