Category Archives: Homewood

Store is on target in Homewood

Target Beam Raising in Homewood, AL.

Tuesday afternoon, June 26, saw the city of Homewood come one step closer to changing shopping patterns for residents throughout metro Birmingham’s central region. Its mayor, Scott McBrayer, was joined by city officials and the business community as Minneapolis, MN-based retailer Target held a beam raising ceremony for their 135,000 square foot store currently under construction at Colonial Brookwood Village.

As mentioned on this site a little less than two years ago, this will be Target’s sixth location in the metropolitan area and the one located closest to Birmingham’s city center, reasonably reducing potential travel distances for potential shoppers in neighborhoods like Norwood, Fountain Heights, Southside and Central City. It is scheduled to open sometime in 2013 and employ approximately 200 people.

Could Homewood be poised to land a Target?

Targets in metro BirminghamThe Birmingham Business Journal is reporting that the city of Homewood is providing $10.4 million in incentives to Colonial Properties Trust – $1.4 million for road improvements and $9 to help Trust potentially lure Target to their Colonial Brookwood Village development (located along Lakeshore Drive between Highways 31 and 280).

The $1.4 million had been previously brought before Homewood’s City Council earlier in September though no action had been taken at that time. Representatives for Target in a story filed by The Birmingham News mid-August stated that no plans had been announced for a location in Homewood, Another story filed during that period suggests that the discount retailer was being sought by Colonial.

It would definitely reduce travel time for those located in metro Birmingham’s core. There are Super Targets located in Hoover (as of this posting the country’s largest),Trussville, and along Highway 280 and “regular” locations in Fultondale and Bessemer. Using our offices as a starting point, it would reduce our drive to the closest Super Target (280) by 5 miles and to the Fultondale location by three.

It would also not be the first time that future plans for the development had been discussed including a period in late 2006 when it was believed that a Westin hotel would be built on the property; despite an announcement, plans never materialized.

Map: Courtesy of Target.com search function.

One last look at the ramps

Skate ramps at 7 a.m., Homewood Park. acnatta/Flickr

acnatta/Flickr

We headed over to Homewood’s Central Park early this morning (approximately 7 a.m.) to get this photo – probably one of the last of the skate park ramps before they were disassembled today (al.com video) following last night’s vote by the city’s Parks and Recreation Board to take them down because of increased issues.

What do you think?

Kurt Weill Retrospective w/Diane McNaron and Thomas Bagwell, Unitarian Universalist Church

Soprano Diane McNaron‘s Kurt Weill Retrospective, not heard in Birmingham in nearly a decade, will be presented with New York pianist Thomas Bagwell. Bagwell, a Birmingham native who has not appeared here in fifteen years, will open the program with the rare and atmospheric Berg Piano Sonata. These two consummate performers will then take the audience on a musical odyssey through the controversial lives and the turbulent times of Berlin/American composer Kurt Weill and the woman he married twice, the chanteuse Lotte Lenya.

Featuring songs from Threepenny Opera, Happy End, The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, little known and expressive art songs and Broadway hits.

Cost: $15 (table seating, by reservation only) BYOB Click here to buy tickets through Paypal. You may also purchase row seating (walk-in only) for $8 or email dianemcnaron@aol.com or call 205.838.1391 to make other arrangements.

Location:
Unitarian Universalist Church
4300 Hampton Heights Drive (directions)

First Annual Clover Crawl, downtown Homewood

This event will also serve as the open house for the new Green Resource Center for Alabama. Participating restaurants and merchants in downtown Homewood will provide great specials and discounts on food, drink and “green” products as they and the resource center help metro Birmingham and the state of Alabama “Go Green!”

Click here to view the flier on their website.

Cost: Free

Location:
throughout downtown Homewood &
Green Resource Center
2564 18th Street South, Homewood (directions)

Annual Photo Flea Market, Shades Valley Camera Club

Buy, sell or trade photographic equipment and at the annual photo flea market sale, held after the monthly meeting of the Shades Valley Camera Club. Bring your check book, equipment for sell/trade, and a shopping list of items you specifically need – you just may find them at the event! Due to space limitations, if you have large items for sale, please bring pictures and a price list.

Cost: $0

Location:
Homewood Public Library
1721 Oxmoor Road (directions)

Holiday open house, area Starbucks

Here’s an invite to come by and taste the holiday drinks and tastes Starbucks has to offer this season — eggnog latte, gingerbread latte, peppermint mocha and more. Best part, it’s free. We like free and think free Krispy Kreme donut day and free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream day should be national holidays. Don’t worry … we’ll let you know when those events are too.