6 Mountain Brook businesses up for Alabama Retailer of the Year

Six businesses in the city of Mountain Brook have been nominated for Alabama Retailer of the Year.

Being nominated for the award is a high honor, each of the business owners said. The winner of the award will be announced in October at a Birmingham luncheon.

The six nominees are: Elle, The Cook Store, Lamb’s Ears, Avani Rupa, Ex Voto Vintage and Paige Albright Orientals.

“It’s totally an honor,” Wesley Lassen of The Cook Store said. “There’s a lot of wonderful local business in the community and the fact I’d be chosen is fantastic.”

“It [means] a lot,” Elizabeth Roberts with Lamb’s Ears said.

“I’m super humbled and flattered by it,” Leslie Pittman of Elle said.

“We’re totally honored and just excited about it,” Avani Patel of Avani Rupa said. “It meant a lot for us.”

“It’s a huge honor,” Paige Albright of Paige Albright Orientals said.

“It’s an honor,” Elizabeth Adams of Ex Voto said.

Adams said she didn’t think she’d ever be a retailer, originally starting out with her paintings and then turning to jewelry, which began to be picked up by galleries. 

When her daughter died of a brain tumor in 2009, Adams started Ex Voto, taking broken pieces of jewelry in her designs.

Adams said she really enjoys building relationships with her clients.

“I love being their go-to for gifts,” Adams said.

Albright said her nomination affirms what she’s been doing for the past 11 years.

“My shop is an extension of what I like to buy,” Albright said.

Patel said the jewelry offered at Avani Rupa, a mother-daughter store, is one-of-a-kind. Pieces, inspired by the family’s Indian heritage, are only offered once, and are never recreated, Patel said.

Rupa Patel, Avani Patel’s mother, started the business 20 years ago at her dining room table, surrounded by friends who helped her design jewelry, inspiring her daughter in the process.

Avani Patel said the biggest challenge is keeping the business small but growing at the same time.

Pittman said owning her own store fulfills a childhood dream.

“I always, as a child … wanted to have a store,” Pittman said.

Pittman has owned the store, originally called Laura Kathryn, for 10 years, changing the name in 2014. She said after a stressful time beginning in the recession of 2008 until 2012, she’s grateful for the recognition of her hard work.

“I’m very dedicated to the buying process,” Pittman said.

The Cook Store has been around since 1975, and Lassen is the third owner, taking over in 1999. The business sells everything for the kitchen, and is a “longstanding staple” in the community, Lassen said.

In recent years, Lassen said she’s made the switch to functional pottery, able to be heated up and used in any way in the kitchen, as opposed to in the past, when consumers bought attractive items just for show.

“The Cook Store for me is not a hobby, it’s a job,” Lassen said, noting she’s turned a profit each of the 19 years she’s owned the store. “I take very big pride in that.”

Roberts and Julie Howell bought Lamb’s Ears in 2011, and are also the third owners of their store, moving it to Crestline from Cahaba Heights. The business specializes in gift and home decor.

“Retail’s hard now,” Roberts said, discussing the burden placed on small business by online sales. “... We’ve tried to distinguish ourselves with great customer service.”