On the evening of June 17, 2015, a mass shooting took place at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston. Nine people were shot and killed.
You can’t help but wonder, ‘What if nine people had been executed in a church in Birmingham?’
Would there be rioting in the streets of Birmingham like there was in Ferguson–or would we come together as a community as they did in Charleston? Continue reading Glenn Beck: Birmingham will restart America
ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.
Today’s guest blogger is Janice James Eubank. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
We recently had family visiting in town. Although they are native ‘Hamians’….they most recently lived out of the country but wanted to see the “old town,” with an emphasis on seeing loft locations in Birmingham. We only had an afternoon with them, so we packed in a loaded agenda ending the night at Highland’s Bar and Grill with Goren Avery, “Gastro Concierge Extraordinaire”. Continue reading New energetic Birmingham: Not just for young folks
ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.
Today’s guest blogger is Don Logan. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
Folks said we were nuts when we moved the Barons downtown.
“Downtown isn’t safe.”
“I’d never come downtown with my children.”
“The City of Birmingham will never get its act together.”
“You guys must be crazy.”
It was difficult to listen to the negative talk—but we knew the move to Birmingham was the right thing to do. Stadiums were moving into urban areas and were being successful.
And the City of Birmingham did it right. Continue reading Don Logan: Folks called us nuts!
The CEO of one of our area’s largest companies approached me at a business reception recently and said he was concerned about Birmingham.
I’ve had lots of people tell me they were worried about Birmingham, but never like this. Continue reading Is Birmingham becoming too cocky?
Has Publix gone mad?
The executives at Publix must be on drugs—bought at its own pharmacy.
Why would any sane company build a grocery store in downtown Birmingham?—not just a kids sized model—but a full size grocery store—pharmacy and all.
Publix must not have gotten the memo about white/black flight from the city center and the vast dangerous wasteland left behind.
Has Publix lost all sense of reality?
Continue reading Publix wacky for building a store downtown?
ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.
Today’s guest blogger is Maury Shevin. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
I recently attended a meeting of real estate professionals from the Birmingham area.
Dick Schmalz, President RGS Properties, spoke about his 20 Midtown development. 20 Midtown is the new Publix, Starbucks, retail and apartment buildings that are being developed between 3rd and 4th Avenues South on both sides of 20th Street. These are not pie-in-the-sky projects. They are real with building permits and bank financing. Dick said these three projects will cost more than $100 million.
ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.
Today’s guest blogger is Jerry Carter. It appears it’s not just young folks thrilled with Birmingham’s comeback. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
I spent a number of my childhood years in the Norwood section of Birmingham in the ’40’s and early ’50’s. Those years provide the basis for my long-distance passion for the city.
I recall the old street rails for the trolleys, and buying Krystal hamburgers for 12 cents on the downtown corner of 2nd Avenue North. The animated Christmas displays each year in the windows of Pizitz and Loveman’s department stores were awesome. The Alabama Theatre was the absolute mecca for movie viewing. I still recall my amazement when the Wurlitzer organ would rise up to stage level and music would fill the large hall. Continue reading Birmingham: The city of my youth makes a comeback
Hold onto your seat.
I’m about to give you some numbers that will confound and amuse you.
On October 1st, Justin Connolly, Senior VP of ESPN Programming over College Networks, spoke to the Rotary Club of Birmingham about the new SEC Network. He said the SEC Network has been the most successful launch of a cable network in the history of television. (Oprah, eat your heart out)
Then he gave some numbers that made the audience break into spontaneous applause. Continue reading Birmingham: The greatest college football city in America
ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.
Today’s guest blogger is Deborah Layman. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
I was an urban kid – born and raised in New York City. And although I’ve lived in the country near Montevallo for almost 25 years, the grid and grit of a city still make my heart beat faster. I love the feel of pavement under my feet and the sensation of being flanked by tall buildings with graceful design elements that only the pigeons can see up close. Continue reading Our Birmingham spy in New York
This is Birmingham’s time.
We are on a roll.
Our momentum is accelerating and it’s time for our hometown heroes to put their money with their mouth is.
Bo Jackson was quoted recently by the BBJ in an article titled, Would Bo invest in Birmingham?
“I have always thought about coming home to do something greater, but the timing just hasn’t been right. I have looked at doing things within the city at different times in the past and things just didn’t pan out. It could have been anything, like bringing restaurants and supermarkets to the downtown area. I am all about doing what I can to help people. I’m a firm believer that in order to be successful, you have to employ people. My main goal to come back home was to help employ some of the unemployed.”
Continue reading Charles Barkley & Bo Jackson make empty promises