6 places to stop at on Morris Avenue, including The Essential in Founders Station
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The Essential just had their soft opening this month for their new home within Founders Station. From restaurants to retail row, let’s take a look at the places to see and things to do on Morris Avenue.
The Essential
First up is The Essential, a “neighborhood cafe” freshly opened in Founders Station. Birmingham locals recognize this area as up and coming condos and restaurants are in the works to develop Morris Avenue into a bustling district.
Kristin Farmer Hall and Victor King, the owners of The Essential, previously owned brunch cafe Feast and Forest. The Essential, their newest project, resides on Morris Avenue now and will be serving Birmingham with the classics. The owning pair are known around town for their pastries and pastas. The Essential will be no different, only bigger and better from here!
At the soft opening, the Bham Now team visited The Essential to see the finishing touches on the new restaurant. We had coffee, a bottled Coca-Cola, the cookie plate and fresh summer tomatoes with homemade ricotta. Yum!
The Essential will offer breakfast, lunch, dinner, cocktails plus snacks and pastries in between to give you the full cafe, restaurant and bar experience. If you loved Feast and Forest, you’ll love The Essential. It will be open all seven days a week.
Get connected with this part of town by checking out this place. While you’re down there, go ahead and see what else historic Morris Avenue has to offer:
Alabama Peanut Company
Next, head down Morris Avenue to see history reborn. As per our last article, the Alabama Peanut Company is a thing thanks to the minds of John Cassimus, the owner of the facility, and Jaime Thursby, a newbie to the boiled peanut business. Together with Thursby’s family and Cassimus’s knowledge of peanut roasting, they reignited the one hundred year old roasting facility into what it is now, a must-see spot on the avenue that takes us back with vintage cola, moon pies, and the rich tastes and smells of boiled peanuts.
The store is usually open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, but you can check out their Instagram for dates and times as well as the peanut flavor of the day. Their slogan “Southern & Salty” epitomizes the tongue-and-cheek charm of the shop, where you can buy a t-shirt to immortalize your peanut experience.
2016 Morris Ave, Birmingham AL 35203
Honeycreeper and basic.
These show-stoppers are located inside a dual-front building on the avenue. Honeycreeper Chocolate is a brick-and-mortar offering packaged and bean-to-bar chocolate for your innermost cravings.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjcSErwHUz5/?taken-by=honeycreeperchocolate
Also located within the building is basic., a boutique shop selling ethically made clothing for a woman’s wardrobe. The two storefront owners, Courtney Pigford and Lacey Woodroof (respectively), opened up shop next to Heidi Elnora Atelier, accrediting Heidi Elnora herself for their new home on Morris Avenue.
2026 Morris Ave, Birmingham AL 35203
Heidi Elnora Atelier
For all blushing Birmingham brides, Heidi Elnora Atelier provides Morrison Avenue with a classy bridal experience. Featured as one of the top bridal shops in Birmingham, the shop offers three collections to choose from, as seen on TLC’s Bride by Design with Elnora. How cool! You can feel like a celebrity when you make an appointment in this upscale, designer bridal boutique.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkNlxzHHrPh/?taken-by=heidielnoraatelier
2024 Morris Ave, Birmingham AL 35203
The Kinetic Cup
Do you have a burning desire to enter a golf trick shot competition? Then you might be a candidate for the 2018 Kinetic Cup. Located on the rooftop of Kinetic, a web design and development firm on Morris Avenue, contestants can shoot their shot with 18 wiffle golf balls and a wedge at any time before October to qualify for the 2018 Kinetic Cup. The 16 players with the best scores will go head to head in a bracket to compete for a trophy and raise money for the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation. And yes, all of this goes down on the green roof of Kinetic.
2025 Morris Ave, Birmingham AL 35203
Carrigan’s Public House
Carrigan’s Pub overlooks the historic district, giving you a gorgeous view of from the rooftop patio. As it is a pub, you must be 21 or older to enter. It offers that rooftop bar experience on Morrison Avenue featuring plates, appetizers and of course craft beer and even more cocktails. Carrigan’s is one of our 10 places to take a date!
2430 Morris Ave, Birmingham AL 35203
Where is your favorite spot on Morris Avenue?
