Business Happenings - September 2021
Now Open
Asher Page has opened Paws on 5th, a pet grooming spa, located downtown at 3626 Fifth Ave. S. Appointments can be made on its website. 205-461-7679
Steel Gastropub, 2808 Seventh Ave. S., recently opened. 205-202-6649
Bridge + Root, a men’s boutique, recently had its grand opening at 2212 Morris Ave., Suite 200, in the new Mercantile on Morris development, according to REV Birmingham. The store’s owner, Aisha Taylor, has worked in retail for 25 years and is also the owner of Element and Vibe, a T-shirt company. 659-599-5542,
Evans Meats, a family-owned Birmingham meat supplier, recently opened its first retail location — The Son of a Butcher — at Pepper Place, 2800 Third Ave. S. Read more about The Son of a Butcher. 205-961-3200
Oak Street Health, which offers primary care for adults on Medicare, recently opened its first clinic in Alabama at 1687 Center Point Parkway, Suite No. 121. The clinic can pick up patients who are 65 years or older and transport them to and from their appointments. 205-557-7022
Coming Soon
Pizza Grace is set to open Nov. 1st at the Mercantile on Morris, 2212 Morris Ave., Suite 105. Chef Ryan moved to Birmingham from Washington, D.C., to open Pizza Grace, an artisan-style pizza restaurant and bakery. Instagram @Pizzagracebham
Tennessee-based cafe, coffeeshop and bakery Frothy Monkey plans to open its first Alabama location at the former site of Urban Standard, 2320 Second Ave. N., which closed in 2020. Renovation work is being led by Creature, and an official opening date is yet to be determined.
Total on 1st - Advanced Clinical Spa plans to open this fall on the first floor of the Woodward Building, 1927 First Ave. N. An extension of Total Skin & Beauty Dermatology Center, 2100 16th Ave. S., Suite 202.
Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, a popular New York-style eatery, recently awarded a multi-unit franchisee agreement to Power Brands Hospitality Group, according to a Grimaldi’s news release. Power Brands plans to open its first franchised Grimaldi’s location in Huntsville in late 2021, with a location opening in Birmingham shortly thereafter. Offering coal-fired, brick-oven pizza, Grimaldi’s currently operates 41 company-owned restaurants in the United States. 480-947-7100
Renovations and Relocations
The Lumbar, 212 29th Street S., recently built a new outside patio for customers to enjoy. 505-440-3065
New Construction
Birmingham developer Ed Ticheli has partnered with the Construction Science Program at Tuskegee University, 1200 W. Montgomery Road, as he turns the former Red Cross building at 2225 Third Ave. N. into nearly 200 units of workforce housing, according to local media reports. Tuskegee will have seven interns taking part in the project, according to Alabama News Center. Work on the project was scheduled to begin in July, the ANC reported. 334-727-8011
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin recently announced that the old Virginia College campus at Palisades Mall, 710 20th St. N., will be replaced by a Ford Trustmark facility. Eddie Stivers III, president of Stivers Ford of Birmingham, will build the new dealership, which will cost about $25 million, create 80 new jobs and employ a total of 150, according to a city news release. 205-254-2000
Construction Update
Construction continues on the Carver Theatre for the Performing Arts, formerly the Carver Theatre, 1631 Fourth Ave. N. The complete overhaul of the facility includes improved acoustics, a new box office and reception area, a new basement studio for jazz radio station WAJH-FM and new space for exhibits, Leah Tucker, executive director of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, told Alabama News Center recently that said the grand opening is scheduled for March 2022. 205-327-9424, facebook.com/carvertheatre
News and Accomplishments
Birmingham startup Wyndy recently received an investment of $3 million from Benson Capital Partners, a venture fund created by Gayle Benson, owner of the New Orleans Saints NFL team and the New Orleans Pelicans NBA team. Created in 2017 by parents Ginger and Tommy Mayfield, Wyndy is a mobile app that helps families find, book and pay vetted, background-checked college babysitters, according to a Wyndy news release. 888-449-9639
A local Jimmy John’s franchisee with 12 Birmingham locations, Starboard Investments, 1843 Montgomery Highway, Suite 107, and the nonprofit Pay It Forward Alabama recently helped raise money for Make-A-Wish Alabama. From Aug. 6-8, $1 for every sandwich sold at Jimmy John’s locations in Birmingham was to be donated to the organization, which creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.
The Hive, which opened at 1006 20th St. S. in Five Points South in November, recently hosted a relaunch and revamped its menu, adding more sandwiches and sharable food. The entertainment venue also offers games, such as air hockey, basketball and skee ball. Orchestra Partners, which opened The Hive in the space, previously operated the Woolworth social hall in the space. 205-313-3682
Birmingham Business Alliance, 505 20th St. N., Suite 200, along with Jefferson and Shelby counties, recently obtained a federal grant worth $450,000 to study ways to increase bioscience job growth in the seven-county metro area. The grant comes from the Economic Development Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce, according to a BBA news release. The funding comes from the federal CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) Act. 205-324-2100
Birmingham’s Cassandra King — better known as Comedienne Joy — recently won the $7,000 second-place prize in the national YWomen Start It Up Pitch Competition held. The owner of Eat. Drink. Ride Food Tours, King was the only Alabama entrepreneur in the competition, according to a news release from YWCA Central Alabama. 205-482-6999
Nine people were recently selected for induction in the Birmingham Business Hall of Fame, which was founded by the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham, 2019 Fourth Ave. N., Suite 101, in 1997. The inductees for 2020 and 2021, according to the Kiwanis website: Elmer B. Harris, Alabama Power Company; Dr. Basil Hirschowitz, UAB Gastroenterology; Billy Charles Martin, Martin Advertising; William Pettiford, Alabama Penny Savings Bank; Grayson Hall, Regions Financial; John Hand, First National Bank of Birmingham; Dr. Shelley Stewart, o2ideas; Thomas E. Jernigan, Marathon Corporation; and Edgar Welden, WeldenField. 205-251-0032
A neuroscience lab at Southern Research, 2000 Ninth Ave. S., recently received almost $3.9 million in new federal grants to advance its study of Parkinson’s disease and other neurological diseases, including frontotemporal dementia and ALS. The grants come from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Southern Research is leading the research on both grants. The co-investigators are located at UAB, Virginia Tech and the University of Michigan. 205-581-2000
Highlands College, 1701 Lee Branch Lane, has received a $20 million donation from Hobby Lobby founder and CEO David Green and the Green family that will fully fund the institution’s first of two residence halls. Highlands College officials will break ground for the residence hall later this month. Plans call for a five-floor facility with more than 68,000 square feet and 126 rooms for 252 students. Completion is expected in late 2022. 205-731-7339
Personnel Moves
Broadcaster Eli Gold will serve as the primary play-by-play announcer for all home and away games for the Birmingham Squadron basketball team, 950 22nd Ave. N., Suite 925, in its inaugural season beginning in November, according to a Squadron news release. 205-719-0850 birmingham.gleague.nba.com
Summer Thyme — an assistant professor in the UAB Department of Neurobiology, 1825 University Blvd., — was recently named one of 22 early-career researchers selected to join the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences, according to UAB News. The Pew Scholar grant will provide Thyme with $75,000 a year for four years.
The Board of Directors of the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, 117 Southcrest Drive, recently announced Isabel Rubio, the organization’s founder and CEO for 20 years, will step down as of Dec. 31. Chief Operating Officer Carlos Aleman will become CEO on Jan. 1, 2022. Alemán joined the organization’s staff in 2018 as deputy director. 205-942-5505
The Birmingham City Council, 710 20th St. N., appointed two new members to the Zoning Board of Adjustments in July: Jared Fulton, as a registered architect, and Madelaine Bowie, as a non-affiliated member. 205-254-2000
Birmingham banking executive Rosilyn Houston, formerly U.S. head of talent and culture at BBVA USA, assumed the position of chief human resources officer with Boston-based Santander Holdings USA, 75 State St., Boston, as of Aug. 2, according to al.com. Houston also serves on the executive board of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.
Anniversaries
MELT Avondale, 4105 Fourth Ave. S., recently celebrated seven years of business. 205-917-5000
Helen, 2013 Second Ave. N., recently celebrated its one-year anniversary on Aug. 23. Helen is a contemporary Southern grill led by Chef Rob McDaniel and Emily McDaniel. 205-438-7000