Support Birmingham businesses this season

SHOP LOCAL

for the Holidays

Birmingham is home to many great small businesses. Check our list (twice!), and pick up a few of your presents from a mom-and-pop this season.

We’re lucky to have a small army of local-based businesses to support around town, and it’s more important than ever to show them some love. That’s why we’ve compiled a short list of Birmingham faves to drop in on this holiday season. Get ready to shop ‘til you drop!

Smith’s Variety 45 Church St., Mountain Brook

“Smith’s has been serving the community since our founding in 1950,” says owner Brad Simpson. “We are an old-school variety store, where you can find anything from toys, candy, and gourmet foods to party supplies, ribbon, and gifts for everyone in the home. My wife, Amy, and I are blessed to be a small part of the Smith’s tradition.” Along with always-popular LEGOs, Brad notes that two of their hottest toys this season are the Water Bomber Drift remote control car and Perfect Petzzz stuffed animals. “The Water Bomber Drift is a true

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off-road RC car that can handle steep inclines and can even drive sideways. Its best feature is a unique built-in water bullet shooter that will provide hours and hours of entertainment.” Perfect Petzzz actually “breathe.” “They are a great way to give a child a sense of pet ownership without all the accompanying responsibilities.”

The Alabama Booksmith 2626 19th Place S., Homewood

Buying for a bookworm? This gem of a shop in Homewood only sells signed books, almost all at regular retail price. Bookseller Mary Wilson Molen notes two current favorites: For kids, “The Cat Man of Aleppo.” (“Both of the authors are Alabama residents, and it won a 2021 Caldecott Honor.”) For the history buff, “The Official United States Civil Rights Trail” by Alabama Tourism Director Lee Sentell. “It won the World Travel and Tourism Award at the World Travel Market in London,” says Mary, “becoming the first U.S. State Tourism Agency to be honored.”

FarmStand by Stone Hollow Farmstead 2825 2nd Ave. S., Birmingham

Stone Hollow Farmstead—the Stone family farm that started small in Shelby County—has grown to include botanical skincare, a creamery, a storefront, and much more. FarmStand by Stone Hollow Farmstead, located at Pepper Place, offers thoughtful gifts for anyone on your list with impeccable taste: beautiful kitchenware, gourmet jams, oils, and condiments, and even gorgeous French scarves.

Homewood Toy & Hobby 2830 18th St. S., Homewood

Visit the oldest toy store in the Birmingham area—still owned by the same Homewood family who started the business in 1950—for musthaves like the Water Bomber Drift Car and Calico Critters playsets.

M.P. Dawson Mercantile 183B Main St., Trussville

This general store opened just before Covid hit. The husband-and-wife team wanted a place that reminded them of their parents, for whom the store is named. Curated stock includes hostess gifts like baking and cocktail mixes and candles, plus kitschy items like “Go to Church or the Devil Will Get You” ornaments and vintage-style glass mixing bowls and pink hobnail salt-andpepper shakers.

Learning Express 3132 Heights Village, Cahaba Heights

Baby dolls to plasma cars, Squishmallows to Buildzi Games, this locally owned franchise has it all and everything in between. They bill themselves as “Your Neighborhood Toy Store” for their focus on personalized service and unique toys that span from infants to tweens. Bonus: free gift wrapping!

Magnolias Gift Shop 150 Chelsea Corners Way, Chelsea

Open since 1992 in Sylacauga, 2014 in Pell City, and 2017 in Chelsea, Magnolias is packed full of gifts for girlfriends, babies, and home. The store hosts shopping events for a night out with specialized service, and they are stocked with stuffers for the littlest people on your list.

The Cottage Basket 2901 18th St. S., Homewood

Owner Shelli Morrow opened her happy little gift shop in a small corner of Homewood in 2018, but business grew so quickly that she expanded into a much larger space next to O’Carr’s this year. Shelli stocks budget-friendly happies for girlfriends, teachers, and stocking stuffers, as well as items you can’t find anywhere else—like the brightly colored vintage fabric handbags by designer Glenda Gies, a fun splurge gift for moms.

Snoozy’s Kids 228 Country Club Park, Mountain Brook

If you haven’t seen owner George Jones’s video demos of all Snoozy’s has to offer, head to Instagram or Facebook right now. His on-camera personality is infectious, and he has a firm grasp on the best gifts for kids of all ages. You can find the rage-of-the-season Toniebox at Snoozy’s, as well as the brand-new U-Bot camera device that allows 360-degree rotation for filming—perfect for an influencer in training.

Did we miss one of your favorites? Email stephanie@ jbmcmedia.com, and let us know! Happy shopping!

Breaking Bread

One of Birmingham’s best-kept secrets, Chabad of Alabama makes fresh challah every Friday to serve the community

PHOTOGRAPHGRAPHS COURTESY OF MUSHKA WEINBAUM

You can pick up freshly baked challah every Friday at Chabad of Alabama.

BY STEPHANIE GIBSON LEPORE

Mushka Weinbaum has been around Chabad of Alabama for more than three decades. Her parents started the organization 34 years ago, and though she left Birmingham for a bit, she came back—with a husband and a baby—and now works there.

On Fridays, you can find Mushka at Chabad of Alabama, passing out orders of challah to customers—both Jewish and non—who have come to count on this weekly treat.

Challah is the traditional egg bread that is served on Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, which starts at sunset Friday and goes through sunset on Saturday. “When we were kids, my parents would make challah out of our home kitchen and give it out as gifts as well as sell some,” says Mushka. “Each loaf of bread is filled with tradition and symbolism.”

Mushka explains that two loaves of challah are traditionally put on the Shabbat table to symbolize the two portions of manna that God gave to the Children of Israel during their Exodus from Egypt. “On Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, it is customary to eat round challahs to symbolize the cyclical nature of the year. Before Rosh Hashanah, we make more than 600 challahs!” she says.

Mushka is referring to The Challah Shoppe, a part of Chabad of Alabama, where she helps to coordinate the challah sales each week. “I can’t tell you when it happened, but at a certain point, we saw that there was a need for challah on a bigger scale,” she explains. “We started off with 30 loaves, and every week we were making more and more. We decided to brand [the breadmaking business] The Challah Shoppe, and with

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Mushka Weinbaum, shown here with her family, offers baked products like this CinnamonRaisin Challah.

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word of mouth, we were making more than 250 loaves weekly.”

Several years ago, The Challah Shoppe began to offer specialty flavors in addition to traditional challah. Each week is a different option. “Some of our best sellers are chocolate, cinnamon, Funfetti, garlic-herb, and everything spice,” says Mushka. “While I prefer the savory flavors, our community loves the sweet ones!”

While the majority of The Challah Shoppe customers are Jewish, Mushka says they have a pretty big non-Jewish following, as well. “For us, the most special part about The Challah Shoppe is getting to see our community on a weekly basis and knowing that people are celebrating Shabbat with challah.”

For more information, visit chabadofalabama.com.

GET YOUR FRIDAY CHALLAH

To order fresh challah from The Challah Shoppe at Chabad of Alabama, visit chabadofalabama. com, and click on “The Challah Shoppe.” Curbside pickup is available from noon until 3 p.m. every Friday. Prices start at $5 for traditional challah. Specialty flavors must be ordered, but one or two challahs can usually be picked up without an order. “We do run out sometimes, so if you want to make sure we have enough, it’s always a good idea to order,” says Mushka.

If you’re not eating challah as a part of Shabbat, it is a great base for bread pudding or French toast, or use it to make homemade croutons, grilled cheese, or other sandwiches.

Other items, such as Chanukah candles, oil cups, salami rolls, and more can also be ordered online. To find out the specialty challah of the week, you can subscribe to the email list on the order page.

Chabad of Alabama and The Challah Shoppe are located beside Overton Park at 3040 Overton Road in Mountain Brook.