Sidekicks livens up retail scene in Avondale

Although Avondale’s newest retail tenant Sidekicks opened up their sneaker and modern streetwear boutique in February, co-owners Joseph Bradley and Bonaventure Akinlosotu said they’ll be doing their official grand opening celebration this summer.

They took some time in the spring, Bradley said, to talk to locals and get a better idea about what the Birmingham community wanted to see come to the Avondale store, located at 400 41st St. S. He added that he and Akinlosotu have been working on the store concept for the last four to five years and in 2016 completed CO-STARTERS, a 10-week business and development program through Create Birmingham. 

“Avondale was on our short list, first of all, because it was a very cool place. We felt like the style and environment we were looking for, for a retail environment fit really well into the community,” Bradley said. “We also noticed a lack of retail, especially a lack of men’s retail, in the area.”

Akinlosotu and Bradley said the store lends itself to modern culture — including music, movies and video games — and offers accessories, hats, shoes and clothes. They also said they worked hard to make sure the store comes across as welcoming, open-minded and inviting, without any judgment to people. 

“We want it to be where people can come and kind of congregate and exchange,” Akinlosotu said. “… We know the online thing is on the move right now, but people still want to feel and see the story behind what they’re buying.”

Unlike shopping online, he said, coming to Sidekicks gives people an opportunity to get the story of the individual brands and products that the store decided to promote and sell. Akinlosotu said some locals were even having to travel to other cities because of Birmingham’s lack of independent brands that bigger cities often carry at specialized boutiques. 

“More or less, we want you to come in, enjoy the space and discover some type of T-shirt or bag or whatever that you were like, ‘You know, I wasn’t necessarily looking for this, but this is a pretty cool little item, and I’d like to have it,’” Bradley said. 

Some of their starter retail brands they’ve chosen include Quiet Life, Primitives Skateboarding and Apparel and Extra Large, as well as Saucony Footwear for shoes. Akinlosotu and Bradley said they’re excited to provide an outlet for popular styles and brands people might not have seen in the Birmingham area. 

Their grand opening celebration is June 1 from 2 to 5 p.m.. They said Sidekicks also plans to host some community events to continue to introduce the space to their friends, family and the people of Avondale. 

“It’s relationship first, then transactions. We really want to base a lot of what we do on relationships. That’s kind of where we want to focus a lot of our energy,” Bradley said. 

Akinlosotu and Bradley said currently they are open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. and Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m. They are closed Sunday and Monday. Stay tuned for their updates on Instagram @sdkcks.