Marcia Sherrill and House proprietor Andrew Brown.
Local Shopping
Best of Birmingham
Load up the station wagon, we're headed to Alabama! Contributing Editor Marcia Sherrill takes us on a whirlwind tour of the hippest and most unexpected shops and restaurants in Birmingham, which she proclaims is 'a baby Atlanta.'

We don't know if Atlanta is getting that much bigger, but it sure seems as though Alabama is getting a lot closer. In the time it takes to get to Birmingham (about two hours and 15 minutes), we're still stuck on the Downtown Connector during rush hour. Contributing Editor and Birmingham native Marcia Sherrill takes us on a whirlwind tour of the hippest and most unexpected shops and restaurants in Birmingham, which she proclaims is 'a baby Atlanta.'

Here are a few selections of the places visited. Please pick up the Sept. issue of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles to learn about more shops.

House - Without the noxious presence of a lowly sign, this chic design atelier in English Village is fast attracting Birmingham's
Marcia Sherrill dines al fresco
Sherrill sits with Continental Bakery owner Carol Griffin.
young tastemakers with its spare modern take on antiques and accessories. Owners Andrew Brown and Walton Brown (no relation), scour New York and other locales beyond the 205 for unique finds. From African masks to classical mirrors to an original Paul Hinson lamp, the men are almost loath to part with their pieces - and with the shop's emphasis on custom furniture and a touch of Biedermeier, we don't blame them.

A virtual library of French publisher Assouline's design books scarcely gather dust as their stylish clients scoop up works such as The Well-Lived Life and Bright Young Things. After barely a year, the pair still prefers to work by appointment. Though this fall, they may add a sign as well as regular business hours. Meanwhile, they are having too much fun with clients to be bothered. (205) 870-4464.

Continental Bakery - Owner and baker Carol Griffin serves up the meanest brioche in town, and with her signature loaf, Pain au Levain, a 4.5-pound miche flying out of the oven and onto the tables of the city's Francophiles, it's a small wonder she transformed the once-decrepit, Tudor-style English Village enclave into a tiny bustling hamlet. Next door, her other restaurant, Chez Lulu, dishes out yummy tarts and garlic peasant soup amid a bracing performance by the city's only belly dancers. 'The restaurant and bakery has given me an opportunity to explore all my passions,' Griffin says, 'from the whimsical decor to the bistro cuisine to the entertainment has made us an avatar of fun.' With fire-jugglers, Brazilian drummers and accordion players, Chez Lulu is the destination for local hipsters. (205) 870-5584.

Martha Lauren - With its French boudoir ambiance recalling Pretty Baby, Lauren's eponymous shop boasts an extensive collection of antique linens from the 1800s through the 1940s. She grew up with a mother who created couture clothing sold throughout New England and a grandmother who made beautiful christening gowns. With linens in her blood, Lauren has been selling to a very discerning clientele for almost two decades and now has expanded into British antiques and Birmingham's largest collection of sterling vanity items and picture frames. (205) 871-2283.

Sherrill sits with Chef Frank Sekyra of Satterfield's.
Sherrill sits with Chef Frank Sekyra of Satterfield's.
Sloss Furnace - The furnace that catapulted Birmingham, Alabama, to a rivalry with Birmingham, England, for sheer output still operates for the artisans and students who gather at this historic site to cast and create sculptures and furniture for the South's growing audience of homegrown metalworks. The live pours are greeted enthusiastically by inner-city kids who are taught the lost art of metalsmithing and can earn extra money. (205) 324-1911.

The Loft - Birmingham, previously ignored as a bath backwater, forced its bath enthusiasts to trek to Atlanta for jazzy tile and cutting-edge bath hardware. Now the city boasts such high-end collections as Waterworks, Sherle Wagner and Dornbracht. The Loft's Amy Bond says, 'The Loft has really transformed the residential bath and kitchen scene in Birmingham because our showroom lets our very sophisticated clients see exciting new products, both contemporary and traditional, in a home-style setting. They get so excited that some of them practically live here!' (205) 323-5616.

Perfectly Petaled - Lisa Abele has quickly become the South's reigning queen of preserved florals. Beginning with bridal bouquets, a sacred object for the Southern bride, Abele quickly realized that while her love for fresh flowers had earned her acclaim statewide, preserved florals were an opportunity to 'sculpt' arrangements that - thanks to new technology and a heaping helping of glycerin - would last for decades. Her towering concoctions include such disparate flowers and fruits as three-inch rose heads in a palette to rival Monet and exquisite freeze-dried artichokes and pomegranates. Her 'Seascapes' are a modern antidote to the Victorian penchant for arranging seashells in complex pictorial conceits. She works with her own containers culled from artisans worldwide or with clients' containers, which might be anything from museum-quality Majolica to heirloom sterling. (205) 874-7908.

Satterfield's - Chef Frank Sekyra admits that Satterfield's was astounded when it won the coveted Best New Restaurant from City Scene after opening in 2005. And with such nationally famous competitors as Frank Stitt's legendary Highlands and Bottega anchoring Birmingham's Southside, it was a risky venture to open far from the city's culinary nexus, which includes institutions such as Hot and Hot and Chez Fon Fon. But owner and pastry chef Becky Satterfield wanted a home for her band of happy foodies from the local culinary school, Culinard. Designed by architect Phil Black with original artwork by his award-winning daughter Hannah Black, the restaurant is the go-to restaurant for Birmingham's discerning diners. (205) 969-9690.