Even though Iyishia Jones started her career in corporate America, fashion has always fueled her. “I was the one who pushed the envelope when it came to the corporate dress code,” Iyishia remembers. “I’d never leave the house without some kind of flair.” Her love…
“People always ask us the secret to being in business for 100 years,” said Gus Katechis. “I always tell them, you just gotta be here. You’ve got to be here every day.” It’s a motto that Gus Katechis and his father, Theo, certainly live…
Strolling through the streets of idyllic downtown Fairhope, it’s hard not to notice the sunny yellow exterior of M&F Casuals. Once you step through the green canopied doors, the warmth of Southern hospitality invites you to stay a while, make new friends and truly…
Looking out the front doors or from the balcony of Ware Jewelers, owners Ronnie and Tina Ware have the perfect vantage point of the iconic Toomer’s Corner in Auburn. “Some of my earliest childhood memories are being here at the…
At J&M, ‘It’s about more than just shopping. It’s the experience.’ For more than 60 years, the familiar look and feel of J&M Bookstore has greeted Toomer’s Corner visitors. Generations of Auburn University students, alumni and fans say visiting and shopping at…
In the middle of the Alabama summer, we visited the Wrapsody management team during a retreat at Lake Martin. On the surface, it looked like a fun girl’s trip, but in the midst of the laughing and conversation, real work happened. …
It’s been nearly 25 years since hairstylists Michelle McGough and Paula Lecher first met. The two were working under the same mentor at the same salon – that just happened to be in the same building that’s now home to…
At 1892 East Restaurant and Tavern, a sense of community is the most valued ingredient in their business approach. The owners’ commitment to invest in all things local is what sets them apart. Steve Bunner, the executive chef and one…
Ricky Bromberg still recalls the day he got his first “paycheck,” if you could call it that, he said. It was June 30, 1966. “I was six years old at that time,” he remembers. “I got a 50-cent piece for being the elevator operator at…
Tucked inside a beautiful, vine-covered entrance along Cullman’s busy Fourth Street is one of the growing city’s most distinctive retailers. Werner’s Trading Co., a second-generation family owned store, is in its sixth decade of business. Rob Werner’s father, Robert, opened the business in 1952 as…