8 new businesses + 2 closures in Birmingham this week

It’s a new week in the Magic City, and that means a new roundup of businesses popping up across town. 

From an Italian market in Alabaster to a revamped burger joint in Hoover, here are five new businesses and three upcoming openings that should be on your radar. Plus, two local closures.

• Check out last week’s openings

Now Open

1. Italian Cookie Company | Alabaster

A new Italian market and bakery has opened in Alabaster, bringing scratch-made cookies, pastries, take-home meals and more to a space with plenty of room to gather.

Italian Cookie Company, owned by Al Ruffino and Chris Clinner is part bakery and market, part event venue, with room for gatherings of up to about 100 people. It features all kinds of market items like coffee, olive oils, baked ziti and lasagna and sweets like tiramisu, cannolis and cream puffs.

• Location: 633 11th Ave SW, Alabaster, AL 35007
• Hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 10AM-6PM
• Italian Cookie Company: Website

2. Whiskey Foxtrot | Hoover

Earlier this summer, burger lovers were surprised to learn family-owned Whiskey Foxtrot Burgers Co. was moving away from its original location to a new spot just down the road on Hoover’s Hwy 150.

In addition to its gourmet burgers, hot dogs and handcrafted fries the new burger joint is filled with 1970s, 80s and 90s memorabilia. The new spot transports you to an age when Gumby, Star Wars, cassette tapes, pay phones, real paper concert tickets and posters and pinball machines were the norm.

Williams told us their most popular burger is a smashburger called the  “Foxtrot” which includes caramelized onions. They have nearly a dozen specialty burger creations with fun names like Fat Elvis, The Patriot, Triple Lindy and The Buccaneer.

• Location: 2801 John Hawkins Parkway, Hoover
• Hours: Monday to Saturday – 11AM to 9PM and Sunday 11AM to 8PM
• Whiskey Foxtrot Burger Co.  Website I Facebook I Instagram

3. Clarks | Leeds

Clarks, a legendary British footwear manufacturer and retailer founded in 1825, opened its third Alabama store at the Shops of Grand River in Leeds on, Sept. 25, 2026.

The new space is located in suite 318, across from the Polo Ralph Lauren Outlet Store. The other two Alabama locations are in Hoover and Foley.

• Location: 6200 Grand River Boulevard East, Suite 318, Leeds, AL 35094
• Hours:
  • Monday-Saturday 10AM-8PM
  • Sunday noon-6PM
• Clarks Outlet: 205-905-5611 | Website

4. Santos Coffee | Gardendale

Santos Coffee reopened on September 16th in Gardendale after upgrading its lobby and space, just off Highway 31. Formerly a Wendy’s restaurant, the coffee shop is owned by sisters Wendy Padilla-Madden and Katie Ellis. The Gardendale shop is Santos’ seventh location in the Birmingham metro area. 

• Santos Coffee Gardendale 205-608-8075 – Website
• Hours: Monday to Sunday: 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM 
• Address: 1009 Fulton Avenue, Gardendale, Alabama

5. Willow 31 | Mountain Brook

Willow 31, a locally-owned boutique originally based in Clanton, Alabama, has opened another location in Mountain Brook Village. Located next to Ritch’s Pharmacy, the local boutique is known for its variety of women’s clothing, shoes and accessories with a trendy, feminine look.

• Location: 2706 Cahaba Rd, Mountain Brook, AL 35223
• Hours: Monday-Saturday 10AM-8PM | Sunday 12PM-6PM
• Website | Instagram | Facebook

Coming Soon

6. Waldo’s Chicken & Beer | Chelsea

Chicken lovers, mark your calendars—Waldo’s Chicken & Beer is launching a new Alabama location along U.S. 280 in Chelsea early next week! Located at Valley Post development, the new Waldo’s is set to celebrate its grand opening on Tuesday, September 29. 

Founded in 2019 by Mark Waldo—a Birmingham native and graduate of the University of Alabama—Waldo’s Chicken & Beer started out in the Germantown neighborhood of Nashville; today, the chain operates 35 locations in 10 U.S. states including five in Alabama.

The new Waldo’s will be the first restaurant to open at Valley Post, taking over the space previously home to Little Donkey.

• Location: 1012 Dunnavant Valley Rd, Chelsea, AL 35043

7. The Collective Boutiques | Highway 280

A new boutique mall is taking over the former Painted Tree Boutiques space on US-280. The Collective Boutiques will hold a soft opening open to the public Saturday, Oct. 24, at the River Ridge Shopping Center.

The store will fill the storefront between Academy Sports and Marshalls that Painted Tree closed in April less than a year after opening. The Birmingham location was Alabama’s only Painted Tree and housed more than 200 vendors. Painted Tree closed more than 60 stores nationwide.

• Location: 4612 US-280, Birmingham, AL 35242

8. Sword & Crown Salon | Bluff Park

A new salon is opening soon in Bluff Park! Sword & Crown Salon is a salon specializing in wigs, restorative extensions, scalp care, nano brows and corrective tattooing.

Closing / Closed

9. Siluria Brewing | Alabaster

After eight years of serving up craft beer, trivia nights and live music, Alabaster’s Siluria Brewing Company is closing its doors for good. This weekend, the longtime Shelby County gathering spot announced that its final day will be Friday, November 13.

Founded in November 2018 by Danny and Tammy Sample, Siluria Brewing is a local microbrewery located inside the old Siluria Post Office in Alabaster. Taking its name and water tower-inspired logo from the area’s historic Siluria community, Siluria Brewing was designed to be a casual neighborhood gathering spot for residents in Shelby County.

According to a post on Siluria Brewing’s social media, the reason behind the closing comes down to financial obligations from the brewery’s early years, which couldn’t be overcome despite the team’s hard work and support from the community.

• Location: 145 1st Ave W
• Last day: Friday, November 13

10. The Picklr | Vestavia Hills

The Picklr Birmingham, the popular indoor pickleball hub in Vestavia Hills, closed on Sunday, September 27, 2026.

Located within the former Sprouts grocery store at 1031 Montgomery Hwy, the facility—the national franchise’s first in Alabama—lasted just a year and a half. With the Vestavia Hills location closing, the only Picklr left in Alabama is in Huntsville.