Ask any local what to do on a summer Saturday in the Magic City and chances are their recommendations will begin with Pepper Place Farmer’s Market. For almost 20 years, thousands of visitors have lined up for fresh produce, pastries, meats, and all manners of handmade art, jewelry, and crafts on Second Avenue South. But 12 years before the market debuted, Pepper Place already was beginning to establish its position as a one of downtown’s central neighborhoods. Today, Pepper Place boasts 350,000 square feet of mixed-use retail, office, and workshop space. Chef Chris Hastings’s OvenBird calls it home, with his flagship restaurant Hot & Hot Fish Club to join this fall. It’s also home to some of the city’s favorite home shops like Charlie Thigpen’s Garden Gallery and Richard Tubb Interiors, and it’s soon to host Birmingham’s first store from iconic Alabama menswear designer Billy Reid. Just this February, Pepper Place announced its latest development: designation as an official entertainment district (including laws allowing open containers!). So, let’s raise a glass to Pepper Place and some of the businesses that make it the smashing success it is.
The Sugo di Pomodoro pasta at Bettola.
1. Bettola
A veteran when it comes to Pepper Place businesses, Bettola has been in the neighborhood since 2006. At the casual but refined lunch and dinner spot, Chef James Lewis treats Birmingham diners to the Italian triple threat: pizza, pasta, and pagnotelle (sandwiches made from pizza dough). The pizza’s crust achieves the perfect Neapolitan-style consistency and flavor—not too thick, not too thin, with just the right amount of char. Try the traditional Margherita with buffalo mozzarella and San Marzano tomatoes, or the Pancetta e Cipolla with caramelized onion and pancetta. The al dente homemade pasta stands up to savory cream and tomato sauces, and the sandwiches bring a satisfying bite with some of the same toppings you can find on a pizza.
2930 3rd Ave. S. | 205.731.6499 | bettolabham.com
The workout room at Ignite Cycle.
2. Ignite Cycle
New York may have Soul Cycle, but Birmingham has something even better, thanks to Tiffany Martin, who founded Ignite Cycle in the Magic City in late 2018. Ignite is a boutique cycling studio that offers high-energy cycling classes that encourage every participant to “ignite a fire that will transform their life.” With the lights dimmed and the music pumping, participants take a journey through 45 minutes of cycling and light choreography for a full-body workout. After three months in a pop-up space in Pepper Place, the studio opened its permanent space in March.
224 29th St. S. | 205.639.6908 | ignitebhm.com
The FarmStand by Stone Hollow Farmstead sells cookware, food, and artisan products.
3. FarmStand by Stone Hollow Farmstead
This local business has a deep connection to Pepper Place. For the past five years, Stone Hollow Farm has been a regular at the Saturday farmer’s market. In March, owner Deborah Stone took the connection one step further by opening a brick-and-mortar gift and grocery shop in the same district. The FarmStand sells all manners of Stone Hollow goods for gourmands, including fresh cheese, honey, jams, pickled veggies, seasonings, spreads, and more. The store also has a selection of artisan-made products like candles, cards, towels, and dishes that would make great gifts. In addition, curated gift boxes, CSA boxes, and charcuterie boards are available for order and pick-up.
2821 2nd Ave. S., Suite K | 205.803.3585 | stonehollowfarmstead.com
Thrive Clay Studio hosts weekly classes and workshops in ceramics.
4. Thrive Clay Studio
Owned by local clay artist Lana Hobbs, Thrive Clay Studio celebrates its one-year anniversary at Pepper Place this month. Hobbs sold her handmade pieces (mugs, vases, plates, bowls, wall hangings, etc.) at Pepper Place Market before opening her own studio. Her work explores the connection between function and beauty, and the juxtaposition of an ancient art form with modern design. Today, Thrive serves as a shop and studio for Hobbs’s individual work, as well as a classroom where she teaches one-day, project-based workshops, as well as wheel-based six-week courses.
2821 2nd Ave. S., Suite A-1 | 205.259.8524 | thriveclay.com
Design Supply is part art gallery, part furniture store. Photo by Graham Yelton.
5. Design Supply
Sister store to Mountain Brook’s Gallery 1930, Design Supply combines all the elements of great design in one breathtaking gallery and store. Every piece, from a forest green velvet couch to a pink feathered chandelier, is hand-selected and paired with art to make some of the most stunning displays in all of Birmingham—and it’s all for sale. The store opened in November of 2017, and has worked with more than 100 local, national, and international artists in the year and a half since. Design Supply pairs each artist’s work with interior details that include other décor pieces, furniture, antiques, and incredible lighting to create utterly enviable, effortlessly chic vignettes that change daily—meaning as many times as you choose to visit, you’ll never see the same things twice.
2817 2nd Ave. S. | 205.777.3464 | artgallery1930.com/designsupply
And the rest…
The Lumbar | 212 29th St. S. | lumbarbham.com
Terrific New Theatre | 2821 2nd Ave. S. | 205.328.0868 | terrificnewtheatre.com
Hop City | 2924 3rd Ave. S. | 205.279.2337 | hopcitybeer.com
