Reviewed by: Nathan Watson
3 new businesses + 4 coming soon in Birmingham
Reading time: 5 minutes
It’s a new week in the Magic City, and that means a new roundup of businesses popping up across town.
From a new antique mall in Pelham to an elevated brunch spot coming soon to Downtown Birmingham, here are three new businesses and four upcoming openings that should be on your radar.
Now Open
1. Southern Antique Pickers | Pelham
Do you love discovering vintage keepsakes? Southern Antique Pickers, a new antique mall which opened on Tuesday, Sept.15, is the place for you.
Annette Archie, the owner of Southern Antique Pickers, wants customers to feel at home. The store offers antiques including memorabilia, art, quilts, cookware and seasonal decor. Presently, the mall is at full capacity with seven vendors on a waiting list. The oldest item for sale goes back to the 1920s.
- Location: 2758 Pelham Pkwy, Pelham, AL 35124
- Hours: Monday-Thursday 10AM-6PM | Friday 10AM-9PM | Saturday 10AM-6PM | Sunday noon-5PM
2. Talbots | The Summit
Talbots’ closure at The Summit left a noticeable hole in the shopping center’s lineup. Now, nearly two years later, the classic women’s clothing brand is back with a refreshed 8,732-square-foot storefront in the plaza corridor between LOFT and Woodhouse Day Spa near Saks Fifth Avenue.
Now, the store is currently in its soft opening phase at The Summit with a grand opening planned for mid-October 2026.
- Location: 243 Summit Blvd, Birmingham, AL 35243
- Hours: Monday–Saturday 10AM–9PM | Sunday 12PM–6PM
- Website | Facebook | instagram
3. Studio 314 Dance | Vestavia Hills
Studio 314 Dance recently opened in Vestavia Hills, bringing a full slate of classes from 2-year-olds taking their first ballet steps to high school seniors on the competition team.
Its mission is to give dancers a safe, joyful environment paired with a strong technical foundation. The studio’s faculty brings more than 50 years of combined teaching experience across its programming.
- Location: 720 Old Towne Road, Vestavia Hills, AL 35216
- Studio 314 Dance: 205-840-3558 | Website | Instagram | Facebook
Coming Soon
4. Ivy & Oak | Downtown Birmingham
Looking for a new spot to get your morning pick-me-up—or a late-night libation? Luckily, you can find both at Ivy & Oak Café, an upcoming brunch café and cocktail bar in Birmingham expected to open mid-October.
For co-founders Taylor Young and Dezmon Stovall, the concept for Ivy & Oak Café was a case of being in the right place at the right time.
Drawing inspiration from their travels and from popular brunch destinations in cities like Atlanta, Taylor and Dezmon have designed Ivy & Oak Café to be more than just a weekend brunch spot. The café plans to open at 7AM, serving breakfast and brunch through the lunch rush until around 2PM. After a brief transition, the space will reopen around 4:30PM for happy hour and its evening bar service.
- Location: 321 20th St N, Birmingham, AL 35203
- Ivy & Oak Café: Website | Facebook | Instagram
5. America’s Thrift Store | Eastwood Village
Good news for secondhand shoppers in Birmingham—a new America’s Thrift Stores is coming soon to Birmingham’s Eastwood neighborhood!
The Irondale-based chain of thrift stores is set to open a new location in the former Party City space at the Eastwood Village shopping center. This will be the brand’s seventh location in the Birmingham area.
- Location: 1608 Montclair Rd
6. Big Mama’s | Leeds
Big Mama’s, a popular food truck that offers up made-from-scratch, home-cooked meals, plans to open a meat and three “grab and go” restaurant concept in Leeds this coming December.
The first Big Mama’s food truck opened in Birmingham June 2024. Since then, the business has grown rapidly adding two additional trucks.
The new spot in Leeds will likely be open 24 hours a day and six days a week, according to owner Victoria Hamilton. Patrons can grab hot sandwiches at the front of the restaurant or pick up a meat and three from a staffed buffet line in the back of the building, and all-time food truck favorites like the beef tips and rice and ribs will be on hand.
- Location: 1689 10th Street SE
7. HomeSense + Shoe Dept. | Hoover
The former Big Lots in the Riverchase Crossings Shopping Center is getting a much needed new life after the big box discount store closed its doors February 2025.
Located next to Trader Joe’s and Sierra on Montgomery Highway, the massive 37,793-square-foot space will be divided into two new storefronts, with 27,278 square feet being allocated to HomeSense and 10,515 square feet going to a new Shoe Dept.
This development will be Alabama’s first and only HomeSense store as well as Hoover’s only Shoe Dept.
- Location: 1771 Montgomery Hwy, Hoover, AL 35244
