Today, we look back at our top posts, profiles, events and news of the year across Alabama Retail’s website and social media accounts. We can’t wait to see what 2025 and the second half of this decade have in store!
TOP FACEBOOK POST AND CONTEST of 2024
Once again, our top social post of the year was the Alabama Retailer of the Year Customers’ Choice Award contest. Our July 29 to Aug. 12 Facebook photo album voting system and online poll, featuring the 37 Retailer of the Year entries, racked up 123,416 impressions and a 85,624 reach on Facebook alone. The online poll was also the most viewed website post of the year on alabamaretail.org.
The listing of the Retailer of Year nominees took the No. 2 spot in this year’s Facebook countdown, while the online list made the Top 10 web post. The Customers’ Choice winner – Wills Creek Clothing, a women’s clothing, gift and home décor boutique, in Attalla – received 736 votes, or almost 9.5% of the 7,777 votes cast and was in the Top 5 Facebook posts of the year.
TOP MEMBER NEWS ITEM OF 2024
Alabama having two Alabama Retail Association member chefs as 2024 James Beard Awards semifinalists for Best Chef: South – Kelsey Barnard Clark of KBC in Dothan and Arwen Rice of Red or White in Mobile – was the top member news item of 2024. Yes chef!
TOP INSTAGRAM POST OF 2024
Our board chairman came out on top on our Shop Alabama Instagram account. Michael Gee, president and third-generation co-owner of the Pants Store, was also the cover story for the February 2024 issue of Alabama Retailer magazine.
Go to @ShopAlabama on Instagram to see the rest of the Top 9 for 2024.
TOP LINKEDIN POST OF 2024
The Locker Room in Tuscaloosa’s 60th year milestone shared in November topped our 2024 LinkedIn posts with 3,021 impressions and 2,088 video views.
SALES TAX HOLIDAYS TOP EVENTS OF 2024
The third most viewed Facebook post of 2024 was the July back-to-school sales tax holiday with 19,854 impressions and an 18,833 reach. The news release announcing February’s severe weather sales tax holiday ranked highly among the most read website posts this year. The school tax holiday web post also made the top website posts.
TOP TWEET OF 2024
Sharing the Alabama News Center’s reprint of Ashley Mac’s story in early January was the top tweet of the year. Ashley McMakin, founder and chief executive officer of Ashley Mac’s Kitchen, a fast-casual café, catering and market business with five Birmingham area locations was a late 2023 Alabama Retailer magazine cover story.
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Theo Katechis
Sadly, we lost some great retailers and restauranteurs in 2024. Theophilos “Theo” Chris Katechis, owner of Chris’ Hot Dogs in downtown Montgomery died April 24 at age 78. Wilma Dean Jacobs, founder of Dean’s Cake House in Andalusia, died June 25 at age 89. Ann Yates Miller, who with her late husband, Marc, helped run her family’s M & F Stores Corp. and then founded M&F Casuals in Fairhope, died Oct. 13 at age 87. Tuscaloosa’s Jalapeños Mexican Grill founder Wayne Grimball died Nov. 13. Jim Rotenstreich, chief executive officer of Jefferson Home Furniture Co. Inc. and later JHF Holdings Inc., died Nov. 27 at age 87. They and their businesses made and continue to make Alabama better.
FOLLOW ALABAMA RETAIL AND SHOP ALABAMA
In 2025, continue to follow Alabama Retail on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.