Shelby Living Magazine

North Shelby folk artist She-She has been through her share of challenges over the years.

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Craig and Carol Mitchell felt like they were coming home when they moved their stationery store from Mountain Brook to Hoover.

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When April Moore, Courtni Tyre and Melissa Grimes met in an apparel design class at the University of Alabama, they hit it off immediately.

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St. Vincent’s One Nineteen has established itself as a destination for health and wellness.

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With warm sunny rays awakening us each morning, it’s time to shed the layers of winter and refresh our minds and bodies. A multitude of businesses in Shelby County are ready and able to help you do so. Try some of these “must–have” products to prepare everything from your hair, face and skin for the summer [...]

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Walking into Blue Phrog Gallery is an immersion into a world of art. Shimmering stained glass pieces, colorful oil paintings, and intricately carved wooden bowls are displayed on all sides.

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Get outside and enjoy the best of Shelby living. Try one of these events!

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Mt Laurel business aims to treat customers like true princesses.

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PUMPKIN SPICE Ekklesia Coffee House in Chelsea warms up the fall season with Pumpkin Spice brewed coffee and Pumpkin Spice lattes. The lattes are loaded with whipped cream topping and sprinkled with cinnamon. Owner Rachel Morris said she already had people coming in asking for “harvesty” drinks in early September. A large Pumpkin Spice Latte [...]

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Around Shelby County, behind closed doors, several seemingly normal people are hiding a secret — the hobby of collecting. The reason for collecting can be as varied as the individuals, but for most, the enjoyment is found in the search.

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Where you find children, you often discover laughter. Marsha and Grady Parsons found joy in abundance when they purchased their home at 109 Ferry Road. And they’re certain it’s due to the multitude of tiny toes that for decades tapped their way through its corridors. For 30 years, the upstairs of the home served as the only kindergarten in Columbiana.

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Diners at the Ragtime Café are a loyal sort. Some have been coming in for most all the twenty years since the doors opened to enjoy the seafood – especially the crab claws- steaks and desserts that owner Rodney Zimmerman proffers on a daily basis.

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Deborah Stone gently pressed cracked pepper and garlic blossoms into creamy white goat cheese as she explained how she moved from being a successful spa owner to running a farm in Harpersville.

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Few college football players have ever endured the pressure cooker Shelby County native Barrett Trotter faces entering his junior season at Auburn University.

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Story by Christine Boatwright and photos by Jon Goering Chelsea Mayor Earl Niven learned to make biscuits from watching his mother’s technique. “I don’t measure things, and she didn’t either,” Niven said as he mixed his biscuits’ three ingredients of flour, buttermilk and butter. “Mother never did measure; she just knew how the dough felt [...]

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Michael Bertolone’s memories of his childhood revolve around food. When he was a child, his parents brought a wooden stool into the kitchen for him. He could reach the counter and roll out the pizza dough with his family. Those treasured times prepared him for his culinary future.

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At Greg Quinn’s house in North Shelby, when the waves crash during a showing of the movie “Deep Sea,” it’s hard not to reflexively hold your breath.

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For 86 years, Flowerhill has housed the University of Montevallo president and his family.

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More than 1,100 people voted in our inaugural Best of the Best contest. Pick up a copy of the July issue of Shelby Living for the 2012 ballot. Thanks for your support!

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Fall in the South does not differ too much from summer in the South. It is still hot and humid, but with harsh winters of late, you are going to need some fashion pieces to help you switch from sandals and swimsuits to sweaters and shawls. The fall season is all about transition pieces that can be worn now and then layered upon for the winter months.

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New Orleans artist Cyril Neville will perform at the Shelby Blues and BBQ at the Verizon Wireless Music Center on Oct. 1.

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By Katie McDowell Daniel Moore, one of the state’s best-known sports artists, will exhibit his art in the Shelby County Arts Council during the month of November. To kick off the exhibit, the SCAC will host a free public opening reception with Moore as the guest of honor at St. Vincent’s One Nineteen on Sunday, [...]

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Story by Amy Jones and photos by Jon Goering When Mollye Gunnells of Montgomery and Meredith Rehm of Birmingham saw a coupon for a discount on Sips and Snips at Helena Florist, they figured they should give it a shot. “I have people over a lot, and I wanted to learn how to make my [...]

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Helena business offers classes in glass design Story and photos by Laura Brookhart If you love the idea of creating an original stained glass sun-catcher, either for yourself or to give as a gift or Christmas present, it’s time to sign up for a fall class at Buck Creek Stained Glass studio in Helena. Owner [...]

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Columbiana native Robert Bentley became the first person born and raised in Shelby County to win the title of governor in November 2010.

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Inez Sawyer grew up in Montevallo and spent time in the kitchen learning how to cook from her mother.

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From the time you walk into Mikey’s Grill in Hoover, you can sense the familial atmosphere.

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Olivia and Jack Kalin’s Wilsonville home is only about four years old, but it’s filled with hundreds of years of history.

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When Stacey Davis hops onto the seat of her Gary Fisher or Niner bicycle and begins soaring through the woods of Oak Mountain State Park, she can immediately feel a change.

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A bundle of joy is waiting at the end of the requisite nine months of pregnancy, but a bundle of extra pounds is also a necessary result. Staying healthy during and after pregnancy is important for both mom and baby.

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A fire beast lives in the forest on the edge of the University of Montevallo campus.

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Laura McMullan returned from a summer trip to Europe with great memories and more than 2,000 photographs.

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Wes Helms may be a free agent in Major League Baseball, but there’s no doubt about where he and his family choose to live.

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When Charlie Vatella and his family moved back to the Birmingham area from Long Island, N.Y., in the early 1990s to open their restaurant, Vatella saw a prime opportunity sitting on U.S. 280.

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Don and Gail Rule knew they wanted to retire near Birmingham.

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Every morning before the sun rises, employees at Pelham’s Donut Joe’s are busy handcrafting and preparing what they see as edible works of art.

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Kim McBrayer knows the panicky feeling an unorganized office can induce.

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Few buildings in Shelby County can claim to have as varied a history as Blue Spring Manor in Vincent.

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Peel off those warm layers and pamper yourself during the cold months. Or treat a loved one to a day at a local spa to relieve holiday stress and rejuvenate the body from the wintry chill.

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Dr. Melissa Clinger doesn’t believe in New Year’s resolutions.

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On a Wednesday evening in November 2011, a group of University of Montevallo students sat around a table in Hill Hall playing a board game.

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Country-rock singer John Maison is a familiar name in his home state of Michigan.

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Kevin Derryberry has performed thousands of concerts through the years, including CityFest in his hometown of Alabaster.

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Kevin Walker knew he wanted to meet Emily Vining the first time he saw her.

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Marlena Kathryn Tidmore and John Cory Hamrick were united in marriage on June 11, 2011, at 6 p.m. at Columbiana United Methodist Church in Columbiana.

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Susannah Whitney Higgins and Mitchell Austin Moreland were married Sunday, November 13, 2011, at Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa, Birmingham.

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Sarah Alderson and Jason Hammontree met during their sophomore year at Union College in Barbourville, Ky.

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Ashley Tourney and Trent McKnight’s story was a fairytale that finally came to life. Trent and Ashley met at Oak Mountain High School in September 2004. Trent was in his junior year and Ashley in her sophomore year.

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Abby Taylor Caudle and James Preston Bohler were united in Christian marriage on Saturday, June 18, 2011, at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in Homewood. The ceremony was officiated by Rev. Dr. Robert Benjamin Hatfield of Dawson Memorial Baptist Church.

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Megan Miller and John St. Pierre II had been together and in love for four years when they got engaged.

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Kristian Jones and Caleb Jenkin met at veterinary school at Auburn University.

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Wes Lutes and Miriam “Missy” Shaw fell in love during guitar practice.

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Bridesmaids in the 1970s often wore simple dresses in solid colors and very little design.

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Shopping for engagement rings can be stressful for couples, especially when the economy is poor.

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As Nick Hartmann lounged on his bar stool at bistro proVare, contentedly enjoying the last vestiges of his roasted pork roulade stuffed with collard greens and pancetta, he put into words a sentiment shared by savvy diners across Hoover and Shelby County.

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On the day before Thanksgiving two years ago, Rhonda Schaeffer, a 39-year-old wife and mother of two young children, woke up in her Helena home feeling unwell.

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Janessa Mobley and Jordan Barrios met at an orientation event at the University of Montevallo.

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Walter Robinson served in the military but life after was met with its trials. He found himself without a home and battling a drug addiction. He felt unworthy of help.

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