A unique vision at new downtown coffee bar

Opening a business can be tough, according to Jennifer Butler and Mia Perryman, two long-time friends and local entrepreneurs who recently went through the process themselves.

“You can’t be fearful starting your own business,” Butler said. “You have to step out there on faith and cover your fears up.”

“Being an entrepreneur is not easy,” Perryman added. “It can be very challenging. It’s not for everyone.”

But the women stuck it out together and recently started their own coffee house. 

They held a soft opening for Bizarre: The Coffee Bar on Oct. 5 and a grand opening Nov. 2. Bizarre, at 217 22nd St. N., joins a ever-growing roster of shops, bars, restaurants and other amenities downtown.

Butler and Perryman told Iron City Ink they believe they have the right type of business in the right location. They have a solid vision for the vibe and atmosphere they want Bizarre to have.

“It’s just a place where you can relax, have a nice meal and have a cup of coffee or a drink,” Perryman said.

“And it’s definitely cozy,” Butler said.

They believe they’ve given the coffee house their own unique twist, even in the name. “Bizarre means something different or crazy, and we wanted to show we’re different than other coffee houses,” Butler said.

The roots of the business go back 15 years, when the women met and became friends while attending Jefferson State Community College.

Butler, a Bibb County native, moved to Birmingham in 2003. She attended Jefferson State, then earned a degree in communications at Miles College in 2008. Perryman, a Birmingham native, graduated from Ashford University in 2009 with a degree in management.

While Bizarre is their first venture together, they’ve each had their own enterprises. Butler ran a clothing boutique and a stationery business, and Perryman opened a daycare center. Neither of them had worked in a coffee shop or the service industry before, but they decided in September 2017 to open Bizarre.

“We just felt that we needed a coffee shop in this little area,” Butler said.

They like their location on 22nd Street North. “It’s close to the interstate exit,” Butler said, referring to the Red Mountain Expressway. There’s also a fair amount of foot traffic, according to Perryman. “It’s walking distance to a lot of businesses,” she said.

The women originally thought of Bizarre solely as a coffee shop, but Perryman suggested serving food. 

“I wanted to add food with the coffee, breakfast with the coffee, and spice it up,” Perryman said. “We wanted to be a different coffee shop, and the food makes us stand out a little bit.”

The menu includes soups, salads and sandwiches, as well as numerous options for breakfast, such as bowls, wraps and sandwiches. Butler and Perryman also got a liquor license and are serving cocktails, beer and wine, too.

“That is another thing that makes us different than other coffee shops,” Perryman said.

They will offer some specialty drinks using coffee, according to Butler.

“One of them is the Hot White Russian with hot coffee, Kahlua and Absolut topped with whipped cream,” she said.

Actually getting the business open was “a long process,” Perryman said. She said one of the biggest challenges the partners faced was financial. The other big challenge was trying to get the place as open as quickly as possible while scheduling time with the contractors who did the buildout.

“You want things done, and you may not have the talents, so it’s in someone else’s court on when a project is going to be done,” Perryman said.

The women did some of the work themselves, such as assembling their tables. They also worked together to decorate the shop, pick out their furniture and order equipment.

Bizarre has seven full- and part-time employees to start, according to Perryman, and the two women have their own roles in the business. Butler does all of the marketing and graphic work, including the menus and the shop’s logo as well as handling the coffee, while Perryman is in charge of the kitchen, including the ordering of food and other supplies. The two work together well, according to Butler.

“We have the same vision,” she said. “If Mia has an idea, I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s a great idea, but if we do have opposite ideas, we’ll be like, ‘Let’s try your idea and if it doesn’t work we’ll try my idea.’”

Moving forward, Butler and Perryman plan to present events, including spoken word events and live music. They also hope to open a second location in Southside or Homewood, but they’re not sure when that will occur, according to Butler.

The entrepreneurs are also excited to be part of Birmingham’s downtown.

“I think the entire downtown is going to grow,” Butler said. 

“When the World Games come, that will really help the area,” Butler said, referring to the huge athletic event scheduled to take place in the Magic City in 2021.

“There’s a lot of nice little places downtown that a lot of people don’t know about,” Perryman said. “With the lofts that are coming, more people will find out about it.”

Perryman offers encouragement for other entrepreneurs, too.

“I know you can never give up on what you believe in or your dream,” she said. “It will come with a lot of challenges and discouragement, but you have to push through it, and one day you will come up on the other side of it.”

For more information, call 201-5764 or go to Facebook @Bizarre.TheCoffeeBar.