MOUNTAIN BROOK –  “Living through a parent’s worst nightmare made me fearless enough to put myself out there with a business built around my art,” said Elizabeth Adams, owner of and designer for ExVoto, an Alabama-based jewelry and apparel enterprise with stores in Mountain Brook and Montgomery plus Rosemary Beach, Fla.

She founded her business after her 4-year-old daughter died of a brain tumor. Adams, the daughter of two artists, began painting and making collages to process the loss. Over time, her creative therapy extended to making and selling distinctive jewelry. In 2009, she created Ex Voto, which means a testament of gratitude, with a portion of each sale going to The Cure Starts Now Foundation for pediatric brain cancer research. Two years ago, ExVoto also began raising funds for Lighthouse Ministries, which hosts restorative retreats for families going through pediatric cancer.

ExVoto is known for its vintage-inspired clothing and timeless jewelry paired together in modern ways. The Montgomery native began with a studio and showroom in her home city, then added a showroom in Mountain Brook Village in 2014, where the business is now based. The Florida location opened in March of 2020.

Today, Adams was named Alabama’s Bronze Retailer of the Year in the Annual Sales $1 Million to $5 Million category. ExVoto is one of 11 businesses honored as the 2023 Retailers of the Year by the Alabama Retail Association.

The Retailer of the Year judges were impressed with ExVoto’s exceptional sales growth and its use of fashion merchandising interns from multiple colleges. “ExVoto combines timeless beauty with modern elegance, infused in both their jewelry and clothing selections,” said Emily Jensen, executive director of the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce, who nominated Adams for the award.

“This award honors the work and dedication of the entire ExVoto team,” said Adams. “I would not have been able to achieve a fraction of what we have created without this fantastic team. I’m grateful also to my family who has listened to me obsess over all the details and helped me problem solve a lot of challenges for the past 14 years.”

Adams attributes the recent growth of her business to “the launch of a new jewelry collection, an expansion of our apparel selection, and a larger store space with more street frontage for our Mountain Brook location.” The Mountain Brook store expanded from under 1,000 square feet to more than 3,000 square feet. The business also added two team members dedicated to marketing on Pinterest, Tik Tok, YouTube and Google.

Adams finds connecting with customers most fulfilling. “We send a gift and note with their first order, and we send a gift with any large web order,” she said. “We try to create touchpoints with our customers that are both digital and tangible.”

The Alabama Retailer of the Year awards, started in 1999, honor retailers who have demonstrated growth, innovation and a commitment to their respective communities. This year’s winners were selected from 57 entries submitted from a pool of 86 nominees.

“Elizabeth Adams is a retailer of the year EVERY year to her customers, her 26 employees and the greater Mountain Brook and Montgomery communities,” said Alabama Retail Association President Rick Brown.

Other 2023 Retailers of the Year
Previous Retailers of the Year

The Alabama Retail Association represents retailers, the largest private employer in the state of Alabama, before the Alabama Legislature and the U.S. Congress. Through sales of food, clothing, furniture, medicine and more, our 4,300 independent merchant and national company members touch almost every aspect of daily living. Since 1943, we’ve worked to promote what’s best for the retail industry in Alabama. Whether voicing the retail view when public policy is made, educating members about issues that impact them, negotiating rates for benefits and services or communicating the retail story, the Alabama Retail Association and its members are better together.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Elizabeth Adams, ExVoto | 205.538.7301
Nancy King Dennis, Alabama Retail Association | 334.868.2195 | 800.239.5423