By Sue Murphy I don’t know how things fare with our national security, but I can tell you one thing: No one’s going to be surreptitiously walking off with one of Mrs. Squirrel’s tea cozies any time soon. When Santa’s elves finish making their toys, the gifts must be packaged for store display. Although the entire assemblage of Mrs. Squirrel’s Tiny Tree House will … [Read more...]
Southern Comfort: Joel’s Vestavia Hills’ Chef Arteago Shares Favorite Southern Side Dish for the Holidays
By Emily Williams The late John Egerton, a Nashville writer who helped found the Southern Foodways Alliance, said it best when he wrote: “When the chemistry is right, a meal in the South can still be an esthetic wonder, a sensory delight, even a mystical experience.” The experience he describes in “Southern Food: At Home, on the Road, in History” is similar to the one diners … [Read more...]
‘Happiness and Joy’: Flower Truck Popping up Around Birmingham Lets Customers Make Their Own Bouquets
By Ingrid Howard For a holiday gift that has a pop of color, the Wild Honey Flower Truck sells seasonal, international flowers by the stem. It makes stops around the Birmingham metro area to give people the opportunity to build a bouquet.“Sharing it with people has been really exciting, just to see people’s reactions,” said Josh Sizemore, who launched the business with … [Read more...]
Sharing the Joy: Retired Florist Makes Common-Sense Magic in Classes at Aldridge Gardens
By Ingrid Howard When Beth White was growing up working at her family’s flower shop in Kentucky, she said she had no intention of making a lifelong career out of it. She just did what she had to do to “get the car” from her parents. But when her husband left the military in 1975, she rethought that position. “I said, ‘Honey, whatever you want to do, I’ll follow you … [Read more...]
Vestavia Hills’ The Lili Pad Is in the Running for National Indie Award
By Ingrid Howard The Lili Pad of Vestavia Hills is a quarterfinalist in this year’s contest for the Independent Small Business of the Year, also called the “Indie Award.” A children’s boutique offering clothing and gifts for infants, toddlers and children, The Lili Pad is the only Alabama store to make the list. From the day that sisters Katherine McRee and Susan Day opened … [Read more...]