Ore Mercantile brings micro-retailing to Birmingham

In micro-retailing, multiple small vendors display their wares in a shared storefront. This saves them money on rent and allows them to market their wares as a group.

That business model has now come to Birmingham.

Ore Mercantile, operated by retail veteran Jon Tubbs, opened in Avondale in November and bills itself as the city’s first micro-retailer.

The store is located in a burgeoning shopping strip at 4414 Fourth Ave. S. near Continental Gin.

At press time, there were about 10 local brands at Ore, including Alabama Peanut Company, Deep Creek Trading Company, Magic City Organics, Original Birmingham Apparel Company and Manitou Supply.

There are plans to open a deli and market in the store by early April.

Micro-retailing provides great local brands a practical, cost-effective way to sell specialty products, Tubbs said.

Several of the sellers at Ore don’t have their own storefronts elsewhere in Birmingham.

“It’s a way to showcase some people who either don’t have the money to open their own store or don’t have the time to dedicate to a full-time store,” Tubbs said.

Ore also offers variety, said Jon’s wife, Kim Tubbs, a retailer who sells California fashion at the store in her Wild One Boutique.

“You get a little bit of everything,” she said. “It keeps it fresh. It’s constantly changing.”

A Childersburg native, Jon Tubbs lived in Birmingham from 1999 to 2009, then moved to California, where he co-owned two shops — Long Beach Trading Co. and TRIco in Hollywood. Both stores were “very lifestyle-driven,” he said.

Long Beach Trading Co., which he operated with Kim Tubbs, carried Red Wing boots, workwear and motorcycle helmets and accessories.

Jon Tubbs is also a veteran sales representative for surf and skate fashion brands, including Vans and Red Wing, and is now the Southeast rep for clothing maker Filson.

He was introduced to micro-retailing 15 years ago when he did a project with Van’s at Fred Segal in Los Angeles.

Jon Tubbs said he’s wanted to open a similar shop in Birmingham ever since he moved back from California in 2014.

“It was timing and finding the right spot in the right area,” he said. “With everything going on in Avondale, I was thinking this was prime.”

He’s partnering in the shop with Payne Baker, who owns the retail strip.

The location is good, Jon Tubbs said, because the retail center has ample parking and includes such businesses as Tropicaleo, Mom’s Basement and Sanctum Tattoos and Comics.

At press time, Seasick Records was set to open next door to Ore very soon, and Harvest Roots — billed as the city’s first kombucha taproom — was expected to open in the strip this spring.

“I love the people who are going to be our neighbors,” Kim Tubbs said. “I think it’s a good mix.”

Jon Tubbs refers to each of his participating retailers at Ore as a “shop-in-shop.” Each retailer pays rent plus a small percentage of their sales.

The first person he approached about Ore was Peter Karvonen, owner of Faith Skate Supply downtown.

“He has great brands,” Tubbs said. “[Ore] was a chance for him to reach a different audience.”

The popular Faith Skate store “is just a core skate shop,” Karvonen said. However, at Ore, he said he can offer “stuff for everybody.”

“Everybody likes Vans shoes, but sometimes they might be a little timid to come into a skate shop,” he said.

A micro-retailing environment provides a great chance for “cross marketing,” Jon Tubbs said. “One customer might come in for Faith Skate and get introduced to somebody else.”

The vendors at Ore can also work together on social media marketing in “a conjoined effort,” Karvonen said.

Ore will also begin online sales this year, Jon Tubbs said. “We can give exposure to everyone here, ‘’ he said.

Starting Ore was all about getting “the right curation mix,” he said.

Jaime Thursby, the owner of Alabama Peanut Company on Morris Avenue, had an idea to do a snack bar, Jon Tubbs said.

The Original Birmingham Apparel Company sells Magic City-themed clothing. “People like to represent Birmingham, and they like to buy gifts for people who’ve moved away,” Jon Tubbs said.

The owners of Manitou Supply “ have a great eye for the vintage they do,” he said.

Ore is planning special events, including a spring cleaning garage sale in March, Jon Tubbs said.

Jon Tubbs was seemingly born to work in retail. “I’ve always had an entrepreneurial thought process since I was a kid,” he said. “I’ve been buying and selling something. I’ve always enjoyed it.”

He enjoys sharing discoveries with his customers. “I like introducing people to new stuff,” he said.

It’s also fun for him to visit other retail shops for his sales job. “I’m always seeing neat products and things,” Jon Tubbs said.

“I don’t want to copy people, but I get inspired,” he said.

For more information, go to oremercantile.com.