Village Living Volume 7 | Issue 10 | January 2017
Making an Impact
The full extent of Alex Peters’ role in a Samford basketball game goes far beyond the box score.
See page A16
New Year, New You
Videographer Chandler Wallace is stepping in front of the camera for the “New Year, New You” campaign by Meta Fitness.
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School House A20 Community ....A24 Faith ...............A26 Calendar ..........B14
neighborly news & entertainment for Mountain Brook
2017 A
LOOK AHEAD T
DEMOLITION UPDATES, A8
By LEXI COON
he new year often brings about changes, and during 2017, Mountain Brook has a few renovations planned. Starting with one of the city’s major problems, traffic, the City Council has approved the help of Sain Associates to pursue the possibility of adding roundabouts to the intersection of U.S. 280, Cahaba Road, Culver Road and Lane Parke Road. The project has been approved for federal funding, and while there isn’t any construction planned for the near future, Sain Associates will be gathering information via environmental studies, minimal surveying and traffic counts in the area. They are hoping to have more information to present at a public involvement meeting near the end of the year. Renovation plans will continue down the road to the Birmingham Zoo, where it is entering the second phase for its Renew the Zoo initiative. This year, the zoo is planning to bring its event lawn to life, which will be in the area that previously held the fishponds. The lawn will be able to hold up to 3,000 standing visitors and will be available for events including weddings, corporate dinners and concerts. Senior Vice President Chris Pfefferkorn said the lawn is expected to be finished by late 2017.
ZOO RENOVATIONS, A6
ROAD UPDATES, A7
See A LOOK AHEAD | page A6
Looking long-term: Brookwood Village has plan for vacancies
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By LEXI COON
Inside the food court at Brookwood Village. Photo courtesy of Cypress Equities.
Brookwood Village has been open for more than 40 years, and the mall itself is more than 600,000 square feet. It recently underwent massive renovations that cost $20 million and services thousands locally. And while shoppers walk past empty storefronts, Brookwood
officials have a plan. “Everybody just sees there’s a vacancy here and there, and says, ‘Oh, so-and-so left,’” said Matt Lukas, director of asset management for Brookwood Village. Lukas works for Arrow Retail,
See BROOKWOOD | page A27
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Village Living
VillageLivingOnline.com
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A4 • January 2017
Village Living
About Us Editor’s Note By Jennifer Gray Goodbye 2016, hello 2017! It’s like having a blank slate — a do-over. This year you will stick with your resolutions. These are some of the thoughts that run through many heads this time of year. What are your goals? What are your dreams for 2017? As you map out your new year, take a look in this month’s issue to get some inspiration and ideas. In preparation for the start of a new year, we’ve put together a preview of what’s in store for the city of Mountain Brook. Projects range from traffic studies on roundabouts near Mountain Brook Village to the planned expansion at the Birmingham Zoo. You’ll find all the details inside. This is also the month that the city and the chamber recognize some important contributions to our community. This year, the Jemison Award winner is Hatton Smith. Smith is being recognized for giving back to the community through his work advising nonprofits as well as past work in fundraising for projects around Birmingham and Mountain Brook. Also recognized for their service to the community will be Western Supermarkets. As the recipient of the William Tynes
Award, Western is being recognized for their fundraising and support of the Emmet O’Neal Library. As the host of the annual Wine and Food Festival that benefits the library, they have worked tirelessly to raise funds for programs that all are able to enjoy at our library. If a new year means a new you in 2017, look no further for inspiration. Mountain Brook’s Meta Fitness has partnered with one man, Chandler Wallace, on his health journey as he works to transform himself. Previously a videographer for the trainer he has partnered with, now he is going in front of the camera to document his progress. He hopes to inspire others, and in the process, they are raising money for Children’s of Alabama. So set those goals…give back more this year, work on improving your health, or get to know your neighbors better. It’s going to be a great year!
PHOTO OF THE MONTH Lights illuminate the tree outside of Bromberg’s in Mountain Brook Village on Dec. 16. Photo by Sarah Finnegan.
Village Living Publisher: Editor: Managing Editor: Design Editor: Director of Digital Media: Director of Photography: Sports Editor: Page Designers: Community Editor: Community Reporters: Staff Writers: Copy Editor:
Dan Starnes Jennifer Gray Sydney Cromwell Kristin Williams Heather VacLav Hooper Sarah Finnegan Kyle Parmley Cameron Tipton Emily VanderMey Erica Techo Jon Anderson Jesse Chambers Lexi Coon Emily Featherston Sam Chandler Louisa Jeffries
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Published by: Village Living LLC Legals: Village Living is published monthly. Reproduction or use of editorial or
graphic content without prior permission is prohibited. Village Living is designed to inform the Mountain Brook community of area school, family and community events. Information in Village Living is gathered from sources considered reliable but the accuracy cannot be guaranteed. All articles/photos submitted become the property of Village Living. We reserve the right to edit articles/photos as deemed necessary and are under no obligation to publish or return photos submitted. Inaccuracies or errors should be brought to the attention of the publisher at (205) 313-1780 or by email.
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January 2017 • A5
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A6 • January 2017
Village Living
A LOOK AHEAD
One of the major projects for 2017 is renovating the Birmingham Zoo’s event lawn, which will hold about 3,000 standing visitors. Renderings courtesy of Birmingham Zoo.
ZOO RENOVATIONS By LEXI COON Throughout the past year, zoo guests encountered varying degrees of construction, particularly in the space that once held large fishponds. But the zoo isn’t done there. As part of its Renew the Zoo initiative, the Birmingham Zoo has the next two to three years planned out to make the space more inviting for families and larger groups, including a new entrance and an Asian Passage. The first on the list, however, is to complete construction on an event lawn. Construction for the lawn began with their initial renovations, which focused on filling in the previously existing fishponds and rehousing any inhabitants to different locations. “The animal care staff spent a lot of time removing the fish and the turtles from the ponds before we completely drained it,” said Chris Pfefferkorn, senior vice president of the Birmingham Zoo. The zoo also installed a rainwater catch system, which recycles any rainfall to water the lawn in the future.
The next step for the open space will be to install infrastructure needed to connect it to the rest of the zoo and make it a viable space for different types of events. “We are putting in utilities into the lawn so that we have plug-in capabilities for events and lighting for the lawn,” Pfefferkorn said. Once those additions are all complete, soil and sod will be brought in to bring the lawn to life. “We’re going to try to incorporate some small hills and different topography in there as well,” he said, which will also help create a space for children to run around during their visit. Designed to be flexible to meet any event needs, the lawn will be able to hold about 3,000 standing visitors, which puts concerts in the realm of possibility. “We’ll be putting in a stage pad, which will allow us to bring in portable stages,” Pfefferkorn said, adding that the stage could serve as a music, theater or movie venue. “The opportunities are endless.” The stage will face away from the animals and toward the proposed new entrance, and to be sure that the music won’t
The event area will include a stage pad, which can serve as a music, theater or movie venue.
affect the surrounding animals, a series of noise tests would be done. “You study the animals; you measure their behavior and activity and response and things like that,” Pfefferkorn said. “Animal welfare is our top priority here, so we wouldn’t be doing things that are detrimental to the animals.” Although the lawn isn’t near completion, marketing coordinator Kiki Nolen-Schmidt said they already have a wait for possible events. “They have a running list of ‘As soon as we can get out on it,’” she said, mentioning that the zoo will want to have some of its own events there as well. The event lawn is expected to be finished by late 2017, with a new entrance following in 2018 and the Asian Passage completing the Renew the Zoo initiative in 2019. The zoo has raised just under $17 million, and it is committed to not exceeding the estimated $18 million, Pfefferkorn said. “We want the Birmingham Zoo to be an asset to the city of Birmingham as well as the citizens and the region,” he said. “[The renovations] just give us more opportunity to do that.”
VillageLivingOnline.com
January 2017 • A7
ROAD UPDATES By LEXI COON In the upcoming years, Mountain Brook may see major traffic changes to an area that is constantly plagued by congestion: the intersection where U.S. 280, Cahaba Road, Culver Road and Lane Parke Road meet. After noticing a problem a few years ago, the city of Mountain Brook conducted a feasibility study with the city of Birmingham and the Alabama Department of Transportation to determine the best course of action. Their solution was roundabouts. “We looked at options for those intersections and if it could be eligible for federal funds,” said Alicia Bailey, transportation team leader at Sain Associates, who helped conduct the initial feasibility study. The project did qualify for federal funds, which means that Mountain Brook will only pay 10 percent of the cost for the renovations. When looking at the project, the company and the cities looked at the purpose and need for enhancements to the intersection. They analyzed the congestion and safety concerns for both drivers and pedestrians in that area and Bailey said the current intersection can be confusing and there isn’t much connectivity for pedestrians. “Right now, a lot of the sidewalks just come up and stop,” she said. “The intersection improvement that most satisfied the purpose and need was [roundabouts].” The first, smaller traffic circle would connect U.S. 280 with Cahaba Road and Culver Road and lead a transition into the second traffic circle, which would connect U.S. 280 with Cahaba Road and Lane Parke Road, as well as the Lane Parke developments. By implementing two roundabouts, the hope is to increase the safety by reducing the points of direct conflict and creating a continuous flow of traffic throughout both intersections, Bailey said.
“If anything, it helps to have them in a sequence,” she said. “There’s more angular crashes [in roundabouts], which tend to be less severe than a crash … that is 90 degrees.” Pedestrians would be safer walking through a roundabout as well because they only have to cross one lane of traffic at a time before they reach a refuge island, she said, and the new designs would be looking carefully at the APPLE Sidewalk Study that Mountain Brook has moved forward with. Sain Associates is working on the first phase of the project, which involves analyzing the possible environmental impact of the traffic circles on the surrounding community, collecting traffic counts and reviewing the preliminary designs based on their findings. From there, Sain may decide to alter the preliminary designs and meet again with the stakeholders. Despite having a tentative course of action,
A preliminary design for the proposed roundabout. Renderings courtesy of Mountain Brook.
Survey limits showing the general area where information and traffic counts will be collected.
Bailey said there is still a long way to go before any groundbreaking occurs, possibly even five years. “It takes a lot of time when you’re dealing with federal money,” she said. To make sure the ultimate goal of creating an enhanced intersection is met, public involvement is key, and Bailey is encouraging community members to attend future informational meetings.
“A lot of times you have a lot of negative comments because the people who support it don’t come [to the meetings],” she said. “It’s really important for us to get a lot of positive feedback, too; because then it gives you a more true picture of what the community is saying.”
A8 • January 2017
Village Living
DEMOLITION UPDATES
SENIOR SAFETY
By ERICA TECHO
By ERICA TECHO
There is about to be a lot of activity around Mountain Brook Shopping Center. Starting mid-January, the portion of the shopping center that used to house the old Western Supermarket, Ollie Irene and Smith’s Variety will be demolished. The portion from the Rite Aid to the edge of the building will remain standing. Demolition will take six to eight weeks, said Evson Inc. President John Evans, and work does not stop there. There are also plans to construct a new culvert behind Mountain Brook Shopping Center, extending under Lane Parke Road to the Botanical Gardens. The new culvert will replace a 50-year-old culvert that has been behind the shopping center since Evans’ grandfather built the property. Despite the demolition and construction plans that are in place, Evans said they are working for there to be as little disruption as possible. “We’ve committed ourselves to the [Lane Parke] first phase tenants that their customers should be able to come and go with as little inconvenience as possible,” Evans said. While there might be a few delays around Mountain Brook Shopping Center, they plan to keep Montevallo Drive open, and there will always be access from Montevallo Drive to the new Western Supermarket, said Bill McReynolds, senior program manager with Hoar Program Management. As the project progresses, McReynolds said many people have asked when Jemison Lane will be completed. The hope is for that road, which will run through the current Regions Bank on Montevallo Drive, to be completed in late fall this year.
The Mountain Brook Fire Department is adding another effort to help the city’s senior residents stay safe. Fire Marshal Leland Rhudy will hold classes on “Remembering When,” a program developed by the National Fire Protection Agency that focuses on fire and fall prevention. “It’s developed for older adults to live at home for as long as possible,” Rhudy said. This is the first time the program will be offered in Mountain Brook. It is cenRemembering When is a program developed by tered on 16 messages, Rhudy the National Fire Prevention Association. Mountain Brook Fire Marshal Leland Rhudy said he looks said, with eight focusing forward to bringing fire and fall prevention education on fire prevention and eight to the community. Photo by Erica Techo. focusing on fall prevention. Fire prevention tips focus on what people learn The first Remembering When course is from a young age, includJan. 18 at Canterbury United Methodist ing to never leave things unattended in Church. The program is at 2 p.m. and the kitchen, to make sure there is space takes between 45 minutes and an hour. between space heaters and any burnable In addition to the course, attendees materials and to maintain working smoke will receive handouts, including a list of alarms. The program also encourages emergency phone numbers they can keep seniors to plan their escape route, in the by their telephone. case of a fire, around their abilities. Rhudy said he hopes to host about five Fall prevention tips encourage senior or six Remembering When courses that adults to exercise regularly and to make are open to the public throughout the year, sure their paths are clear and well lit both but said groups are welcome to call the in and around the house. fire department to set up courses for a “It’s the small things that you lose specific group. mobility on,” Rhudy said, adding that a “We just want to prevent injuries and fall can cause a senior adult to lose their help them live safely at their house,” mobility and possibly their ability to live Rhudy said. at home independently.
Mountain Brook Shopping Center, the former location of Western Supermarket. Photo by Sarah Finnegan.
“It all has to happen in sequence,” McReynolds said. Once the old Western is demolished, Regions Bank will start work on its new location — which will be located across the street. They have seven months to complete the project and get the new location up and running, McReynolds said, after which they will demolish the current location and be able to finish Jemison Lane. “This whole thing is a ballet of do the demolition, get out of their way,” Evans said. The city of Mountain Brook has been brought up to speed on the demolition and construction plans for the area, McReynolds said, to ensure fire, police and other city officials know what is going on around the Lane Park area. “We’ve worked with the city for 10 years, and we thought it was our obligation to keep them up to speed with our plans,” Evans said.
VillageLivingOnline.com
January 2017 • A9
City Council reviews plans for Athletic Complex hydration station By LEXI COON After dealing with a troublesome water fountain at the Mountain Brook High School ball fields, Mary Margaret Hendry, her husband, Jeff Hendry, and Jim Noles came up with a plan to renovate the water fountain: the Hydration Station. Currently, the team has two detailed plans for the station. The first is a four-sided, free-standing unit that would sit near the existing flag pole and planter and would have both fountains and water bottle refilling stations. After realizing the cost of their first option, which would range between $70,000 and $100,000, the group opted to develop another plan. This secondary plan involves renovating the current water fountain on the side of the storage building to include a new water fountain and a water bottle refilling station, which would cost about half the amount of the first plan, ranging between $35,000 and $50,000. While both options may or may not include misting nozzles to help cool patrons, the group has decided that they would like to fund this project through donations to the baseball team. From those donations, 80 percent would go toward the Hydration Station and 20 percent would go back to the team. “Nobody else has something like this that we can find,” said Jeff Hendry, speaking of the four-sided stand-alone station. The group’s biggest concern is raising the proper amount of funds to have the project completed by March 2017, which is the beginning of baseball season, although they would like to start fundraising as soon as possible. Of those who choose to donate, there are four levels of sponsors, with the top sponsors earning a “Corporate Sponsor” plaque that would hang above the station. Other sponsors would
Multiple plans were proposed for a hydration station, which will be funded through fundraising for the baseball team. Courtesy of city of Mountain Brook.
have recognition appropriately matching their donation level. “This [station] is broad based,” said Mary Margaret Hendry, adding that a variety of patrons would use the station for water. “We just wanted to leave something behind from our team.” Renovations within Mountain Brook also continued to the Gaywood Circle and the Williamsburg Circle. As Shanda Williams, superintendent of the Parks and Recreation Department, reported, the renovations to Gaywood Circle would include adding stone to the flagstaff patio, new mulch and re-sodding the area. The cost of the project is budgeted to $1,905, and under current policies, the circle only qualifies for funding of $1,000 from the city. Residents have agreed to
pay the difference for the project. At the Williamsburg Circle, the city would only be replacing the existing plants with ferns and re-mulching the area, which would total to about $677. This project also qualifies for funding from the city, and because it is under $1,000, leaves no payment to the residents, although it would not be maintained by the city. Also at the meeting on Dec. 12, the city: ► Approved the minutes of the meeting on Nov. 28. ► Approved a resolution ratifying the transfer of cash/surplus between funds as of and for the year ended Sept. 30, 2016. ► Approved a resolution reaffirming the city’s commitment to promote safe workplace guidelines with respect to the city’s workers’ compensation program.
► Approved a resolution authorizing the execution of an agreement with Con-site Services, Inc. for the grinding and removal of trees and organic materials stockpiled at Public Works. ► Approved a resolution authorizing the execution of a professional services agreement with Gresham, Smith & Partners for the design of the Caldwell Mill Road Bridge replacement. ► Approved a resolution setting a public hearing for Jan. 10, 2017, at 7 p.m. to consider an ordinance amending Chapter 129 of the City of Mountain Brook Municipal Code, Articles III, IV, V, VII, XVIII, XIX, XX regarding building limitations in residential zoning districts, use exemptions, exceptions to require setbacks for architectural features and accessory buildings on residential lots. ► Approved a resolution authorizing the execution of an assignment and assumption of maintenance agreement between the city and ISBI Cahaba Village, LLC and Cahaba Village Properties, LLC with respect to the “Agreement for the Cooperative Maintenance of Public Right of Way,” previously authorized upon the adoption of Resolution No. 2014-118 on Sept. 22, 2014. ► Approved a resolution authorizing the execution of an agreement between the city and C.S. Beatty Construction, Inc. with respect to its donation of materials and services for the installation of a trail loop and memorial bench foundation along the Jemison Trail. ► Approved a contract with Bhate Geoscience Inc. to conduct testing for the foundation of the Watkins Branch pedestrian bridge, not to exceed $2,250, and subject to final review by the council. The next meeting will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m.
A10 • January 2017
Village Living
Events Jemison Park hosting tree planting
Mountain Brook Junior High principal Donald Clayton introduces their teacher of the year, John Phillips. Photo by Lexi Coon.
Board of Education celebrates accomplishments By LEXI COON During its monthly meeting on Dec. 12, the Board of Education had much to recognize before the holidays, the majority of which was the Mountain Brook student body. Starting with Mountain Brook Elementary School, Principal Ashley McCombs announced that the school had earned Lighthouse status from its Leader in Me program. MBE is the 241st school in the country to earn this recognition, which means the school now serves as a “beacon of effective leadership practices.” The board also recognized the Mountain Brook Junior High Kick MS Team, which held kickball games in the fall as a way to raise funds for the MS Society. Led completely by students, the MBJH Kick MS Team has raised over $100,000 in the past six years and was recognized by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Also within the junior high, counselor Jana Lee earned recognition as an Alabama Counseling Association Chapter Four Outstanding Member, which is
given to counselors in the Jefferson and Shelby county areas for doing outstanding work through their job. Continuing to the high school, the band discussed its recent trip to Hawaii to play in a performance for the 75th Pearl Harbor anniversary. During their five-day trip, the students met and spoke with veterans, experienced the culture and marched with 1,100 other students in the parade. The board also recognized both men’s and women’s cross-country teams for placing second in the state and the football team for their season, as well as Katherine Brian for being chosen as the 50th homecoming queen and Caroline Cross for being chosen as the 50th Miss Olympian. Finally, the board and present students applauded each school’s Teacher of the Year: Kathy Snyder of Brookwood Forest Elementary; Lauren Lunceford of Cherokee Bend Elementary; Amy Anderson of Crestline Elementary; Paige Slaughter of Mountain Brook Elementary; John Phillips of Mountain Brook Junior High; and Jessie Creech of Mountain Brook High School.
Friends of Jemison Park is planting seedlings on the outskirts of Jemison Park to ensure a future of stronger trees. Photo by Lexi Coon.
By LEXI COON Growing strong trees takes time, and the Friends of Jemison Park want to ensure those growing trees have a good place to spend that time. Together with the Mountain Brook Tree Commission and local garden clubs, the FJP will be planting trees on the outskirts of Jemison Park Jan. 22. Adapted from the Botanical Gardens’ Centennial Tree program, the Tree Commission and FJP are following a similar route in growing saplings from seeds of native trees that have been around since the ice age and planting them back in local areas. The seeds were collected a year and a half ago from Jemison Park and were raised to saplings by Mountain Brook resident Rebecca Cohn, said
Simeon Johnson, chairman of the Tree Commission. Now, the 100 American beech saplings will be planted on the periphery of Jemison Park to fill some bares spots, and the FJP and Tree Commission are hoping for more community involvement to help the park stay beautiful in the future. “These are little trees, but if we don’t plant them now then we won’t have that next generation of trees,” Johnson said. Those interested in participating can email info@friendsofjemisonpark. org and meet in the parking lot of the National Bank of Commerce at 2 p.m. on Jan. 22. Volunteers should bring a small shovel or hand trowel and possibly a pickax if the weather is cold enough to harden the ground.
VillageLivingOnline.com
January 2017 • A11
Royal Cup Coffee CEO emeritus wins Jemison Award By LEXI COON Mountain Brook thrives on being a community that gives back, so each year, the Chamber of Commerce presents the Jemison Visionary Award to those who have made significant contributions to the community. This year’s winner, Mountain Brook’s Hatton Smith, thrives on working within his community, too. “It all started in high school,” Smith said. While at Mountain Brook, he was captain of the basketball team and president of the student council. He went on to study political science at Washington and Lee University. Around the time of his graduation, his brother, William E. Smith Jr., took over his father’s position operating the Royal Cup Coffee company. “There weren’t a lot of people beating down my door to come work for them [after graduation],” he said, laughing. “My mother forced my brother to hire me, so thank you, Mother.” Smith had humble beginnings in Royal Cup, starting as a cold-call coffee salesman, but soon moved his way up to become a division manager and eventually the president and CEO. “When I operated the business, I operated it under the manifesto of the second commandment,” he said, which tells people to love your neighbor as yourself. “I think in business and in life, if you practice the second commandment as best you can, it makes for a better world.” Now, Smith is the CEO emeritus of Royal Cup, and he continues working under the second commandment both in and out of the company. Smith has been instrumental in the local community in recent years, especially in the return of the UAB football program. Through fundraising, Smith and his team were able to raise more than $35 million to restore the football team and build a new facility. He said he is hoping to continue the revival of the team by creating a new stadium for Birmingham. “The UAB football program can positively
Mountain Brook’s Hatton Smith will receive this year’s Jemison Award. Photo by Lexi Coon.
influence the culture of the city,” he said. By bringing more traffic to downtown Birmingham, he believes the area will benefit socially, culturally and economically. “UAB matters, and UAB football is just an extension of that.” He was also actively involved in the initial campaign for the Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation and in fundraising to build the Rotary Trail, which runs through downtown Birmingham. Smith currently sits on the
Birmingham-Southern College board, advises nonprofits throughout the city and helps individuals search for jobs that fit their skill sets and requirements. But it all goes back to his initial start with Royal Cup. “Royal Cup is a local company. All cities … are strengthened by how many local companies they have,” Smith said. “If Royal Cup is successful, or a local company is as successful as Royal Cup, then it affects the
psyche of the community.” By giving back to the local companies, nonprofits and individuals, Smith said he is hoping to help his community grow and instill a sense of pride in the residents. “If you are blessed with influence or gifts, you need to have a positive impact on the environment around you,” he said. “We have a great opportunity, and now is the time. And I feel like the citizenry grasps that.”
A12 • January 2017
Village Living
All In Mountain Brook adds programs in 2017 By ERICA TECHO
Western Supermarkets has helped raise funds for and support the Emmet O’Neal Library over the last year, and it will receive the William Tynes Award. Photo by Lexi Coon.
William Tynes Award given to Western Supermarkets By ALYX CHANDLER The William Tynes Award is an annual award given out by the Emmet O’Neal Library in Mountain Brook to recognize someone who has been a huge community partner. Although it is usually given out to an outstanding person in the community, this is the first year it was given out to an outstanding business in the community, Western Supermarkets, which has donated thousands of dollars to the library and made a significant difference in fundraising. In the case of Western Supermarkets, money from three local supermarkets has gone to fund author and speaker events. “We couldn’t have done it without Western Supermarkets. They’re a terrific community partner, and they just do an amazing job,” Emmet O’Neal Library Director Susan J. DeBrecht said.
Western Supermarkets has been partnering with the library for over 10 years and made the Emmet O’Neal Library the recent beneficiary of funds from the Annual Western Wine and Food Festival. DeBrecht said that the library staff usually has to be heavily involved with these types of fundraising events, but Western Supermarkets takes care of almost everything with the annual festival. “They lined up the vendors, they lined up the food vendors, they lined up the wine vendors, they probably have over a hundred tables of wine and food and then they set everything up and take everything down. They start working this about a year in advance,” DeBrecht said. The award will be given out at the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce Annual Luncheon on Jan. 24.
All In Mountain Brook is working to expand its reach throughout the community with new programs in the new year. “We want to make sure we’re covering all facets of our community,” said Laura Hydinger, executive director of All In Mountain Brook. This year, All In has added a night of speakers geared toward parents of elementary school students and a series focused on parents of rising juniors and seniors “finishing strong.” They will also once again offer a spring break talk for parents and students and host Taste of Mountain Brook, an annual fundraiser. Here are the programs All In has planned:
SPRING BREAK TALK
This year’s Spring Break Talk, which features Mountain Brook Police Chief Ted Cook as well as police officer representatives from popular spring break destinations, will take place a little earlier. Rather than host it right before spring break, the event will be Jan. 30 and Jan. 31. “This year we’re trying to bump it up so that kids and parents have time to have those talks,” Hydinger said. Last year’s talk was revealing for parents, she said, and provided information on what to expect in addition to how kids can protect themselves while on spring break.
PARENTING CONFERENCE (ELEMENTARY STUDENTS)
All In Mountain Brook has hosted nights focused on parenting talks in the past, Hydinger said, and she hopes hosting one geared toward elementary school parents will help them be more proactive. Topics
ALL IN Mountain Brook Spring 2017 ► Spring Break Talk: Jan. 30 at 11:30 a.m.; Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. ► Parenting Conference: Feb. 7 at Crestline Elementary. Time TBD. ► Finishing Strong: April 4, 11 and 18. Time and location TBD. ► Taste of Mountain Brook: Sept. 17. Time TBD.
ranging from friendship to body image to social media will be offered, each featuring an expert on that subject. The topics are selected based on feedback from parents, and what they would like to know more about. “These are things that will equip them to better parent in their families,” Hydinger said. The parenting conference will take place Feb. 7 at Crestline Elementary School.
FINISHING STRONG
A new program that was developed by a rising chairman of the board, Finishing Strong will be a three-part series for the parents of rising juniors and seniors. The course aims to help parents understand what it means to finish school on a strong note, as well as to prepare parents for their students to leave for college. Finishing Strong will be April 4, 11 and 18, with each night having a separate topic. For more information about All In Mountain Brook, go to allinmountainbrook.org.
VillageLivingOnline.com
January 2017 • A13
Community support has lasting effects By LEXI COON Life can change in the blink of an eye whether you’re ready for it or not. Jann Robinson, a former Mountain Brook resident, knows that firsthand. In 2006, Robinson and her family were just getting settled in the Crestline community when her husband, Dave Robinson, was diagnosed with lymphoma. That August he was admitted to the hospital. Pregnant with her sixth child, Jann Robinson was overwhelmed to say the least. “At that time, my head was in 1,000 places,” she said. “My brain was flipped.” After hearing about what Jann Robinson and her family were going through, it wasn’t long before neighbors created the Friends of Dave Robinson. “They had just moved in to the house, and Dave was diagnosed,” said Pam Autrey. Autrey lived around the corner and had children who went to school together with Jann Robinson’s. “We wanted to support them because we both own our own businesses, and we wanted to help,” said friend and neighbor Sheri Corey. By reaching out to local residents, Corey and Autrey were able to collect enough donated goods to put on a huge, communitywide yard sale. Someone even donated a car. “We raised $25,000 to $30,000 at garage sale prices. So that just tells you how much was donated,” Autrey said. When Jann Robinson was able to bring her husband home, he saw the yard sale spread throughout the local church’s parking lot and how the community was helping his family. “He was just knocked over,” Jann Robinson said. Their support continued into Jann Robinson’s home, where friend Lisa Flake and her mother, of Caldwell-Flake interiors, worked with Reich Construction and other neighbors to help make everything feel like home during Dave Robinson’s absence. “Their love and generosity really made an indelible impression on my children and gave them much hope in the midst of transition,” Jann Robison said. “Lisa was a rock star.” Neighbors had also set up a calendar to make sure her family had a home-cooked meal every night, she said. Dave Robinson died at the end of October, but the support stayed. “I didn’t really get my head back until maybe July, August.
Jann Robinson, center, sits with close friends Sheri Corey, right and Pam Autrey, who helped her by creating the Friends of Dave Robinson. Photo by Lexi Coon.
I was functional, very functional, but it was not all there,” Jann Robinson said. “It was so nice to have that support system and the love and the protection for me [and my family] at the time.” By 2009, the tolls of the economy crash had worn on Jann Robinson’s catering business. “I started getting cancellations from holiday parties I had done for years,” she said. Eventually, she was without a job and was fighting to keep her and her home. Once again the Friends of Dave Robinson stepped in to help with another community yard sale. “It wasn’t quite as big, but
it was still good,” Corey said. Four years later, Jann Robinson caught a break when she won the CBS show “The Job,” granting her a position as assistant manager at the New York City restaurant The Palm. After two and a half years of traveling between New York and Birmingham, she returned home to her new husband and children, and settled down in Hoover. Today, she still looks back at all her friends in Mountain Brook did for her. “GoFundMe is nothing compared to what was done here,” Robinson said. “You cannot find a community like ours. There is something to be said for small towns.”
A14 • January 2017
Village Living
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VillageLivingOnline.com
Now Open Local Taco is now open at 920 Lane Parke Court. The restaurant describes itself as an eclectic and unique restaurant that embraces the simple pleasures of Tex-Mex cuisine, the traditions and character of Southern food culture, and distinct flavors of the communities in which it resides. 900-8672, localtaco.com
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Revelator Coffee is now open at 291 Rele St. in Lane Parke. This is the Birmingham-based company’s sixth location, its second in Birmingham. 703-0913, revelatorcoffee.com
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January 2017 • A15
News and Accomplishments StoneRiver Company, 110 Office Park Drive, Suite 300, a real estate company with multifamily, retail, office and industrial properties, announced that it has purchased its first property in Georgia. The property is Hampton Place Apartments, a 390-unit apartment complex in Columbus. 879-0870, stonerivercompany.com
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Anniversaries IberiaBank, 2824 Cahaba Road, celebrated its fifth anniversary on Dec. 15. 803-5915, iberiabank.com
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Business news
to share? Now Open Coming Soon
Relocation Expansion Anniversary
If you are in a brick and mortar business in Mountain Brook and want to share your event with the community, let us know.
Village Living Email dan@villagelivingonline.com
A16 • January 2017
Village Living
Sports
Relentlessly making an impact By KYLE PARMLEY
Alex Peters persevered after failing to make the junior high teams at Mountain Brook, becoming successful enough to earn a scholarship at Samford. Photos courtesy of Samford Athletics.
The full extent of Alex Peters’ impact on a game goes far beyond the box score. Take a look at the stat sheet, and he will blend in with everyone else. Not a ton of points, rebounds, assists or blocked shots. But you have to look further than that. “I’m the tough guy, the scrappy guy, the guy that’s going to dive on the floor,” Peters said. His “relentless work ethic” is what makes the Mountain Brook native a key part of Samford University’s basketball team. “There’s no ego with Alex,” said Samford head coach Scott Padgett. “He’ll do whatever it takes, whatever I ask him to do to help the team win. When he first came here, his work ethic and how hard he plays rubbed off on our team.” Peters tells the story of one of his first practices at Samford, where he baffled people with how hard he competed every second. “When I first showed up, I was diving on the floor, and people were like, ‘Man, what are you doing? You’re going to hurt somebody.’ I said, ‘I’m getting the ball,’” he said. After all, that’s the way he was taught to play at Mountain Brook High School. “When I first came here, everyone was sort of shocked, because I played that style that Bucky (McMillan) ingrained in our heads,” Peters said. Peters is willing to do the dirty work, but in the meantime, he’s also been improving his all-around game. “What I love about AP is he’s not satisfied with just that role,” Padgett said. “He’s worked his tail off to improve, and now he’s
VillageLivingOnline.com
January 2017 • A17
Peters’ high-energy style of play leaves an impact on the game in areas outside the box score.
to the point where he’s got a lot of confidence in his hook shot. He’s worked to become a better free throw shooter. He’s become a better passer out of the post. He hasn’t just settled with being the guy who dives on loose balls and takes charges. He’s worked to improve his game every year that he’s been here.”
LITTLE BY LITTLE Unlike many college athletes, Peters’ high school basketball journey was far from an easy road. In junior high, Peters did not even make the seventh- or eighth-grade teams. But for some reason, he tried out again in ninth grade. “Bucky gave me a chance,” Peters said. “We had short numbers, and when we kept him, it was more of a deal for the future,” McMillan recalled. “He hadn’t figured out the speed of the game, and he was just wiry and hadn’t developed his skills.” It would take a while, but Peters took advantage of his opportunity. He worked his way up from the freshman team to the junior varsity team before landing on the varsity squad as a junior. That season, Mountain Brook won its first basketball state championship in school history, but Peters did not see the floor much. His senior year was a different story, and Peters began to take full advantage of his 6-foot-8 frame. “All the sudden, he started realizing he was the biggest guy on the floor,” McMillan said. “Game plans started centering around him. By the end of games, opposing teams didn’t want to see him any more.” Peters averaged 9.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game on that team, which won the second consecutive state title with a 34-3 record. He initially walked on at Samford, but just a month into his start there, he earned a scholarship amid a coaching change. “Work ethic plays a huge role not only in basketball but in life,” Peters said. “I think it sets you apart. That’s one thing that I really had going for me, and I still have to this day that I think help put me above others.”
CONTINUING IMPACT McMillan said he tells more stories about Peters to his current teams than he does any
“
There’s no ego with Alex. He’ll do whatever it takes, whatever I ask him to do to help the team win. When he first came here, his work ethic and how hard he plays rubbed off on our team.
”
SCOTT PADGETT
other player. “The biggest thing with him was that he was responsible for his success because he was tough enough to take coaching and handle adversity. We coached him so hard all the time,” McMillan said. Peters remembers the preseason camps where his high school team was pushed to the point of exhaustion, but that he absorbed the message from McMillan and applied it. “It’s mainly just putting in the work and putting in the man-hours behind the scenes, and (McMillan) just demands that kind of respect that allowed us to be great,” Peters said. “He’s mentally and physically tough. He was able to take it every day,” McMillan said. Peters’ toughness, scrappiness and willingness to do the dirty work is still present in the Spartans’ program today, according to McMillan. Peters mentored a young Jack Kline, who is now playing at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. In turn, Kline rubbed off on current Mountain Brook players Trendon Watford and Ben McCool. A team can have superstars, but Peters is a staunch believer in the “little things” that make a team successful. “Most successful teams have an entire team of people willing to do the dirty work,” he said. “If you have a team full of superstars and nobody wants to do the small things that are going to win games, you’re never going to be successful. That’s just the way it is.”
A18 • January 2017
Village Living
Videographer goes behind the camera for ‘New Year, New You’ campaign By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE
Chandler Wallace, left, and Matt Crane of Meta Fitness, right, are working together for the “New Year, New You” event sponsored by Meta Fitness. Photos by Sarah Finnegan.
As a videographer, Chandler Wallace is used to being behind the camera. As the face of the fifth “New Year, New You” campaign, presented by Meta Fitness on Overton Road, the lens will be focused on him. The event was started in 2012 by Meta Fitness owner and trainer Matt Crane. After choosing a nominee and training them for seven months, Crane hosts a reveal party to raise money and awareness for the Children’s Center for Weight Management at Children’s of Alabama. “We wanted to give back and help someone who truly deserved, needed and wanted to make a change,” Crane said. “We wanted to inspire a community and empower people to make a difference in those around them.” When Wallace was hired as the videographer for Crane’s other business, Steak & Eggs Media, one of his first assignments was editing the first “New Year, New You” reveal film. “I was putting together video and telling the story of a person who had weight issues,” Wallace said. “I started thinking about how I had a more significant struggle with that than them, and that was a hang-up for me.” Wallace said since he was responsible for shooting the videos, he felt like it wasn’t appropriate for him to be considered as a nominee. The 42-year-old Chelsea resident says he has struggled with his weight most of his adult life. He has worked in video production for almost 20 years and spent the last 12 years serving as media director for two churches. “I totally have empathy for anyone who has had weight struggles,” he said. “I’ve always
VillageLivingOnline.com been super self-conscious about being a big guy. It’s time for me to make a significant change that’s permanent.” “Last year, Matt said if I ever wanted to do this to let him know,” Wallace said. “I thought about it a lot, and felt like it was time. I called Matt in October and told him if he was serious, I want to take him up on that.” Crane said he’d been waiting for Wallace to say those words, but knew he had to be ready first. Wallace’s transformation will be filmed by the third member of the Steak & Eggs Media team, Ryan Hoffman. He also plans to make a video diary and pull security camera footage from the gym as well. He would like to turn his journey into a documentary to help others. He says his goal isn’t just a number on the scale, but to have a healthier lifestyle. “I’ve seen what Matt can do with other people, and the results he’s gotten. I’ve always been in awe of what he has been able to accomplish with folks,” Wallace said. Crane began training Wallace in December. Their routine will consist of 45-minute circuit style resistance training sessions three times per week. His goal is for Wallace to experience a better quality of life for him and his Crane works with Wallace on a fitness routine for the new year. family. “This is not ‘The Biggest Loser,’” Crane said. “This is real from friends and family. people, real lives, real problems, dealing with things that “Weight loss is the hardest thing in the world to do,” he everyone can relate to.” said. “It’s a cycle of the more you gain, the worse things get. Wallace, who has recently started wearing a Fitbit to keep It’s harder to backtrack. I’m not one go give advice on this up with his steps and heart rate, says he does have knee and yet, but hopefully will be in the future. One day, if what I do ankle pain from the extra weight. He hopes as he loses weight, could help someone else, that would be incredible.” it becomes less significant. He believes doing this publicly Wallace’s transformation will be revealed at the 2017 “New may put a little extra pressure on him by having accountability Year, New You” event at Iron City at the end of July.
January 2017 • A19
Crane describes Wallace like a brother, and said this year’s event will have a special meaning to him. “I can’t think of another way to make it more personal than Chandler,” he said. “He’s seen it all and knows the ins and outs of the process. This one will have a different meaning to me.” For more information, go to metafitstudio.com or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
A20 • January 2017
Village Living
School House BWF Girls on the Run team holds reception The Brookwood Forest Girls on the Run team held a reception to thank custodial and cafeteria workers for all they do every day. While the Girls on the Run program does have a healthy exercise component, the heart of the program is developing a healthy self-image and other fundamental leadership skills. Part of the yearly process includes the team targeting a specific service project to benefit the community. This year the team looked within the school to honor a group of people very close to the hearts of the students and teachers in creating
a day to celebrate custodians and cafeteria workers. The Girls on the Run group scheduled a meeting with the school administration to share their idea, created treats for each worker, decorated the school, and held a formal reception for the workers in the school conference room on Tuesday, November 15. The support workers were touched by the thoughtful gesture, and the Girls on the Run group was thrilled to impact the school with such a special service project. – Submitted by Kathleen Woodry.
Pictured are BWF Girls on the Run participants and BWF staff. Photo courtesy of Kathleen Woodry.
BWF celebrates Veterans Day On November 4, Brookwood Forest Elementary held its 50th Annual Veterans Day performance. Students in fourth, fifth and sixth grade showed their appreciation of all veterans during the performance. The morning started with a reception in the lunchroom that included veterans, students, parents and local dignitaries. Immediately following the reception, veterans were led through the Hallway of Veterans to reserved seating in the auditorium. The hallway was adorned with patriotic artwork, thank you notes and pictures of veterans related to various students and staff members. The performance started with a slide show presentation of photos of students’ family members who are veterans.
Students then sang a medley of songs and service hymns under the direction of Debbie Rakes, the BWF music teacher. Veterans in the audience were also honored with a special pinning ceremony. As their names were called, students placed a flag pin on each veteran. The performance closed with the singing of “God Bless America,” during which the audience was invited to join in. Many thanks to Veterans Day Chair Jana Rome, Kelly Pankey, Christy Lee, Meg Lilly, Tona Hitson, Tracy Johnson and Darcie Plowden; Reception Committee Leslie Armstrong, Margaret Opolka and Kelly Morris; and Decorations Amy Sanders. – Submitted by Kathleen Woodry.
Celebrating the Veterans Day performance are Carlie McMillan, Dr. Gary Monheit, Owen McMillan and Miles McMillan. Photo courtesy of Kathleen Woodry.
VillageLivingOnline.com
January 2017 • A21
Elementary schools are running for fitness The physical education departments at all four Mountain Brook elementary schools adopted a new program this year called Running for Fitness. The goal is to introduce children to the benefits of both a healthy lifestyle and the idea of running/walking to help achieve physical fitness. One or two days a week, each school uses a PE class to allow the kids to run/ walk and record their distance covered for the day. The PE teachers will keep a log of these miles and will add them up over the course of the school year. Each school also encourages and honors the miles the kids run while participating in local races. As an incentive, students are rewarded with car magnets as they meet the 25 and 50 mile markers in their training. The idea is for students and parents in our community to be able to readily identify that a child has achieved an amazing amount of running when they see a magnet on a car in Mountain Brook. Crestline will be identified by a blue oval magnet with the white number 25 or 50. Mountain Brook Elementary will be red and white, Cherokee Bend will be yellow and red, and Brookwood Forest will be green and white. Hopefully, the magnets will inspire and bring pride to those students for their hard work. – Submitted by Mary Evans.
Crestline sixth-grader Clark Stewart was the first student to receive the 25-mile magnet from the Crestline PE coaches. Photo courtesy of Mary Evans.
Walker and Mary Cate Cone fill water bottles at MBE’s new filling station and drinking fountain. Photo courtesy of Emily Cone.
MBE installs water bottle filling stations MBE is celebrating the installation of the first of several water bottle filling stations and drinking fountains. The Elkay’s EZH20 Rapid Water Bottle Filling Station and drinking fountain allows for students to quickly fill their water bottles, which minimizes plastic bottle waste. Students can also sip from the fountains. The first station installed is on the new playground. Several more will be installed inside the school year by VCM Sales, which assisted in making
this goal a reality by helping negotiate the purchase. Tommy Prewett at Mountain Brook Schools Facility Department was integral in facilitating the installment. The outdoor water station was funded by the playground campaign, and the remaining indoor stations have been purchased with funds raised by Boosterthon. The filling station and drinking fountain has been widely praised by MBE students and staff. – Submitted by Shaun Flynn.
MBJH announces Teacher of the Year Left to right: Jack Pflaum, Teddy Kent, Coach John Phillips, Celie Field and Isabelle Yates. Photo courtesy of Hayley Young.
John Phillips was recently named Teacher of the Year at MBJH. For 19 years, he has taught boys and girls physical education classes there. He is a National Board certified teacher in physical education. In addition to being the junior high athletic director, he coaches cross-country, basketball and track and sponsors the Spartan Council Leadership club. He loves to mentor young teachers and coaches and has had more than 20 student teachers.
When asked about this honor, he said, “I accept this award on behalf of the MBJH faculty, staff and my physical education collegues. The MB school system has always been a huge support in both my personal and professional goals. I am fortunate to work with some outstanding professionals in my department and the school who push me to be my best.” – Submitted by Hayley Young.
A22 • January 2017
Village Living Participants in the 2017 Miss Olympian Pageant, with the three winners in the center of the photo. Photo courtesy of Libby Law.
MBJH students volunteer during tutoring sessions Students volunteer with the Birmingham YMCA Youth Development Center. Photo courtesy of Anne Mitchell Welch.
Every Tuesday afternoon, the Birmingham YMCA Youth Development Center brings 20 to 25 kindergarten-third-grade age students to receive homework help and participate in fun and creative learning activities at Mountain Brook Junior High School for the Tuesday Tutoring club. There, 20 to 30 MBJH and MBHS students greet the kids and build lasting friendships. The program began over four years ago when a student at Mountain Brook Junior High and teacher Mrs. Ginny Bakken both felt a longing to serve the community. Principal Amanda Hood introduced the two to each other, and from there, they began this much-appreciated program. New this year is the addition of a program run by the Mountain Brook High School debate team called Up for Debate. For this, the YMCA brings an additional group of sixth- through eighth-grade age students who work with members from the high school debate team in order to develop public speaking skills that are beneficial to them inside and outside of the classroom. Each week, a junior high teacher volunteers his/her time in order to teach the visiting children a mini-lesson about his/her content area. Mr. Benlee Hughley, a French teacher at the junior high, taught the children the colors of
the rainbow in French with a coloring activity and a song; Mrs. Phillips, an English teacher, came up with a new twist on a favorite Katy Perry song to help the kids learn about opposites; and Ms. Townsend, an art teacher, opened up her classroom to an engaging art project. At the end of the day, students enjoy various snacks donated by some very generous members of our community. This program allows students from Mountain Brook to form concrete, lasting friendships with the younger children. Hayden Sledge, a junior at Mountain Brook High School and member of the debate team, has personally benefited from this program. Hayden is just one of many of the tutors whose life has been enriched by this program and these children. Everyone looks forward to it each and every week, which comes to show how truly impactful a program as inspiring as this one can be. There is a need for peanut-free snacks and water bottles to be donated for the kids, preferably something that is healthy and substantive. Donations can be left at the front desk of the junior high with Mrs. Nash. For more information, please contact Elizabeth Wood-Weas at woodwease@mtnbrook. k12.al.us. – Submitted by Anne Mitchell Welch.
50th MBHS Miss Olympian crowned On Saturday night, Nov. 19, Mountain Brook High School put on its 50th Annual Miss Olympian Pageant. Contestants included: Caroline Underwood, Maggie Duggan, Caroline Cross, Mary Robins Miller, Savannah Smith, Sarah Gladney, Ellie Romero, Adele Bloodworth, Lizzie Walker, Emily Donahue, Tess Levine and Molly Regan. To start off the day, all 12 contestants met with a panel of highly qualified judges for a six-minute interview. The contestants were asked a range of questions about their personal interests, accomplishments and goals. Later in the evening, the pageant staff invited all 49 previous Olympian Pageant winners to a reception to celebrate this big anniversary. To continue the celebration, past winners who were able to attend had a chance to walk the stage one more time. Then, performances were held by former Miss Olympians, Kristi Higginbotham, Jennifer Faulkner and Lea Ann Strickland. Following this, each 2017 contestant was able to showcase her talents. Talents ranged from singing to dancing, and even a monologue. Contestants then changed into their
stunning gowns for the evening wear portion of the pageant. They were assisted by Tanner Dean, Wilson Golden, Duncan Morris and Joe Martin. While each contestant was presented on stage, the emcees for the night, Kathryne Letzer and Will Leitner, provided the audience with a brief background of each girl and her activities and accomplishments. To give the contestants time to freshen up before their final walk through and crowning, performances were held by some of MBHS’s most talented boys. Performers included Harrison Gorham and Christian Huddle, Will Garrison and the high school’s male a cappella group, ABOG. After the final walk, MBHS math teacher Rodney Kornegay sang “This is the Moment,” and the contestants lined the stage for the announcements of who won. Savannah Smith was voted Miss Congeniality, Adele Bloodworth won 2nd Runner Up, Savannah Smith won 1st Runner Up, and Caroline Cross was crowned the 2017 Miss Olympian. The pageant was a great success, thanks to all of the contestants, male talent, emcees, and the Miss Olympian Pageant staff. – Submitted by Libby Law.
VillageLivingOnline.com
January 2017 • A23 CBS Assistant Principal Jennifer Galloway, Liam Kifoyle, Brennan Sanders, Thomas Austin, Libby Geisler and CBS Principal Betsy Bell stand with the donation barrels brimming with collected canned goods for the Community Food Bank. Photo courtesy of Christina Smith.
Cherokee Bend Elementary gives back The Bend’s strategic initiative of giving back to the community recently celebrated two successful philanthropic endeavors with its October Pop Tab Pandemonium campaign for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama and its November Canned Food Drive for the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama. CBS students collected 107,264 pop tabs during the Pop Tab Pandemonium campaign, paving the way toward helping pay for families and children to stay at the Ronald McDonald House while their child is receiving medical treatment at the hospital.
November’s canned food drive for the Community Food Bank of Alabama brought in over 821 pounds of canned food items for the Food Bank to utilize for approximately 680 meals, which could feed a family of four, three meals a day for almost two months. The Bend saw a successful toy drive for the YWCA of Central Alabama’s Santa’s Workshop in December, and hopes for the same result with the spring community projects for Smack Out Cancer, Birmingham Reads and Blue Bag snacks. – Submitted by Christina Smith.
CES holds Grand Circle luncheon Crestline Elementary’s Cougar Contributors held the second annual Grand Circle luncheon on Friday, November 18, in the newly renovated media center. The Grand Circle is a PTO fund development campaign that gives students’ grandparents and other special relatives a way to support the school. This year, the Grand Circle donated approximately $25,000 to Crestline to help fund classroom transformations, professional development and technology needs, among other things. Grandparents were joined by their grandchildren for lunch and a special video made by the students as a “thank you” for their support. – Submitted by Mary Evans. Connor and Blair Brown enjoyed the Grand Circle luncheon with their grandparents. Photo courtesy of Mary Evans.
MBE Book Fair celebrates books and the joy of reading MBE embraced its students’ love of books and reading in November at the annual Scholastic Book Fair. The pirate-themed “Ahoy Bookaneers!” Book Fair was held for three days. Parents and students filled the auditorium and shopped for their favorite books, posters, educational games and fun school
supplies. Parents also had the opportunity to purchase books for their child’s classroom. Staffed by PTO volunteers and MBE’s librarians, the book fair is one of the most anticipated annual events at MBE. All of the funds raised are allocated to MBE’s Library Media Center. -Submitted by Shaun Flynn.
Libby Kiyak, LMC assistant, and Margaret Hudson, head librarian, enjoy the book fair with first-grade students Arden Turnbull, Charlie Peagler and Grayson Rosemore. Photo by Shaun Flynn.
Voted
BEST OF MOUNTAIN BROOK Village Living Best Mexican Food
A24 • January 2017
Village Living
Community Local Boy Scout troop attends Blue Angels show The Blue Angels. Photo courtesy of Charles Skinner.
Boy Scout Troop 63 of Mountain Brook made the trip to Pensacola, Florida, for a Veterans Day celebration at Naval Air Station Pensacola. The troop saw the U.S. Navy Blue Angels’ homecoming show on Nov. 12, and troop member Charles Skinner captured a few
photos of the event. According to its web page, Troop 63 was formed in February of 1942 just two months after Pearl Harbor. Troop 63 has produced over 100 Eagle Scouts in those 74 years. – Submitted by Charles Skinner.
Freeman earns Eagle Scout John Freeman earned the rank of Eagle Scout from the Vulcan District Eagle Board on May 12. He is a member of Boy Scout Troop 320 at Mountain Brook Presbyterian Church, under the leadership of Frank Tynes. A Court of Honor ceremony was held on Nov. 20 to recognize John’s achievement. For his Eagle Service Project, John demonstrated his leadership in leading the repair of cabins at Camp Tranquility, a camp that was originally constructed by the CCC during the 1930s at Oak Mountain State Park and is currently used for camping activities. John has served in numerous leadership positions at Troop 320 including librarian, historian, patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader and senior patrol leader. John earned 27 merit badges and had 64 camping nights, including a high adventure trip to Philmont Scout Ranch.
John is a senior at Mountain Brook High School, where he is a member of the National Honor Society, plays on the varsity soccer team, serves as an ambassador and is active in Youth in Government and John Freeman Young Life as well as various other clubs. He is a member of St. Stephens Episcopal Church, where he serves as an acolyte. John is the son of Carolyn and John Freeman. He is the grandson of Evelyn Freeman and Robert and Sharon Amos. – Submitted by Carolyn Freeman.
Birmingham Swim League swimmers score big at local and state swim meets During the past two months, Birmingham Swim League swimmers have performed in three meets. In September, BSL hosted its Sprint Into Fall meet at the CrossPlex; in October, they traveled to Mobile for the Vance Rose Invitational; and in early November, they hosted the Speedo Cranberry Classic Invitational at the CrossPlex. Each meet at the CrossPlex included more than 600 swimmers and featured teams from Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. The meet in Mobile featured almost 400 swimmers and included teams from Lower Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. Even with well over 1,000 swimmers coming from all over the Southeast, BSL performed impressively from top to bottom. Homewood resident Jakob Icimsoy, 16, led
BSL with nine individual wins, while fellow resident Birch Ely, 16, finished with three individual wins. Wells Ely, 11, Lily Blish, 12, and Isabel Blish, 15, helped to contribute to team scoring by finishing in the top eight of several events. Vestavia residents bolstered BSL’s point totals with Adeline Carroll, 13, Jake Casey, 17, Rachel Morris, 15, Chris Rubin, 15, and John Shields, 18, placing in the top eight over several events each. Mountain Brook residents Lauren Crabtree, 16, and James Hoyt, 18, combined to win four individual events, including the Girls 50 Fly and Boys 25 Free, respectively. Several Hoover residents impacted the team point totals. Erica Han, 14, Dana Mays, 13, Nicole Smith, 17, and Ariana Zamani, 13,
combined to win 10 individual events. Fellow Hoover swimmers Caron Muir, 11, Abby Williamson, 15, and Justin Zhang, 16, also contributed points to the BSL total. To top off the impressive run, BSL swimmers have combined to qualify in 31 events for the 2017 Short Course Southeastern Championship. John Nicholson, 9, leads the team with five new qualifying events, followed closely by Dana Mays, 13, with four new qualifying events. The championship meet will be conducted in February at Auburn University. In December, BSL split between several meets, with the 12 & Unders swimming at the Santa Splash at the CrossPlex; 13 & Overs competing in Nashville; and a few select qualifiers competing at USA Swimming’s Winter Junior National Championship in Columbus, Ohio.
For more information on BSL or to join the team, visit BirminghamSwimLeague.org or email the coaches at Swim4BSL@gmail.com. – Submitted by Angela Morris.
VillageLivingOnline.com
January 2017 • A25
A26 • January 2017
Village Living
Faith Life Actually By Kari Kampakis
Be real and know who’s good for you I’ve never been a fan of pretense. Even as a little girl, if I sensed that a person was acting fake or a little hoity-toity for my taste, it made me want to run the other way. I suppose that’s why I’m glad for the cultural shift in recent years where being “real” is a popular idea. Words like transparency, vulnerability, authenticity and truth telling have gained buzz, and while pretension is still alive and kicking (thanks to social media, it’s easier than ever to put on a show), there is also a mass of people who are tired of pretending and so exhausted by the quest to impress that they’re officially over it. The irony of being real, however, is this: While we love for other people to pull back the curtain on their lives, we hesitate to do it ourselves. We’re afraid that if people knew the real scoop on us — our insecurities, flaws and struggles — they wouldn’t like us anymore. They’d be unimpressed or disappointed. This fear keeps us on the hamster wheel of pretending and putting on masks. It creates internal strife as we waffle between wanting people to think we’re a big deal and wishing to kick superficial stuff to the curb and live real, honest and simple lives. Recently, a high school principal told me that being “real” is a hot topic of conversation among the girls. I believe teens are caught in the middle of desiring what
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is real and feeling the pressures of a world that idolizes perfection, materialism and carefully crafted images. Unlike many adults, they haven’t faked it long enough to be totally good at it or comfortable with it. Unlike most kids, they’re not blissfully unaware of how to be anyone but themselves. At this crossroads, they face a choice: Do they let the world change them, or do they change the world? Do they curate an image that gets them liked and admired — or let their guard down with the people they trust so they can be loved and known? The truth is, people can’t love someone they don’t really know. And when we act pretentious, we wind up with shallow relationships and feelings of disconnect as our heart and soul get neglected. So how do we keep it real? The first step is to choose the right company. Being real takes courage, and we’ll never find the courage to be ourselves if we’re constantly surrounded by people who can’t appreciate authenticity or raw honesty. Author Bob Goff once said, “People grow where they’re accepted.” To grow into our real identity — that person who God created to be unique for a special purpose — we have to recognize which situations and people feed our soul instead of crush it. In other words, we need to know who’s good for us. We should choose our best
friends wisely, learn to recognize when a relationship is/isn’t working, and be brave enough to walk away when the warning signs appear. To know who is good for you, consider these questions: ► Do my friends like me, or do they always try to change me? ► Do I like who I am around them? ► Do they bring out the best in me? ► Do they see the best in me? ► Do they help me grow in the right direction? ► Do I feel secure in our relationship, or do I sense very little loyalty? ► Do they appreciate me, or do they act like they do me a favor by being my friend? It’s not hard to be real in one-on-one conversations. The bigger test, however, comes in group settings. Group dynamics can change people, and trying to impress the wrong people — or fit in with a certain crowd — can turn anyone into someone they’re not. It can make any of us act against our better instincts. Is it possible to set boundaries with people who aren’t good for you in ways that are still kind? Yes, it is. I believe the ultimate goal is to love everyone, knowing that some people you’ll love up close and personal, and others you’ll love at an arm’s length. You don’t tell them your deepest, darkest secrets, but
you also don’t ignore them and pretend they don’t exist. And when you reach that point when you can be the same person one-on-one as you are in a group, when you’re consistently real and honest — congratulations! That’s a sign of maturity and positive growth. Whoever you talk to, you’re still you. You’re changing the world rather than letting the world change you. Being real breaks down walls. It gives others permission to be real and attracts friends who will encourage your growth rather than stunt it. As we embark on a new year, I pray you stay true to the real you and intentionally invest in relationships that take your life in a meaningful direction and make your heart sing. Have a great 2017, my brave and beautiful friend. Kari Kubiszyn Kampakis is a Mountain Brook mom of four girls, columnist, and blogger for The Huffington Post. She has written two books for teen and tween girls, LIKED: WHOSE APPROVAL ARE YOU LIVING FOR? and 10 ULTIMATE TRUTHS GIRLS SHOULD KNOW, that are available online and everywhere books are sold. You can join Kari’s Facebook community at “Kari Kampakis, Writer,” visit her blog at karikampakis.com or contact her at kari@ karikampakis.com.
VillageLivingOnline.com
January 2017 • A27 BROOKWOOD
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Brookwood Village renovations were completed mid-2016. Photo courtesy of Cypress Equities.
an independent company that is a national investment manager and focuses solely on retail properties. He said despite any vacancies, foot traffic has been consistent throughout the mall. Although there is the idea that malls are dying, if the surrounding community is doing well and shopping at their local mall, then chances are that shopping center is doing well. “Malls succeed and fail for a variety of reasons, much of which is dependent upon the health of the surrounding community,” said Noelle Malone of the International Council of Shopping Centers. One of the many aspects people usually blame for storefront failure, particularly in malls, is online shopping, something most stores now are familiar with. “You have the internet, but it’s a piece of it,” Lukas said. “It isn’t the point to totally replace the brick and mortar of a store.” By including online storefronts, the idea is to help businesses expand their sales and reach a larger audience, he said. “Online shopping is helping retailers and property owners evolve,” Malone said. “They are implementing digital elements to create an experience for customers. Stores are offering the ability to buy online and pick up in-store to encourage in-person shopping.” Lukas doesn’t deny the impact of the other two local shopping centers, The Summit along U.S. 280 and the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover. The Summit is an open-air retail experience many shoppers look for, and the Galleria has maintained a large variety of tenants for years. However, he describes both centers as more regional retailers that draw in shoppers from different areas, something that Brookwood doesn’t have an interest in competing with. “Historically, absolutely you’d be crazy not to say [they have affected Brookwood] because they’re all going after the same people,” he said. “Where [Brookwood] sits, it’s different. We’re going to be really bonding with the town and local community.” That community connection started with the mall’s most recent renovations. Renovations were completed mid-2016 and worked on both interior and exterior features. Focusing on contemporary and modern architecture with
a traditional setting and creating an “entertainment destination,” the work included remodeling the first floor foyer and updating the second floor common areas and food court. “I think [the renovations] have helped some, and we’ve heard it from the folks who go there,” Lukas said. “We’re glad we kind of got that out of the way, because we have a long-term development plan.” That plan is completely under wraps and awaiting approval from various tenants and companies, but Brookwood has met with the cities of Homewood and Mountain Brook at various steps along the way to keep them updated. “If you could have sat in on my conversation in the [last few months] with both mayors and the couple of folks with both cities, there’s a really great long-term story here,” Lukas said. “Where the property physically is, it just totally fits our mold for redevelopment.” Overall, the mall is looking to bring in different retail concepts, such as more food and beverage, entertainment and hospitality options to the property, he said, while filling all of the storefronts. “We are actively pursuing someone for every single space,” Lukas said. “If the answer isn’t that you’re working for people for every single space, then you aren’t working as hard as you can.” As of mid-December, he noted they had sent out leases to potential tenants. Lukas also said the stretches that have multiple storefronts closed may eventually hold slightly larger retailers filling the total space, but those retailers will still focus on the community. “Brands have gotten smaller. Well, the good news for that is that Brookwood is not a big project,” he said. “What we’re doing is buying assets that can adjust to that based on what the community needs and what the community wants.” Interior remodeling plans should be done in the spring, although much depends on retailers and contractual information. Because there also will be adjustments to spaces within the mall to meet the needs of different tenants, there may be some construction and build-outs, although the extent of it remains unknown. Once construction begins, Lukas said it could be a few years before completion. “It will have the traditional mall feel and attributes, but in the long run we wanted it to be a place where the community can hang out,” Lukas said. “We’ll be glad we took the asset through this life cycle process.”
Village Living
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DR. CHRISTINE ABENOJA ABENOJA ORTHODONTICS new technology, to be Every time Dr. Christine Abenoja takes off a cutting edge, to grow and build and serve the way patient’s braces, it feels like a victory. She’s not I envision,” the Mountain Brook resident said. just giving them straight Abenoja said the teeth, but confidence that can last a lifetime. patients at her Liberty ► WHERE: 8000 Liberty Park practice are fun to Abenoja graduated Parkway with a Doctor of Dental work with, whether it’s ► CALL: 969-1969 children who are coming in Medicine degree from the ► WEB: bracesbham.com for their first set of braces University of Connecticut in 2005 and obtained a Master’s of or adults wanting to improve their smile. Science and certificate in orthodontics Though there are many good orthodontists in Birmingham, she said it’s her attention from the University of Alabama at to detail that sets her apart, along with Birmingham in 2008. She and her sixthe American Board of Orthodontics person staff see patients “ages 6 to 82” and treat a variety of orthodontic board certification she received in 2015, problems, including alignment, bite the highest standard in orthodontics. Only 25 percent of orthodontists in the and jaw issues, sleep apnea and U.S. are board certified. temporomandibular disorder (TMD). “A beautiful smile, that translates into “Having my own practice really allows confidence can open doors,” she said. me to practice the way I want to, to try
From retail and food to health care and fitness, our annual Women In Business feature is a chance to get to know some of the faces behind the success of many of the businesses in our area.
MOUNTAIN BROOK Continued on B4
AVANI PATEL, RUPA PATEL AVANI RUPA FINE JEWELERS Since moving their business to Mountain Brook Village in November 2015, mother-daughter duo Rupa and Avani Patel believe their family dynamic makes them distinct among jewelry stores. “I do a lot of the newer, kind of modern jewelry and she knows the traditional, kind of what her crowd and her age range would like. So I feel like the mixture of jewelry we have is ideal because we have two opinions and ► WHERE: 2408 two sets of Canterbury Road styles,” Avani ► CALL: 982-4888 Patel said. ► WEB: avanirupa.com Avani Rupa Fine Jewelers offers several one-of-a-kind lines of jewelry, including Avani Patel’s own designs, a line of Indian-inspired pieces and a few items that are only made once. One of their major services is custom design work. “We want to create something that’s in your budget and create something that’s just as special for anybody,” Avani Patel said. Avani Patel is a Gemological Institute of America (GIA) graduate gemologist and has taken courses in jewelry design and identifying and valuing different precious stones. She said she loves the chance to sit with a customer, learn about their tastes and create a piece of jewelry that’s just for them. In the process, she wants to build a relationship for life. There are lots of places to buy a ring or a necklace, but Avani Rupa guarantees
GIA-certified diamonds and a staff with gemstone education and design experience. Avani Patel said this means
her clients can “have confidence in what we can create.” “You can come in and get a great price
on a ring, you can get best quality on the ring but you can also get a one-of-a-kind ring,” she said.
B2 • January 2017
Village Living
VillageLivingOnline.com
January 2017 • B3
B4 • January 2017
WOMEN IN BUSINESS
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Village Living
CATHY ROGOFF ARC REALTY
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athy Rogoff loves selling real estate. As a nearly lifelong Mountain Brook resident, she especially enjoys the chance to work with clients in her hometown. "Mountain Brook is in my heart. I've never wanted to live anywhere else," Rogoff said. "It's not a fit for all of my clients, but when it does fit it's an easy sale!" For first-time buyers, growing families and empty nesters alike, Rogoff calls on her extensive network of neighbors, teachers, doctors, organizations and even past clients to introduce each homebuyer to compatible people who can help to create that warm sense of welcome when relocating to Birmingham. Creating community for her clients is a mission she takes seriously at ARC Realty. When clients have moved from another town or state, Rogoff will organize lunches for them with Birmingham residents she knows who have similar interests. For one recent family, she put together a party at Johnny Rockets for their three young daughters to meet a few children who would be in their classes. That way, they could walk into the first day at their new school knowing some friendly faces, and their parents could begin connecting with other parents. "I have lived here all of my life, except for a short time in Miami when I was in the third grade. That move made me very sensitive toward my clients that move," she said. Even if clients are simply moving across town, Rogoff commits to knowing their interests, likes and dislikes before the house hunt begins. Rogoff has built her business on referrals and repeat customers. She said one client joked, after working with her for multiple home purchases, that they deserved a “reward punch card.” "I count my blessings every day that I continue to be successful in this business. People have many choices out there of who to use as their agent, and I'm just thankful that I am one chosen so often," Rogoff said.
Rogoff was born and raised in Mountain Brook and has spent almost all her life there. Her husband Lee is a fellow Mountain Brook resident and they raised two children there. Two of Rogoff's grandchildren live in Crestline as well. Despite her current success in real estate, Rogoff said it wasn’t her first career goal. She started out in interior design, and those design skills still help when she’s preparing a house for the market or to help clients see the potential beneath the surface of the houses they visit. She frequently shops for her home sellers to find fixtures or other small changes to stage their homes, and she keeps a list of service providers for fixes that need a more experienced touch. “I do love having my design knowledge. It is so helpful when looking at homes with clients. When helping clients get their home ready to put on the market, most people say they wish they had made those changes years ago while they were living there," Rogoff said. It was Rogoff’s father who first suggested a real estate career. They took a course together after she returned from attending the University of Alabama, but she said it didn’t seem like the right fit at the time. It was after her father passed away, when several friends and her husband encouraged her to pursue real estate, that Rogoff finally got her license. “It’s the greatest thing I ever did. I love real estate and I’m happy I did it. I wish my dad had known,” Rogoff said. After working with RealtySouth's Mountain Brook office for over 20 years, Rogoff moved to ARC Realty in 2013. She said the company’s acronym, “A Relationship Company,” is something she takes to heart with clients and coworkers. “The people are fantastic. All the staff is the best staff I’ve ever encountered, which is the key to your success,” Rogoff said. That staff includes Lacy Orazine, who became Rogoff's assistant more than six years ago. Orazine now has her license and is working on building up her own business. "She is the best thing that ever happened to me," Rogoff said. "Lacy continues to be a great
► WHERE: 4274 Cahaba Heights Court, Suite 200 ► CALL: 266-5944 ► WEB: crogoff.arcrealtyco.com asset to me, and my clients love her." Rogoff loves that every day is unpredictable and brings new challenges and opportunities. Although Rogoff sells homes most frequently in Mountain Brook, she also sells homes across metro Birmingham to fit a variety of needs. Since she has lived almost her entire life in Birmingham, Rogoff said she relishes the chance to be an ambassador to people looking to relocate. She is a certified relocation expert. Rogoff’s impressive local real estate sales career earned her a lifetime membership in “The Club of Excellence.“ Most recently, Rogoff's sales volume was $13 million in 2015 and $16 million from January to November 2016, but sales data isn’t something she tends to focus on. Rogoff laughed when she recalled one year that she was honored as ARC’s top agent, but she didn’t realize it and missed the ceremony. Rogoff prefers to view the relationships she builds as a sign of her professional success. It’s a job that can also be a lot of fun, sometimes to the point that Rogoff doesn’t feel like she’s working. A good relationship with her clients can be critical to make buying or selling easier. Even when their professional relationship is over, Rogoff said she maintains a close friendship with many of her clients. "Just because we close on a house does not mean my job is done. I am a person who never goes away," Rogoff said.
VillageLivingOnline.com
WOMEN IN BUSINESS
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
January 2017 • B5
LINDSAY BOOKER CLUB PILATES At Club Pilates, Lindsay Booker strengthens her clients’ minds along with their bodies. Booker, a Cherokee Bend resident and mother of two, opened her franchise of Club Pilates in Cahaba Heights in November 2015. Her previous career was in corporate finance, not running her own business, but Booker was armed with an entrepreneurial streak and a willingness to work long hours to build her business. “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Booker said. Club Pilates is a franchise based out of southern California, and Booker said part of her inspiration to open her own location was to make Pilates more accessible and affordable in Birmingham. Club Pilates is a contemporary style that mixes traditional Pilates with the reformer machine, TRX suspension ► WHERE: 3169 Green Valley training, springboards, Road barre and more. ► CALL: 777-7976 Booker said many ► WEB: clubpilates.com/ of her clients choose location/cahabaheights this style because the variety keeps their workout interesting. In addition to the traditional reformer classes, there are also boot camp-style workouts and classes targeting cardio, stretching and more. “We try to make sure there is a good variety of classes offered throughout the day so all of our members can come to at least five classes a week,” Booker said. Because Pilates focuses on strong core muscles, Booker said, the results of training can be seen in every area of fitness. Several local athletes have added Club Pilates to their fitness routine because they have seen a difference in speed, strength and flexibility, Booker said. “It’s a full body workout,” Booker said. “You don’t end up with these bulging biceps and weak triceps. You don’t end up with big quads and tight hamstrings.” The classes at Club Pilates aren’t just about physical strength. Booker said she enjoys seeing the smiles on
clients’ faces as they leave her studio, even if they’re still sweating and breathing heavily. “It’s a really happy place,” she said. “People leave Pilates feeling really good, and it’s so good for people who have back issues, any kind of injuries or limitations. Pilates is something that most people can do.” Several of her clients have used Pilates to help them respond to challenges in other areas of their lives, such as depression, anxiety and even surgery. The mental changes that happen in Booker’s studio are perhaps more important to her than the physical changes. “Being of service to other people — that alone is
worth it,” Booker said. Club Pilates now has seven staff members, and each trainer has been certified with at least 500 hours of training. Though she’s still heavily involved in the business day-to-day, Booker has been able to take a step back and spend more time focusing on the company’s growth. She’s planning to open a second location in 2017. Club Pilates has about 40 different classes per week, with weekday classes starting at 5:30 a.m. and final classes beginning between 5 and 6:30 p.m. The studio is also open Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons.
DEBORAH LECHNER ERGOSCIENCE Deborah Lechner wants to prevent injuries and help people move better. That’s why she founded ErgoScience in 1992. The business was born out of research Lechner conducted while on faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She developed a physical abilities test to determine the full range of a person’s ability to work: lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, reaching and more. Employers can use the test, Lechner said, to determine if new hires can do the job, if injured employees are ready to return to work and to assess disability claims. These services formed the backbone of ErgoScience and are still a significant part of the company’s work. In the nearly 25 years since she founded the company, ErgoScience has added work function testing for insurance carriers and a wide variety of injury prevention and treatment services for employers and individuals. These include worksite ergonomic analysis, rehabilitation and employee screening and training for many national companies. In their main office on Office Park Drive in Mountain Brook, ErgoScience physical therapists work with patients one-on-one with completely customizable regimens to get them back to healthy movement and productive lives. “What we do here in the clinic is very hands on and customized,” Lechner said. “Because of that, we offer some really effective treatments here, and that’s one of the things that I’m really proud of.” A critical part of ErgoScience’s success is the advanced testing they can provide to help patients understand their own bodies, such as movement and posture analysis using body sensors. Seeing the results of these tests makes patients more likely to commit to their treatment plan, and it gives them a chance to see their progress over time. “The people who come to us for treatment, most of the time they’re pretty uncomfortable. They’ve got lots of pain and dysfunction, and we have the opportunity to work with them and see dramatic results. And within a few treatments, they’re feeling a lot better and they’re able to do things that they couldn’t do because of the pain,” Lechner said. Staying up to date on the latest research in injury
► WHERE: 201 Office Park Drive, Suite 150 ► CALL: 879-6447 ► WEB: ergoscience.com prevention and treatment is a critical part of the job, Lechner said. She never wants the company to stagnate, and they pride themselves on being cutting
edge, the first to offer new services that improve quality of life for their patients. Some of ErgoScience’s services such as dry needling, cold laser, body sensor analysis and instrumented soft tissue work are hard to find elsewhere. As the company continues to grow, Lechner wants to continue expanding services and making treatment holistic by partnering with a company that provides wellness programs. One of her favorite parts of being president of ErgoScience is discovering ways to continually improve. “Every day is different and it requires us to be creative and develop new and different ways to solve problems,” Lechner said.
B6 • January 2017
WOMEN IN BUSINESS
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Village Living
MIMI NOLEN REALTYSOUTH
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ith a decade of real estate experience, Mountain Brook resident Mimi Nolen is consistently ranked among the top 1% of all RealtySouth agents. “Mimi understands the needs of her clients and has built a booming business among the 20, 30, 40-year-old Birmingham buyers,” said Jan Camp, managing broker of RealtySouth’s Mountain Brook office at 2807 Cahaba Road. “When it comes down to the heart of real estate, it’s really about the people, and I have met some amazing friends that I would never have had the opportunity to meet in another career,” Nolen said. A Mountain Brook High School and University of Georgia alum, Nolen sold her first property not long after graduating college. She comes from a family of attorneys and considered following in their footsteps, but she found that real estate brought together her love for sales and negotiations. After three years working with Ingram, Nolen made the move to RealtySouth, where she sells houses in Mountain Brook, Homewood, Forest Park, Crestline Park and across Birmingham. Nolen said the Golden Rule is one of her guiding principles: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. “When we go into transactions representing a buyer or a seller, if we’re just out for ourselves and have no respect for what’s going on with the other side, those deals tend not to work out,” Nolen said. Being a real estate agent feels a lot like “conducting an orchestra,” Nolen said, because she has to bring together buyer and seller, closing companies, insurance providers,
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My dad once told me that the most important business you have is the business currently on your desk. I really took that to heart and try my very best to work 200 percent for whomever I’m working for at the time, and the rest just seems to take care of itself.
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MIMI NOLEN
inspectors and the many variables of the housing market. But when it all comes together, it’s always a victory. “It’s such an honor to be in people’s lives, whether it’s a first time buyer or a downsizer, while they make one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives.” Nolen said she particularly enjoys the chance to work with people moving to Birmingham from other cities or states. She gets to act as an ambassador for the city and provide information on schools, restaurants and anything else to make sure the city, not just the home, is the right fit. “Being born and raised in Birmingham, I want the brightest to be here. So when somebody is telling me they’re choosing between Birmingham and Nashville and they’re choosing this week, my competitive juices really rev up,” Nolen said.
► WHERE: 2807 Cahaba Road ► CALL: 908-8767 ► WEB: miminolen.realtysouth.com Camp, who has been with RealtySouth since 1998, said Nolen is not only a talented agent, but also a great coworker. “She is fun, she’s a team player, she is positive. She looks for solutions,” Camp said. “If I could clone her, I would clone her.” For most of her career, Nolen’s business has entirely been based on referrals from previous clients. She said families looking to buy or sell a home should take the time to find an agent that is a great personality fit for them and their needs. That makes the entire process easier, and Nolen said she always strives to fulfill each client’s needs. “It’s a really gratifying feeling leaving a closing table knowing my client’s home is going to make a positive impact on their daily life. It is about more than bricks and mortar,” Nolen said. Just as Nolen has learned from the guidance of many mentors in her career, she strives to be a role model for others, especially her two daughters. She frequently goes back to advice her father gave many years ago. “My dad, who is an attorney, once told me that the most important business you have is the business currently on your desk. I really took that to heart and try my very best to work 200 percent for whomever I’m working for at the time, and the rest just seems to take care of itself,” Nolen said.
VillageLivingOnline.com
WOMEN IN BUSINESS
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
January 2017 • B7
ELIZABETH ADAMS EX VOTO VINTAGE Inside Ex Voto Vintage’s showroom, many of the pieces on display are designed around antiques that have been given a new story. Owner Elizabeth Adams said many of her customers feel an emotional connection to the idea of old and broken things being made beautiful. “I think that really resonates with people because it represents our lives too,” Adams said. Ex Voto itself is an example of such a story. After her three-year-old daughter’s death in 2007 due to pediatric brain cancer, Adams began painting and making collages. This gradually ► WHERE: 2402 Canterbury Road transformed ► CALL: 538-7301 into making ► WEB: exvotovintage.com and selling one-of-a-kind jewelry, which is how Ex Voto got its start. The store still donates a portion of each sale to pediatric brain cancer research. Ex Voto now sells a variety of necklaces, lockets, bracelets, rings, earrings, key fobs, jewelry dishes, handbags, scarves, candles and more. There are also men’s gifts such as rings, pocket squares, cuff links and wallets. Many of the items in the store are designed by Adams, or one of a small collection of local artists including Carrie Pittman and Cotton + Quill. “Usually the materials inspire me — the stones or the vintage pendant or the vintage bead. I see those, and that’s where it starts,” Adams said. “One of our pieces is cast from an antique key that I found when I traveled.” Common elements in Ex Voto pieces include gold, leather, freshwater pearls, textiles, semiprecious stones and vintage crystal. Everything is made locally “from beginning to end” and since many of Ex Voto’s products are inspired by antiques Adams has discovered, each item has a story behind it. “It intrigues [customers] and it helps them enjoy the piece even more,” Adams said. Ex Voto also has several special collections, including
bridal products, the Elizabeth Adams Collection and Couture to Cure. The Couture to Cure line is entirely one-of-a-kind jewelry made with antique elements, and proceeds from the sales go to The Cure Starts Now Foundation for Pediatric Brain Cancer Research. Prices range from a collection of gifts under $50 to “modern heirloom” pieces around $700. Ex Voto also offers monogramming and hand or machine engraving services to make gifts more special. “It makes a gift a forever heirloom,” Adams said.
Ex Voto has expanded to include stores in Montgomery and Nashville. Adams said the exceptional design and quality of her products has helped to build her business, along with growing customer relationships through service and offering complimentary gift wrapping and shipping. “We hope to grow it by great customer service,” Adams said. Ex Voto Vintage is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
DR. CHRISTY SAVAGE, DR. SHERRI WEISSMAN, DR. MAGGIE LAW GREAT SMILES OF CRESTLINE Dr. Christy Savage found her career calling because she didn’t like her childhood smile. Orthodontic treatments transformed her self-image, and Savage wants to share that feeling with others. “I loved my smile afterward. I loved the confidence it brought me,” Savage said. Savage and Dr. Sherri Weissman have 24 and 25 years of experience, respectively, and created Great Smiles about four years ago. Their practice has locations in Crestline, Inverness and Trussville. They provide braces and orthodontic treatment for children and adults, including jaw ► WHERE: 36 Church St. surgery, fluoride ► CALL: 803-1115 treatment and ► WEB: bracesbygreatsmiles.com services for sleep apnea and TMJ. In addition to the classic metal braces, Great Smiles also offers ceramic, clear or behind-the-teeth braces for more subtle straightening. “These are not your parent’s braces. There are so many incredible advances in technology that have made orthodontic treatment more aesthetic, more comfortable and more time-efficient,” Weissman said. Fellow Great Smiles orthodontist Dr. Maggie Law also chose her career based on her teenage experience with braces. Since she lives close to the Crestline office, Law said she enjoys the chance to see patients outside the office. Building a good relationship makes their treatments more fun and stress-free. “Kids say the funniest things if you just ask them. I enjoy getting to interact with them and make them feel special while they are at the office,” Law said. “Also, I love working with adults on their treatment, especially with Invisalign. We are able to get amazing and predictable results with the clear aligners. It really has become one of my favorite ways to treat a case. I even wore Invisalign myself before I got married!” Savage said the effect of a straight, healthy smile is more than just beauty; it gives Great Smiles patients self-
confidence that can help them throughout their lives. Sometimes, particularly with more severe or complicated cases, patients have been hiding their smiles their entire lives. “Those people all of a sudden come out of their shell,” Savage said. “That, to me, is life changing.” The community in Crestline is part of the reason Savage loves her practice, because their patients are tight-knit, educated about dental health and engaged in the process of creating a beautiful smile. Over the years of treatment and even after braces are removed, the Great Smiles staff gets to watch their patients grow up,
graduate, marry or have children. “It is not uncommon for our former patients to just stop by for a surprise visit years later, to say hello and update us on what’s going on in their lives,” Weissman said. “It becomes like a big old family,” Savage added. No matter your age, Savage said it’s never too late to create a better smile. “Do it. You won’t regret it. You will have a healthier and beautiful smile long-term,” she said. The sight of a patient’s first smile after finishing their treatment never gets old. “It’s very rewarding knowing there are so many smiles out walking around in Birmingham that I have helped to create,” Law said.
B8 • January 2017
WOMEN IN BUSINESS
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Village Living
MELISSA CUNNINGHAM-CAMPBELL MONKEE’S OF MOUNTAIN BROOK Whether you love shopping or hate it, Melissa Cunningham-Campbell’s goal at Monkee’s of Mountain Brook is to make the experience as enjoyable as possible. “Shopping should be simple and it should be stressless,” she said. Cunningham-Campbell first encountered the Monkee’s franchise, which has locations across the Southeast and in Texas, Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia, on a shopping trip with her daughter Caroline Campbell in South Carolina. She was not a fan of mall shopping and was pleased to find a boutique with a variety of items both she and her daughter enjoyed. “To find multigenerational shopping together is kind of unique,” Cunningham-Campbell said. After some research, CunninghamCampbell opened an Auburn franchise. When Caroline ► WHERE: 2006 Cahaba Road graduated and ► CALL: 783-1240 wanted to work with ► WEB: monkeesofmountain her mother, they brook.com decided to open a new Mountain Brook store about three and a half years ago. This is now their sole location, and her son and husband have also lent their help. “That has been a blast to be able to work with my daughter,” Cunningham-Campbell said. “I think being a family business is special.” Fashion started as a hobby for Cunningham-Campbell rather than a career. A former critical care nurse, she would design and sew clothes for herself and her children as a way to unwind. Now she gets to flex her fashion sense anytime. Though Monkee’s is a franchise, each shop owner has a lot of independence in choosing the clothes they think their customers will enjoy. It can be a lot of fun to go to markets and see new trends, where Cunningham-Campbell buys for the older crowd and her daughter scouts out younger trends, but Cunningham-Campbell said it takes a lot of work to make the right product choices. “Buying for your customer — it can be so hard,”
Cunningham-Campbell said. “You hope your customers are going to see what you see in it and love it.” When she’s in doubt, Cunningham-Campbell said she also has the shared knowledge of other Monkee’s owners to lean on. “You have another set of ears or another friend that you can call,” she said. The attention to detail in choosing products to carry is part of why shoppers keep coming back to Monkee’s, Cunningham-Campbell said. The customers who walk in each have a different story and reason for being there, and Cunningham-Campbell likes getting to know them. “I think the best boutique shopping is about the
relationships you build with your customers,” she said. Like any other friendship, a good relationship takes listening, understanding and a lot of time. “With time and conversation, you do build that very slow. Every good relationship is built, I think, slow and steady,” Cunningham-Campbell. When they can fix a fashion problem or put a smile on a customer’s face, Cunningham-Campbell feels like she’s doing her job the right way. “If we make their day, it makes us happy,” she said. Monkee’s of Mountain Brook is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 1-5 p.m.
PAIGE ALBRIGHT PAIGE ALBRIGHT ORIENTALS No two rugs at Paige Albright Orientals are the same. They come from the hands of weavers from across the globe, each with its own pattern and history. “They’re really works of art. They’re how the different regions express themselves,” Albright said. “It’s very personal and you want to translate that to your client.” Albright has lived in Mountain Brook and been working with oriental rugs since 1999. She opened Paige Albright Orientals more ► WHERE: 2814 Petticoat Lane than nine ► CALL: 877-3232 years ago. The ► WEB: paigealbrightorientals.com shop houses rugs made in Morocco, Iran, Turkey, northern China and other countries, and Albright works with homeowners and interior designers to find the perfect, one-of-a-kind rug for their space. “I’ve got a degree in art history and a background in interior design, so it was a natural fit,” Albright said. Selling oriental rugs is a constant learning process, Albright said. She travels to markets and conferences across the U.S. to buy rugs and learn from other dealers and collectors. Albright has also gone on a rug tour in Istanbul, Turkey, and hopes to travel to Morocco and Iran soon to see the origins of a tradition that has been passed down through generations. Albright is a member of the Oriental Rug Retailers of America and is a certified rug appraiser, a certification that took four years to obtain. The appraisal test required Albright to identify 50 rugs in an hour, including the estimated year they were woven, geographic region and other details about each rug’s history. “That’s no small task,” she said. One of Albright’s favorite tasks is creating custom pieces for clients, which happens about once a month. Whether creating something brand new or choosing from her existing inventory, Albright said she enjoys taking a designer’s color palette, furniture plans, budget and room size to pick out exactly the rug they need.
“You’re not locked in to any one, you can kind of channel the designer’s energy. So it’s fun doing a lot of different things,” Albright said. In her more than 15 years of experience with oriental rugs, Albright has learned just how versatile a rug can be. At the most recent Antiques in the Gardens event in October, Albright decorated one half of her booth with traditional furniture and the other half with more modern décor, but with the same blue rug in the middle. “It was really interesting to see how you can take one traditional piece and make it whatever you want,” she said.
Because an oriental rug is a major investment for a home, Albright said the most important thing for her customers is to be completely in love with what they bring home. “Buy what you love. Don’t settle. If you don’t love it, don’t get it. I never want to talk anybody into something. I really want you to love it and enjoy it because you’re going to have it forever,” Albright said. Paige Albright Orientals is open 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., but Albright recommends calling or emailing in advance to make sure she does not have an appointment with another designer or homeowner.
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January 2017 • B9
BARBARA MONAGHAN, KRISTIN LEEDY, LIBBY TODD, CINDY WILLIAMS VILLAGE PET CARE/LIBERTY ANIMAL HOSPITAL The women of Village Pet Care had different paths that led them to become veterinarians, but they’re all there for the same reason: the strength of the bond between humans and animals. “I think the best part of the job is the relationship we build with the clients and the pets. We love to see them as a pair, as a team,” associate veterinarian Libby Todd said. Village Pet Care opened in March as a sister clinic to Liberty Animal Hospital, and it serves dogs, cats and “pocket pets” such as hamsters, hedgehogs, ferrets and rabbits. Partners Barbara Monaghan and Cindy Williams both had backgrounds in horse care and have 26 and 20 years of veterinary experience, respectively. Todd started out in dairy science but has been ► WHERE: 2921 Cahaba Road a small animal vet ► CALL: 582-2468 for 17 years, and ► WEB: villagepetcarepc.com associate veterinarian Kristin Leedy knew she wanted to be a vet since her third-grade class at Mountain Brook Elementary and has nine years of experience. Village Pet Care offers a large variety of services, including bathing and grooming, vaccinations, preventative medicine, injury treatment, nutrition counseling, chemotherapy, laboratory testing, senior pet care and cutting edge treatments such as stem cell therapy for osteoarthritis. They also provide home visits, pet pickup for appointments and medication delivery. Monaghan noted that this requires a lot of flexibility. “You can be an ophthalmologist for a guinea pig one minute and a dermatologist for a cat the next and an orthopedic surgeon the next,” Monaghan said. “It’s a challenge to be good at all things.” Being a veterinarian can be an emotional job at times,
and Leedy pointed out that they’re thinking about the pets in their care even when they are off the clock. “They’re going with us everywhere,” Leedy said. But they do it for “the relentless love that animals have for humans,” and the chance to keep animals healthy and happy for their entire lives, Monaghan said. Leedy added that she enjoys the satisfaction that comes “when you can take an animal that’s sick and bring them back to full health.” Taking care of a pet is about more than just the medical treatment. The vets at Village Pet Care build relationships with pets and owners that can last for
years, and Todd said their customers can tell that the staff truly cares about their pets’ lives outside the clinic. “People can tell when you are invested in the care of a pet versus you’re coming to work to do a job,” Monaghan agreed. And whether they come in for a simple haircut or major treatment, that human-animal bond will always take top priority. “We love to see [clients and pets] as a pair, as a team,” Todd said. Village Pet Care is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
JEAN CLAYTON CHRISTINE’S ON CANTERBURY
AMY MAZIARZ RED HILLS REALTY For Amy Maziarz, her Maziarz said her relationship with clients accounting and banking background give her a keen doesn’t end when she hands eye in guiding the homethem the keys to their new buying/selling process. home. ► WHERE: 300 “It goes beyond the “As a CPA, you are trained Union Hill Drive closing,” Maziarz said. “After to focus on the details. With ► CALL: 515-1903 real estate there are many we close, our relationships ► WEB: redhills carry forward and result in a moving parts, and if you realtyllc.com friendship. I want my clients lose sight of the details, to feel and know they have a you can run into significant trusted advisor for life — even if just for issues. I am grateful for my accounting their real estate needs.” and banking experience, and I leverage Maziarz is the broker for Red Hills both to better serve my clients.” Maziarz gains most of her business Realty. She started her career as a CPA at a local bank but has practiced real through referrals, and said gaining estate since 2006. Maziarz decided a referral from a friend or client is three years ago to fully commit to realty the greatest and most rewarding as a broker. Maziarz is a Mountain Brook compliment she can receive. “If you are willing to trust me with a resident and among the top agents friend or family member, then I know I in the area, selling over $13 million in volume so far in 2016. did a good job.”
Jean Clayton has held many different occupations. From being a teacher to going to law school, she finally came to the profession of retail in the early 1970s. Clayton has had a love for shopping and markets since she was a door-todoor salesperson at 9 years old. Clayton’s shop, Christine’s on Canterbury, portrays her passion for retail and the public. This Christmas, Clayton is celebrating her shop’s 44th Christmas in Mountain Brook Village. The store carries a broad selection of categories such as gifts, paper products, fragrances, frames and linens. The shop has introduced things no one in the state had at the time such as hand-painted Russian boxes, Godiva chocolates and its most successful line ever, MacKenzie-Childs. “Every customer who walks through the door is important to me,” Clayton said. “Whether they buy one greeting card or $15,000 of furniture, they should be treated equally.” Clayton’s favorite part about her shop is the people. She loves all of the stories and lives the public brings. “The minute I open the door every day is like a new chapter begins,” Clayton said. “Should I live so long, and have a memory, I will write a book.”
► WHERE: 2404 Canterbury Road ► CALL: 871-8297 Some of Clayton’s achievements include serving as president of the Merchant’s Association for two years and serving as a representative for Mountain Brook Village on the Chamber of Commerce board. Clayton has also received the Small Business award from the Women’s Committee of 100 and Retailer of the Year Gold Award from the Alabama Retail Association.
B10 • January 2017
WOMEN IN BUSINESS
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Village Living
LESLIE PITTMAN ELLE
CAROLINE EZELLE REALTYSOUTH For RealtySouth agent Caroline Ezelle, real estate is a family business. Her aunt was a Birmingham Realtor, her mother’s hobby was visiting open houses for sale and her father was a banker. So Ezelle started out in mortgage lending and moved to residential real estate three years ago. "I grew up around the industry — we did a lot of talking about real estate at the dinner table. Real estate was a natural career choice for me,” Ezelle said. Ezelle is now part of the No. 1 RealtySouth office in the state, and her financial and lending background helps her in analyzing and valuing homes for her clients. Her emphasis on financial soundness means that sometimes Ezelle considers it a success when her clients don’t buy a house, if the market analysis shows it would not be a good purchase.
► WHERE: 2807 Cahaba Road ► CALL: 447-3275 ► WEB: carolineezelle.realtysouth.com Ezelle sells homes all around Birmingham, and she said she enjoys the chance to work with out-of-state families to show them the city and help them transition into their new home. In one memorable instance, she used FaceTime to walk a client through homes in their ideal neighborhood and an electronic signature app to complete documents without any travel time. “Using technology, they were able to view a house the minute it came on the market, and they are loving living there,” Ezelle said.
What started as a temporary job grew into a life passion for Leslie Pittman, owner of Elle boutique. Pittman began working at the store, then named Laura Kathryn, in 2006 and decided to purchase the store in 2008. The name Elle was something she had in mind for a long time, but she made the leap to change the name in 2014. “It’s the best thing we’ve ever done. I think people respond well to change, I think they respond well to curiosity,” Pittman said. “I’d had this vision and it was time to make it truly my own.” Elle has a range of mid-price clothing and jewelry, and the store also hosts regular events such as pop-up shops and quarterly parties featuring different designers. What sets it apart is the staff’s commitment to customer service. Pittman and her employees act as personal shoppers in the store, send customers pictures of items they might like, visit for closet consultations and even mail products to customers’ homes to try on. When they go to market about seven times a year, Pittman said, she will choose items with specific customers in mind. After 10 years at the shop, many of those customers are more like friends. “We want people to have a very
► WHERE: 61 Church St. ► CALL: 870-5683 ► WEB: ellebirmingham.com ► INSTAGRAM: @ellebirmingham positive experience while they’re here. I want them to feel special. I want them to walk out feeling confident about themselves,” Pittman said. ”It's so rewarding to know our customers that well.” Elle is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
BETH NIGRI THE FITNESS CENTER The path to getting healthy looks different for everyone. So The Fitness Center never treats two of its clients the same way. Vic Nigri started The Fitness Center in 1994 to provide one-on-one personal training and overall health and nutrition services. At the time, his wife Beth Nigri was a special education teacher with Birmingham City Schools, but she joined her husband’s business in 2003 and provides evaluation and nutrition services for clients along with marketing for the business. The key to a successful health plan, Beth Nigri said, is setting goals that are reasonable for each person’s abilities and finding out what will motivate them enough to stick with the plan. “None of us are perfect and we have to realize that, but at the same time we have to learn to make healthier choices,” Beth Nigri said. “Making those healthier choices makes a huge difference in the quality of your life.” Several of The Fitness Center’s trainers have been part of the team for a long time. That includes manager David Reed and assistant manager John Crowder, who have worked at The Fitness Center for 20 years and 17 years, respectively. Since many of the trainers and clients
BARBARA ASHFORD, JUDY HILL HENHOUSE ANTIQUES
► WHERE: 3900 Montclair Road, Suite 210 ► CALL: 870-1121 ► WEB: thefitnesscenter.org have been with The Fitness Center for so many years, Beth Nigri said it feels a lot like a family, so clients enjoy being around them and are more likely to stay accountable. Increasing their physical health also helps The Fitness Center clients handle stress and become more self-confident. Clients know The Fitness Center trainers genuinely care and want what’s best for them.
After nearly 20 years finishing touches. Henhouse Antiques in business together, serves quite a few repeat Henhouse Antiques cohomeowners and interior owners Barbara Ashford designers, who return for and Judy Hill seem to always be on the same the great selection and fun to be found inside wavelength. the shop. They gladly Ashford and Hill bring go to customers’ homes a variety of European antique furniture and decor ► WHERE: 1900 to give design opinions to their English Village and sometimes end up Cahaba Road shop from multiple yearly redesigning an entire room. ► CALL: 918-0505 “If you’re going to trips to Europe, where they ► WEB: henhouse spend the money and buy pick items by hand. antiques.com “We’re sort of old school. something, we want you to We still love to see the be happy,” Ashford said. pieces, see the patina and see the style Though their business is established, neither Ashford nor Hill wants things to and the size and the condition,” Ashford stay the same. They’ve enlisted the help said. “We have to love it enough that we of their daughters Laura Ashford, Libby would want to own it.” McGowan and Jamie Hill to keep the Their complementary strengths are on display when a new shipment store fresh. “We don’t want to be an old arrives, as Hill decides where each piece ladies’ antiques store. We try to keep it will sit in the shop and Ashford puts the current,” Hill said.
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WOMEN IN BUSINESS
JANIEMAC ROE LAH REAL ESTATE background, so I try to JanieMac Roe bought her first home at age make that a focal point in my business to help ensure 23. Now, she helps other my clients’ satisfaction,” families find their dream JanieMac said. homes as part of the LAH JanieMac said she Real Estate team. ► WHERE: 2850 Cahaba JanieMac is a Mountain Road, Suite 200 more than doubled her total sales from her first Brook resident and ► CALL: 908-3699 year to her second, and mother of two. She said ► WEB: lahrealestate. she tried several other com/agents/janiemac-roe in 2016 she surpassed her annual sales goal in July. careers first — including But the numbers aren’t medical sales, advertising and owning a clothing store — before all that matters. “Don’t just look at somebody’s sale working in real estate. “I find houses and record. Sometimes you need to find real estate just extremely interesting,” the person that best fits you and your JanieMac said. “It’s the first thing I’ve personality and what you’re looking ever done that I’m obsessed with.” Now in her third year as a real estate for,” JanieMac said. JanieMac markets many of her agent, JanieMac sells houses in Mountain houses on Facebook and is also Brook and across the Birmingham available by phone or email (JanieMac@ metro area as far away as Trussville and LAHRealEstate.com). That availability can Chelsea. She said the customer service experience before joining LAH has helped make all the difference for her clients. her excel in finding families their “forever “Your agent’s willingness to answer the phone can make all the difference in homes.” selling your home,” JanieMac said. “I have a strong customer service
MARGUERITE RAY MARGUERITE’S CONCEITS After 23 years in business, bed linens continue to be the mainstay for Marguerite’s Conceits. However, there’s a lot more to the store than custom fabrics. “Really, it’s a pampering store,” owner Marguerite Ray said. Marguerite’s Conceits sells bath and body products, gifts, pajamas, housewares and more in addition to beautiful linens. Ray has an interior design degree but started her career working in several retail jobs. She found that she repeatedly moved up to management positions, and one day her father asked an important question: “If you’re going to work that hard, why don’t you have your own store?” Ray recalled. She decided to open Table Matters in Mountain Brook, then sold it two years later to open Marguerite’s Conceits. Owning her own business has allowed her to use her interior design background to work with designers and homeowners and create custom projects. Ray said she loves that she
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
January 2017 • B11
ELIZABETH ROBERTS, JULIE HOWELL LAMB’S EARS, LTD. anything you need for Julie Howell compares Lamb’s Ears in Crestline home and gifts. They find their products at national Village to the television show and regional markets, as ”Cheers,” where everybody well as with a large number knows your name. “We not of local artists. “We choose only learn our customers’ names; we learn about carefully to make sure we are able to meet our their families,” she said. customers’ needs. We want When Julie and her sister, Elizabeth Roberts, to be their ‘go-to’ store ► WHERE: 70 Church St. and encourage them to purchased the store six ► CALL: 802-5700 shop local. Shopping local years ago, they faced ► WEB: lambsearsltd.com is critical to a hometown moving a store that had business like ours.” been in the same location for almost 20 years. They seized the Julie and Elizabeth also attribute their success to the great staff they have opportunity to move it to Crestline. “We working with them. “We are told time knew we wanted to be here. This is such and time again how great our people a supportive community,” Julie said. are,” Julie said. “We are so lucky to have As the third owners of the Lamb’s a team of exceptional people that have Ears, they were determined to keep up the wonderful reputation that the store a common goal: to provide the best possible service to our customers.” had gained over the years. With a large Lamb’s Ears is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., selection of home décor, housewares, Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 jewelry, fashion accessories, luggage p.m. on Saturday. and children’s items, you can get almost
Team members, from left: Cathy Stewart; Carole Ivy; Alli Wittbold, Homewood manager; Linda Flaherty, owner; Grace Avant; Nikki Schoel, Crestline manager; and Susan Akin. Not pictured: Carol Hoeffner; Jill Dodd Garrett; Lindsay Jennings; and Leigh Van Tassel.
WOMEN OF ONCE UPON A TIME ONCE UPON A TIME
► WHERE: 2406 Canterbury Road ► CALL: 879-2730 never knows who might walk in the door, or the projects they’ll want to make. Ray recently won a Silver Award from the Alabama Retail Association. She said one of the most valuable things she has learned from owning her own business is to trust her gut instinct in choosing what to carry in the store. The other is the importance of good customer service. “I have employees who really care,” Ray said. “I think it’s the whole shopping experience that keeps [customers] coming back.” Marguerite’s Conceits is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
At Once Upon A Time, the customer service is as timeless as the children’s clothing and linens. Linda Flaherty started Once Upon A Time 20 years ago. The shop provides baby and children’s clothing, nursery furniture, linens, monogramming, appliqué, gifts and accessories. More importantly, store manager Nikki Schoel said, the store’s warm atmosphere and hands-on staff make it a place where people feel comfortable shopping. “They just trust you and it’s really nice,” Schoel said. “It’s fun to make these babies look cute.” Whether they’re searching for classic or modern products, mothers, grandmothers and family members return to Once Upon A Time because they know the staff will go the extra mile for them. “We dress families. We don’t just dress one child,” Schoel said.
► WHERE: 201 Country Club Park ► CALL: 870-7772 ► WEB: onceuponatimebaby.com Flaherty said the customers become like family and she enjoys choosing products she knows her customers will love. Schoel added that she likes sharing knowledge with mothers buying for the first time. In a few years, they look forward to seeing some of their very first customers return to the store to buy clothes for babies of their own. “Our job is to help people create memories,” Flaherty said. “They look to us for guidance.” Once Upon A Time is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
B12 • January 2017
WOMEN IN BUSINESS
KATIE SMITH PLEASE REPLY Katie Smith’s family has been in the paper business for several generations, so owning Please Reply in Crestline Village is more or less family tradition. Smith’s mother, Betty McKewen, opened Please Reply in 1999. The shop sells seasonal and occasion cards, everything a bride would need for her special day including invitations, announcements, save-the-date cards, custom napkins, koozies, bridesmaid gifts, bride books and matchbooks, stationery and other paper goods and gifts such as calendars, planners, notepads, coasters, luggage tags and address labels. “I spent my childhood wanting to start a store and was excited when the opportunity presented itself through buying my mother’s business two years ago,” Smith said. The products at Please Reply are chosen based on what Smith and her staff think their customers will enjoy. Smith said she enjoys traveling to find new brands to bring back to her store. Smith said she enjoys the people
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PATRICIA MURRAY TABLE MATTERS
► WHERE: 42 Church St. ► CALL: 870-4773 who walk through the door every day, as well as the staff at Please Reply. With 18 years in business, many of the customers coming in are familiar faces. “From high school and college graduation gifts, holidays, weddings [and] babies, it is always great to see the same faces trusting me to help them with decisions throughout these important times,” Smith said. Please Reply’s customer service, product selection, knowledgeable staff and convenient location are all part of the reason customers keep coming back, Smith said. Please Reply is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
At Table Matters, Patricia Murray and her staff take pride in helping families get their tables ready for dinners with their loved ones and friends. Murray grew up with a grandmother and mother who loved to entertain, so when she began working at a china shop in Vail, Colorado, she knew she had found her calling. Murray said she’s always had an interest “in helping customers put their tablescapes together.” Table Matters sells more than just tableware, with furniture, lighting and home accessories also filling the shop. Table Matters is the go-to place for table linens. Having toured several factories in Europe and years of hosting Linen Trunk Shows from Anichini to Busatti, Murray has an in depth knowledge of fabrics, patterns, quality of linen and sizing. Murray’s favorite part of owning her own business is the friendships she’s made with her customers and staff. It’s
► WHERE: 2402 Montevallo Road ► CALL: 879-0125 ► WEB: table-matters.com like “extended family.” Murray said their specialty products, customer service and knowledge of industry trends has helped Table Matters thrive. When registering brides, Murray recommends taking their time in choosing a pattern as the array of choices can be overwhelming. Come in together with your groom and get the “overview.” She also says customers don’t need to buy an entire new set of dishes to update their look. A few new key pieces can completely transform the look of your table. “If we don’t have what you need, we try to find it for you. We’ll even come to your house to help you put it all together.”
BRENDA MEADOWS WESLEY LASSEN THE COOK STORE The Cook Store has to buy some things, but been furnishing Mountain I quickly learned if you don’t like them, you won’t Brook kitchens for more sell them,” Lassen said. than 40 years. Wesley In addition to her Lassen has owned the Cahaba Road shop success for the past 17 for 17 years and said years, Lassen said she ► WHERE: 2841 Cahaba is also proud of creating their customer service Road continues to set The a garden club program ► CALL: 879-5277 Cook Store apart. and establishing The “We are the only Cook Store in a niche privately owned kitchen specialty shop for unique pottery. However, one in Birmingham,” Lassen said. “I would of the most important parts of the do almost anything for my customers — business is building client relationships, remembering their tastes and being they are what keep us up and running.” Lassen is the third owner of The honest with them. Cook Store, which was founded by Sam “It’s not always about the sale, but Franks in 1975 and sells serving ware, making sure the customer gets what pottery, decor, cookware, gifts and they need. Sometimes they have it at home already, they just need someone more. “I only buy things that I would have in to help them think outside the box or my own home. I used to think I ‘needed’ figure it out,” Lassen said.
THE LINGERIE SHOPPE Buying undergarments is an intimate situation, but Brenda Meadows’ goal at The Lingerie Shoppe is to make the shopping experience as comfortable as possible. The Lingerie Shoppe has been open for 70 years, though Meadows and now-retired co-owner Betty McMahon bought the business in 1988. The store carries underwear, sleepwear, foundation garments such as Spanx and accessories such as shoulder pads and hem tape. “We try to be a full service shop so that if you walk in here and you have a need, hopefully we can find something that will address what your need is,” Meadows said. Customers at The Lingerie Shoppe include women of all ages and men buying gifts for the women in their lives. Gifts for bachelorette parties and wedding showers are also popular, Meadows said. She goes to markets about three times a year to find
► WHERE: 2403 Montevallo Road ► CALL: 871-8994 ► WEB: thelingerieshoppeinc.com inventory that everyone who enters her store will love. “My goal at market is to find the best quality for the best price. So I feel like I can offer things that are very reasonably priced,” Meadows said. The Lingerie Shoppe’s goal is for every woman to feel beautiful in their products. “I want them to feel very confident and feel good about how they look and comfortable,” Meadows said. “Our goal is to always make you feel comfortable.” The Lingerie Shoppe is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
VillageLivingOnline.com
WOMEN IN BUSINESS
January 2017 • B13
HILLARY KENT, BEVERLY RUFF
ALLISON FOWLKES THERAPYSOUTH - CRESTLINE Every day, Allison Fowlkes gets to be a problem solver for her clients at TherapySouth’s Crestline office. “I like to be a person that people come to for help,” Fowlkes said. That desire to help people began in childhood and led Fowlkes to her career in physical therapy. She joined TherapySouth when it opened in 2006. She sees clients of all ages seeking treatment for pain throughout the body, sport conditioning, workplace injuries, geriatric care and general wellness. Fowlkes has a master’s degree in physical therapy from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and additional practice in dry needling to relieve certain forms of muscle pain. Fowlkes said she enjoys getting to know each client, building trust and identifying unique solutions for the problems they seek to treat. The TherapySouth staff frequently goes
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► WHERE: 205 Country Club Park ► CALL: 871-0777 ► WEB: therapysouth.net the extra mile for their patients to help communicate with doctors and set appointments. Though there are a lot of great physical therapy options around Birmingham, Fowlkes said TherapySouth’s reputation for high quality care and 22 locations, including the Crestline office, makes them a convenient and trustworthy choice for clients. “We’re good physical therapists and we are close to home,” Fowlkes said. Fowlkes said she is thankful for the chance to help lead the Crestline office team and get patients back to health every day.
VILLAGE POODLE neighboring business staff For regular shoppers at the Village Poodle, the and friends sometimes come in just to chat, and poodle trotting around the friendly vibe is one inside the store is as they try to encourage. familiar as the one painted “We like having the on the window. Standard poodles have atmosphere where you ► WHERE: 2410 feel good when you go been a longtime love Canterbury Road in,” Ruff said. for store owner Beverly ► CALL: 423-5443 Ruff and assistant Hillary Ruff and Kent shop together for products, and Kent, who regularly Kent said that her short stature paired bring their dogs to work. Though their with Ruff’s taller frame means they find pets might be iconic, they aren’t the clothes suitable for every body type. reason that Village Poodle has amassed customer loyalty since opening in That results in racks full of clothes their customers can feel good about wearing. August 2015. “We feel blessed enough “Her eye will sometimes go to a to have a following and have just different thing than what I’m looking opened,” Ruff said. at,” Kent said. “It’s kind of nice to Village Poodle is a second business bounce it off each other.” for Ruff, who owns Beverly Ruff Antiques across the street. Village Ruff said her store — and their poodles — want “to keep knowing what our customers Poodle sells clothes, shoes, jewelry and want and get better and better at it.” the antiques used to display their other Village Poodle is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. products in the store, including several Monday-Saturday. chandeliers. Ruff said customers,
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B14 • January 2017
Village Living
Calendar Emmet O’Neal Library Mondays: Toddler Tales. 9:30 & 10:30 a.m. 24-36 months. Tuesdays: Together Time. 9:30 & 10:30 a.m. Kindergarten-2nd grade.
Wednesdays: Brown Bag Lunch Series. Programs begin at 12:30pm. Bring a sack lunch; beverages and dessert provided.
Tuesdays: Library Out Loud. 3:30 p.m.
Jan. 9: Great Books discussion group. 6:30 p.m.
Wednesdays: Mother Goose Story Time. 9:30 & 10:30 a.m. 12-24 months.
Jan. 10: The Bookies book group. 10 a.m. Discussing The Girls by Emma Cline.
Through Jan. 8: Rocky Mountain Express. McWane Science Center, 200 19th St. N. This IMAX film retraces the original route of the cross-country steam engine and combines aerial cinematography, archival photographs and maps and the energy and rhythms of a live steam locomotive. Admission: adults, $9 (members, $6.50); children, $8 (members, $5.50); seniors, $8. Additional charge for museum admission. For showtimes, call 714-8414 or go to mcwane.org.
Wednesdays: Movers & Makers. 1:30 p.m. 3-5 years.
Jan. 11: EOL presents An Afternoon with the Author. 4:30 p.m. Anne Bruno Larussa will speak about her new book, The Knitter, her Birmingham childhood, and how she founded Oasis, a women’s counseling center. Books will be available for purchase.
Through Jan. 15: Birmingham’s Winter Wonderland. Railroad Park. Outdoor ice skating rink. Open seven days per week. $10 for twohour session. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Visit railroadpark.org.
Jan. 12: UAB Neuroscience Café. 6:30 p.m. Unraveling the Mysteries of Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
Jan. 1-8: Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland Light Show at the Race Course. 6 p.m.-10 p.m. Birmingham Race Course. $25 per car. Visit shadrackchristmas.com.
Thursdays: Patty Cake Story Time. 9:30 & 10:30 a.m. 0-12 months. Thursdays: SNaP. 3:30 p.m. Grades 3-6. Saturdays: Family Story Time with Mr. Mac. 10:30 a.m. Jan. 3: PJ Storytime. 6 p.m. All ages. Jan. 9: STEAM Powered. 4 p.m. Grades 4-6. Jan. 10: Family Night. 5:30 p.m. Featuring Lee Bryan (That Puppet Guy). Jan. 18: Etc: Mo Willems Party. 3:30 p.m. Jan. 19: Hot Off the Press. 6 p.m. Young Adults (7th-12th grades) Jan. 5: Teen Trivia Night. 6:30 p.m. Jan. 7: Game On! 1 p.m.- 4 p.m. Jan. 9: Teen Advisory Board/READ Club. 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Monthly meeting of the teen advisory board.
Adults
Area Events
Jan. 17: DocAD: Lincoln Center Local Screenings. 6:30 p.m. Jan. 22: EOL & Birmingham Holocaust Education Center. 2 p.m. Holocaust in Film series: Mr. Kaplan. Jan. 26: EOL & Birmingham Holocaust Education Center. 6:30 p.m. Holocaust in Film series: Son of Saul. Jan. 28: Standing Room Only: Storytelling Event with The Literacy Council of Central Alabama. 6:30 p.m. Ages 21 and up. Jan. 30: EOL & Birmingham Holocaust Education Center. 6:30 p.m. Holocaust in Film series: Night Will Fall. Jan. 31: Genre Reading Group. Salon Discussion Book(s) of Choice. 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 5: Birmingham Art Crawl. 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Downtown Birmingham, 113 22nd St. N. Local artists and performers. Free. Visit birminghamartcrawl.com. Jan. 7: Southeastern Outings Dayhike in Sipsey Wilderness, Bankhead National Forest. 4-mile hike. Call Dan Frederick at 205-6314680 or email seoutings@bellsouthnet. Visit seoutings.org. Jan. 7: Miles v. Paine College Basketball. 1 p.m. women, 3 p.m. men. Miles College. Visit milesgoldenbears.com. Jan. 7: Boyz II Men. 8 p.m. BJCC Concert Hall. $50-$85. Visit alabamasymphony.org. Jan. 7-8: Alonzo King LINES Ballet. 8 p.m.
Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Alys Stephens Center. $28-$45. Visit alysstephens.org.
Jan. 8: Kathleen Madigan “The Mermaid Lady” Standup Comedy Tour. 8 p.m. Lyric Theatre. $35. Visit lyricbham.com.
Jan. 7-8: Monster Jam Triple Threat Series. Legacy Arena at BJCC. 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday. Visit monsterjam.com. Jan. 8: Southeastern Outings Dayhike in Oak Mountain State Park. 1 p.m. Park admission, $5 adults, $2 children. Visit seoutings.org.
Jan. 12: Turtle Island Quartet with Cyrus Chestnut. 7 p.m. Alys Stephens Center. $42$78. Visit alysstephens.org. Jan. 12: Miles v. Lane College Basketball. 5:30 p.m. women, 7:30 p.m. men. Miles College. $10. Visit milesgoldenbears.com. Jan. 12: UAB v. WKU Men’s Basketball. 7 p.m. $17-$22. Visit uabsports.com. Jan. 13: Birmingham-Southern v. Oglethorpe. 6 p.m. women, 8 p.m. men. $5, under 18, free. Visit bscsports.net. Jan. 12: Greater Birmingham Teenage Republicans Meeting. 6:30 p.m. Nino’s Italian Restaurant, Pelham. Visit jeffco-gop.com. Jan. 13: Dirty Dancing. BJCC Concert Hall. $30-$60. 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Visit theaterleague.com/Birmingham. Jan. 14: MLK Day 5K Drum Run. 7 a.m. Kelly Ingram Park. $30 registration. Visit mlkday5kbham.com.
VillageLivingOnline.com
January 2017 • B15
Area Events cont. Jan. 14: Southeastern Outings Dayhike in Oak Mountain State Park. 9:45 a.m. Park admission, $5 adults, $2 children. Visit seoutings.org.
Trip. Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, Decatur. Depart 9 a.m. from Hayden/Corner Park and Ride or meet group there at 10 a.m.
Jan. 14-15: BrickFair Lego Expo. 11:30 a.m.4:30 p.m. BJCC Exhibition Halls. $15, ages 3 and under free. Visit brickfair.com.
Jan. 26-Feb. 11: The Miss Firecracker Contest. Theatre Downtown. $12-$18. Visit theatredowntown.org.
Jan. 14: UAB v. Marshall Men’s Basketball. 7 p.m. $17-$22. Visit uabsports.com.
Jan. 26-Feb. 12: Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash. Virginia Samford Theatre. $15-$35. Visit virginiasamfordtheatre.org.
Jan. 14: WWE Live. 7:30 p.m. Legacy Arena at the BJCC. $17-$102. Visit wwe.com. Jan. 14-15: A Sweet Strangeness Thrills My Heart. Red Mountain Theatre Company, Cabaret Theatre. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. $15 and up. Visit redmountaintheatre.org. Jan. 14: Ron Gallo: A Saturn Nights Showcase. Saturn Birmingham, 200 41st St. S. Doors open at 8 p.m.; show begins at 9 p.m. Free admission. Call 703-9545 or go to saturnbirmingham.com. Jan. 15: Alejandro Escovedo. Saturn Birmingham, 200 41st St. S. Doors open at 7 p.m.; show begins at 8 p.m. Advance tickets: $20 standing, $30 seated; Day of tickets: $25 standing, $35 seated. Call 703-9545 or go to saturnbirmingham.com. Jan. 15: Southern Bridal Show. BJCC Exhibition Halls. 12 p.m.-5 p.m. $12 advance, $15 at the door. Visit eliteevents.com. Jan. 15: Reflect and Rejoice: MLK Concert. Alys Stephens Center. 3 p.m. $9-$24. Visit alabamasymphony.org. Jan. 18: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. 7 p.m. Alys Stephens Center. $49$82. Visit alysstephenscenter.org. Jan. 21 & 28: Wake Up Brother Bear! 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. BJCC Theatre. $10 children, $15 adults. Visit bct123.org. Jan. 21: Southeastern Outings Waterfowl Viewing
Jan. 26: UAB Men’s Basketball vs. Louisiana Tech. 7 p.m. Bartow Arena. $17-$22. Visit uabsports.com. Jan. 27: Alabama Symphony Orchestra EBSCO Masterworks Series. 8 p.m. Alys Stephens Center. $25-$74. Visit alabamasymphony.org. Jan. 27-29: Kami-Con Season 9. BJCC Exhibition Halls. Celebrating Japanese culture, anime and manga and more. $25-$45. Visit kamicon.net. Jan. 28: 11th Annual Chinese New Year Festival. 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Boutwell Auditorium. $5 tickets, 12 and under are free. Visit bhmchinesefestival.org. Jan. 28: Miranda Sings Live… You’re Welcome. 8 p.m. Alabama Theatre. $33.55-$66.50. Visit alabamatheatre.com. Jan. 28-29: Birmingham Feline Fanciers CFA Cat Show. Zamora Temple. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. $4-$8. Visit birminghamfelinefanciers.com. Jan. 29: Elevate the Stage: UA vs. AU Gymnastics. 4 p.m. Legacy Arena at the BJCC. $12-$27. Visit elevatethestage.com. Jan. 29: An Evening with Pat Metheny. 7 p.m. Alys Stephens Center. $48-$68. Visit alysstephens.org. Jan. 30: Miles vs. Lane College Basketball. 5:30 p.m. women, 7:30 p.m. men. Miles College. $10. Visit milesgoldenbears.com.