IZ Cafe becomes neighborhood grocery store

Over the 16 years that Kay Reed has owned Everything IZ, she has prided herself on her company’s ability to change.

“What we’ve done is we’ve adapted … when something doesn’t work we try to find something else, and we change,” Reed said.

So when the IZ Cafe location in English Village continued to struggle more than two years after it opened, Reed decided to take it in a different direction. Though the number of dining customers was low, Reed said their prepared to-go meals were popular.

“It’s a tough corner,” Reed said of their location at 2037 Cahaba Road.

On April 30, IZ Cafe closed, and its tables and chairs were replaced by a dining counter, freezers, a deli case and a wine rack. The shop reopened in May as something new: IZ Neighborhood Grocery.

“We’re super excited about it. We feel like this is our opportunity,” Reed said.

Reed said IZ will be a quick stop for people looking for the basic groceries — breads, eggs, cheeses, meats, produce, flour, grits and beer and wine, for starters. Several of the suppliers for IZ are “local, farm-fresh” vendors, Reed said. Many items on the shelf will be familiar to IZ diners, including to-go meals, freezable casseroles and some of their more popular hors d’oeuvres and desserts.

“I think people like prepared foods. I think they love to grab and go,” Reed said.

IZ Neighborhood Grocery will continue providing hot dinners for pickup, as well as sides that they serve through IZ Catering and a salad or vegetable of the day. The shop will make fresh paninis when they open each day at 10 a.m. and sell growlers of beer. They’re also considering selling homemade ice cream in new flavors each month.

“If people want to have a panini and a draft beer at the counter, they can,” Reed said.

While IZ Neighborhood Grocery will still be in a challenging location, Reed said she plans to have frequent specials and try to get the word out about the new store. She wants the grocery to be both comfortable and convenient for Mountain Brook residents.

“I would like to be the go-to for some of those things,” Reed said.

Most importantly, Reed said IZ Neighborhood Grocery will be as adaptable as she is. If shoppers have suggestions for products they’d like to see, she plans to stock them.

“I hope people will suggest things that they’d like to see, because we want to sell what people want to purchase,” Reed said.