11 minute read
NEWS
Good As Gold
Ashley McMakin, founder and chief executive officer of Ashley Mac’s, has been named Alabama’s Gold Retailer of the Year in the Annual Sales $5 Million to $20 Million category, according to a press release from the Alabama Retail Association.
The fast-casual café, catering and gourmet-togo business with five Birmingham-area locations is one of 11 businesses being honored throughout the month as the association’s 2022 Retailers of the Year.
“I had no idea what God had in store for us when I started a little catering business back in 2005,” McMakin said. “I’m thankful He called us to serve in this industry and for all the people He has provided to make Ashley Mac’s what it is today.”
McMakin started catering home-style food like her mother and grandmother cooked out of the Homewood condominium where she and her husband lived as newlyweds.
“My friends knew I loved to cook and wanted to hire me to cook for their events, and we just thought this would be something fun to do until we had kids,” she said.
It was her husband, Andy, who told her, “We really need to take this, and we need to run with it.”
In 2007, Ashley Mac’s catering and to-go opened in Bluff Park. Today, Ashley Mac’s has one café each in Cahaba Heights, downtown Birmingham and Homewood, plus two in Hoover. Her chicken salad, burgers and strawberry cake are among the recipes, and more will be featured in a cookbook to be out in the spring.
“I fully expect for Ashley’s business to be known outside the borders of Alabama down the road,” fellow entrepreneur Ron Holt, founder of Two Maids & A Mop and Pink Zebra Moving, wrote in a recommendation letter for McMakin. “Her products are just too good, and her work ethic will take care of the rest.”
Besides being “one of the strongest entrepreneurial leaders within the Birmingham community,” Holt also commended McMakin for being an involved and active mother. “Somehow, she has always toggled back and forth between supermom and entrepreneur without acting like any of it is difficult,” he said.
The McMakins have three children.
“We seem to have kids and new stores at the same time,” Ashley McMakin said. Their first son was born in 2009, just before they opened their first sit-down location in Cahaba Heights in 2010. Their second son came in 2011, followed by the opening of the Inverness café in Hoover in 2013. The McMakins adopted a daughter from China while opening their second Hoover café in Riverchase in 2015. Their Homewood and Pizitz Food Hall in downtown Birmingham cafés opened in 2018 and 2020, respectively, while they welcomed a foster son into their home.
“Even with their busy schedule and young children, the McMakins still are involved in the communities they serve and give back to them generously,” said Michelle Hawkins, president and chief executive officer of the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, who nominated Ashley Mac’s as a Retailer of the Year. Ashley Mac’s corporate headquarters as well as its Cahaba Heights location are in Vestavia Hills. The business also belongs to the Homewood and Mountain Brook chambers of commerce.
Photo courtesy Ashley Mac’s
Ashley McMakin with husband Andy, owners of Ashley Mac’s, were recently named Gold Retailer of the Year.
Applauding Pandemic Ingenuity
The Retailer of the Year judges commended McMakin for opening a new café during the pandemic and capitalizing on the take-home trend.
“Ashley Mac’s has a well-known carry home business. Beginning with the pandemic, this business line exploded,” McMakin noted in her entry.
The Alabama Retailer of the Year awards, started in 1999, honor retailers who have demonstrated growth, innovation and a commitment to their communities. This year’s winners were selected from 42 entries submitted from a pool of 55 nominees.
“Ashley McMakin is a retailer of the year EVERY year to her customers, her 81 employees and the Vestavia, Homewood, Hoover and downtown Birmingham communities,” Alabama Retail Association President Rick Brown stated in the press release.
Ashley Mac’s has been a member of the Alabama Retail Association since opening its first restaurant in 2010.
Susan Gordon Pottery Is a Bronze Retailer of the Year
Susan Gordon, below, founder, chief creator and owner of Susan Gordon Pottery in Homewood, is the Bronze Alabama Retailer of the Year in the Annual Sales $1 Million to $5 Million category. Gordon’s store offers handmade pottery in the form of bowls, vases, dishes, serveware, picture frames and seasonal Christmas décor, as well as ceramic jewelry and framed intaglios. Susan Gordon Pottery is one of 11 businesses honored as the 2022 Retailers of the Year by the Alabama Retail Association
Other OTM area retailers to be recognized with awards this week are Babbie Styslinger, owner of At Home Furnishings in Homewood and Amy Jason, founder/owner of Cookie Fix in Homewood and Cahaba Heights plus Cookie Fix Franchising, which includes Huntsville.
Over the Mountain mayors will hold a Domestic Violence Awareness forum Oct. 18 at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center.
The forum, “Protecting our Teens and Young Adults from Dating Violence,” will begin at 6 p.m. Vestavia Hills Mayor Ashley Curry, Mountain Brook Mayor Stewart Welch, Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato and Homewood Mayor Patrick McClusky will host the free event, according to a press release from the city of Vestavia Hills.
“Domestic violence is present in all types of communities and affects those of all races, socioeconomic statuses, ages and educational levels. This abuse can be physical, sexual and/or psychological and is the leading cause of injury to women. The effects can profoundly impact health and well-being and often set the stage for future relationship problems for the remainder of the individual’s life,” Vestavia Hills Mayor Ashley Curry said. “I am honored that Vestavia Hills is participating in this forum to spread awareness and provide necessary tools to reduce the occurrence and long-term effects of domestic violence. Everyone has the right to be in a safe, violence-free relationship.”
For many, unhealthy relationships can begin early and last a lifetime. Abuse can take place in person, online or through a device and often goes on without the knowledge of parents, other family members or close friends, the press release said.
This event is specifically designed for parents of teens and college-aged young adults. It will include presentations on topics such as the scope of domestic and dating violence in Jefferson County; resources available to help and educate the public; tips on how to recognize dating or relationship violence in the workplace and among friends and relatives, particularly teens; and tips on how to respond appropriately when someone needs help.
Those at the forum also will receive information on primary prevention programs available to schools and groups that focus on creating safe and healthy relationships to stop relationship violence before it starts, the press release said. This is key, considering those between the ages of 16 and 24 are the most at-risk age group for relationship violence, and 40% of teens ages 14 to 17 have been exposed to at least one form of intimate partner violence.
Presenters will include LaRhonda Magras, CEO of the YWCA Central Alabama; Allison Dearing, executive director of One Place Metro Alabama Family Justice Center; Cleola Callahan, senior director of Domestic Violence Services for YWCA Central Alabama; and Susann Montgomery-Clark and Rod Clark, founding donors of the Megan Montgomery Domestic Violence Prevention Fund at The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham.
For more information, contact the Megan Fund’s Montgomery-Clark at 205-568-7474.
Hoover Library’s Food for Fines Seeks 10,000 Donations
This month, the Hoover Public Library is trying to collect 10,000 canned, dry and non-perishable food items through its Food for Fines program.
The program, which helps address food insecurity in Hoover, kicked off Sept. 1 and runs through the end of the month, according to a press release from the City of Hoover.
Collected food items will be donated to area food banks, including those at Green Valley Baptist Church and the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama.
The program began in 2008 as a part of the Jefferson County Library Cooperative’s effort to address food insecurity. For every food item donated, the library waives $1 in that patron’s fines, up to $10.
“I think it’s important for us to understand that we have the ability to make a difference,” program coordinator Lawana Rooks said in the press release. “We are the difference between a child having a meal or going to school hungry! We are the difference between a parent choosing to buy food or purchase gas! Oftentimes, we feel as if our donations are too small to make a difference. However, when we realize that we are the difference, our approach towards helping others will change.”
In the past, the effort has netted about 40,000 donated food items, but since the COVID-19 pandemic, donations have decreased while the need has increased.
“The price of food has gone up, gas prices are on the rise, and we want to let the community know that we care,” Rooks said. “Food insecurity is a real issue in almost every city in the state of Alabama, including the city of Hoover. According to data from the 2020 U.S. Census, nearly 6 percent of the Hoover population is living below the poverty line. Ten thousand items will change the dynamics of this need.”
For the first time, Hoover City Schools is partnering with the library to increase donations, and food will be collected at seven buildings. Patrons also can donate at book drops across the city and at Jason’s Deli on Alabama 150.
Collected food items will be donated to area food banks, including those at Green Valley Baptist Church and the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama.
Honor the Fallen
OTM Cities Mark Patriot Day With Stair Climb, Remembrance Ceremony
Ceremonies and a stair climb in honor of the fallen marked Patriot Day events by Over the Mountain municipalities Sept. 10-11.
The events were held to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
A ceremony in the Riverchase Galleria’s food court, followed by a stair climb at Galleria Towers was held in Hoover on Sept. 10 to mark the anniversary. The stair climb was the equivalent of 110 stories, the number of stories in each of the World Trade Center towers in New York City that collapsed after terrorists crashed passenger jets into the buildings.
The cities of Homewood, Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills held their annual joint event at Vestavia City Hall on Sept. 11 with a remembrance ceremony and Patriot Day celebration.
Michael A. Williams of Birmingham was the keynote speaker. Williams retired from the Secret Service after a three-decade career that included protection details for former presidents, and he was special agent in charge of the Birmingham Field Office with executive oversight for Alabama and Mississippi.
The three cities alternate holding the annual 9/11 event each year to pay respects to and honor those who died in the 2001 terrorist attacks.
by Judy Butler
My Treatment Home
One of the key differences between Bayshore Retreat and most other rehabs is the environment. One walks into my foyer not a lobby. Clients can raid the pantry or refrigerator for a nighttime snack. There’s no vending machine, but rather drinks in the refrigerators and a shopping list on the counter where they can add anything they would like to have except alcohol, of course.
The home environment is healing in itself. Clients are continually thanking me for “allowing” them to come to my home. Beyond the home itself it’s also the staff. They’re not judgmental, but rather there to help clients be comfortable and find a new beginning.
Admitting that someone has a problem is huge and the decision to do something about it is also huge. It’s also scary with the unknown of what rehab would be like. This is one reason we created Bayshore Retreat to be a place that would take the ‘fear out of rehab’.
Clients bring their cell phone and laptop and are able to work remotely while there. Oh, sure there plenty of counseling and activities, but there’s also time that can be spent checking in with work. We adapt the daily schedule to accommodate those who have to have a meeting or whatever might require their attention.
At Bayshore Retreat we work hard to prepare our clients for their new beginning with tools for success. With that come his or her After Care Plan such as where they will live, work and any follow-up counseling. People leave there with a new outlook and the understanding that we’re only a phone call away.
