Ash opened in August of 2018 in West Homewood across from Patriot Park. They source fresh, local ingredients of the highest quality and use a wood-fired cooking process which inspired the restaurant name. Ash offers the finest quality food in a welcoming environment that caters to the whole family. 

You can find more information by visiting their website or Facebook page. They do take reservations, but walk-ins are always welcome.

​I (highly) recommend the fried okra and grilled swordfish!

How did you get into the food industry & why did you decide to open your own restaurant?

I fell into cooking as a job. I started working at Mugshots in Tuscaloosa as a dishwasher. But I immediately fell in love with the environment of the kitchen. It had a lot of the same elements that reminded me of my time playing collegiate baseball – the adrenaline rush of serving a restaurant full of customers and having to work with a team to provide a great product.

That's what I wanted to do.

So, I attended Johnson & Wales culinary school in North Carolina and after graduating started working at Highland's Bar & Grill. I worked my way up to sous chef under Frank Stitt, and then had the opportunity to be head chef at Bottega Cafe. I moved on to become the head chef at Brick & Tin, but eventually realized I needed more consistent hours at home. My family is most important to me, and I knew I couldn't continue those long hours away from them.

I moved into more of a “corporate job” as the Food Studios Coordinator for Meredith Corporation, which managed food content for entities like Southern Living, Cooking Light, Shape, etc. This is where I got to experiment with food and was able to have a little more autonomy in the creative process.

But I knew almost from the start, that I wanted to open my own restaurant. I wanted to ability to express my creativity with food. It's an art to me, so I knew it was important to have some control over what I create.

We moved to the West Homewood area about five years ago, and so we've had the privilege of watching it transform and grow. I knew I wanted to be a part of that, and that's one reason we opened Ash here in West Homewood. I literally live three blocks away. I wanted to create a space for people to find rest and comfort in really quality, beautiful food without feeling pressured to dress or act a certain way.

What do you believe makes you different from other restaurants and what do you think your customers truly value most about Ash?

I think we bring tremendous value to our community with our food. Everything is cooked using a wood-fired technique – that's what inspired the name, Ash. A wood-fired cooking process really makes a difference in the taste and experience. You can actually smell the wood burning in the kitchen when you come in. 

We use the same farmers to source the same quality ingredients you find at Highlands, Hot & Hot, or Bottega. We get those fresh ingredients daily and there are only three things that are ever frozen in our kitchen (and those items are still made in house). We even make our own applesauce for the kids menu.

Combine that with our hyper focus on creating a family friendly space, and you've got Ash in a nutshell. We want to be the neighborhood bar and grill with exceptional food that loves the whole family, not just "mom and dad." That's why kids eat free on Tuesday nights, and we spend just as much time creating delicious food for the kids menu as we do our full menu.

West Homewood is very family focused, and so to provide a space where you can enjoy a quality meal together as a family is unique. To know that you can enjoy the same fish you'd find at a high end restaurant downtown alongside your five year old is a beautiful concept, and the fact that it's an affordable experience is what makes Ash truly stand out.

What's the biggest challenge or obstacle you've faced as a small business owner?

From a business standpoint, just learning how to manage cash flow was a learning curve. As a chef, I had plenty of experience budgeting food costs, but owning the entire operation brought a whole new level of budgeting and planning to the surface.

The other challenge actually comes from the fact that I deliberately created this restaurant to blend with my family, rather than compartmentalize “family time” and “work time.” My wife is incredibly smart and handles all the business side of Ash. Since we live so close, my kids will often come visit me at the restaurant after school and I can always run home to tuck them in at bedtime even when I'm working late. For the most part, this blend works well, but it also means that we go through the challenges of owning a business together. 

What's your current marketing strategy or the best way you've found to get the word out about Ash?

My wife, Ashley, used to work in the digital marketing world, so we've utilized social media platforms for the majority of our exposure. It's been a great way for us to showcase our food and cooking techniques.

We recently experimented with corporate catering. We identified businesses that often cater lunches for meetings or staff, and dropped off a box of warm corn muffins along with a review sheet and catering catalog for them look through. That helped us develop a relationship with different local businesses.

What's the one piece of advice you'd give to someone interested in starting their own business?

I'd encourage them to make sure you have plenty of money in the coffers before you get started. Even if you've had experience in the industry, starting something new on your own is difficult. You'll learn some lessons quickly, and sometimes they're expensive lessons to learn.

Never assume your ideas are perfect or the best way to do things. Be flexible and willing to hear others' ideas.

The White Room is a bridal salon located in Birmingham, Alabama founded by a mother daughter duo: Carolyn and Cathy Kelley. They have been serving brides all over the southeast for 15 years, and offer a private, appointment only dress shopping experience. Their boutique truly celebrates that special moment in each bride's life by offering the finest designer dresses with exceptional Southern hospitality.

At a time when most women can feel intimidated or overwhelmed with choices, Carolyn and Cathy use their expertise to simplify the process of finding the perfect dress. With over 50 years of seamstress and tailoring experience, Carolyn also provides in-house alterations for any dress.

How did you get into the bridal business and why did you open The White Room?

My mother, Carolyn, has been in the alterations business for the majority of her life. She started learning from her mother when she was young. In fact, she had been doing alterations for a bridal salon in town for about 10 years, when she noticed a need for more options in the local bridal business. In August of 2004, she called me and asked to look into a property – she wanted to open her own bridal boutique.

The White Room opened in January of 2005. It was difficult at first. Carolyn had to do everything from scheduling appointments and assisting brides, to finding beautiful dresses for inventory. She would often stay up late at night to do any alterations. I had a full time job in the printing industry, but would help out after work or on weekends and take care of the bookkeeping at night.

I eventually came on as a full time staff member about two years later. In fact, Carolyn and I work so well together, that we bought a home and have lived together for the last 10 years!

What do you believe makes you different from other boutiques and what do your customers value the most about your services?

We offer appointment only services so that we can give our undivided attention and assistance to each bride that comes into our store. That allows us to best serve each individual need or request and it makes your dress shopping experience truly special. Once we have an idea of the specific style dress that a bride is interested in, we are often able to suggest multiple options that best compliment their style or shape.

Not only do we carry the top designers in the bridal industry, we offer in-house alterations to create an easy, flawless process of both finding a dress and ensuring a perfect fit.

What I think our customers value the most, though, is our honesty. We aren't going to sell you on a dress that costs more if the less expensive alternative actually fits you better or is more flattering. We are here to make sure that your dress is the best dress for you. Our suggestions are genuine and not motivated by a price tag. We put our customer first, and I think they can sense that.

What's the biggest challenge or obstacle you've encountered being a small business owner?

For us, our biggest challenge is separating ourselves from other bridal boutiques in the area. It used to be that there were only a handful out there and now there are literally dozens of other shops within a two to three hour drive.

That's one reason we like to carry exclusive designers, and we focus so much on our customer experience. The fact that we have in-house alterations is another perk. Not only is it convenient for our brides, but it's something not everyone can offer.

What is your current marketing strategy or the best way you've gained new customers?

A few years ago I noticed how much we were spending on specialty magazine or newspaper ads, and wondered if it was really worth it. So, I created a survey all of our brides completed when they came in for their appointment. The survey revealed that 97% of the brides credited “word of mouth” as the reason they came to us.

From that point on, I focused on figuring out how to grow referrals and that powerful “word of mouth” testimony. Believe it or not, we get a lot of new business from siblings! Sisters of former White Room brides are very likely to come back to us when they need their own wedding dress!

What's one piece of advice you'd give to someone interested in starting their own business?

I would suggest that you really think through what you're getting into. I think a lot of people jump into their own business because they enjoy something or are particularly good at something, and they don't think about the other challenges they'll have to face.

Obviously, you need to enjoy what you do, but as a business owner, you often juggle a lot of different responsibilities or jobs. It's important to think that through and to find someone who can help you with those practical, every day challenges that come with owning a business.  

Three Dimensional Dog is a training service located in Birmingham, Alabama. They are an in-home behavioral training service that WORKS.
​You can find them online at ThreeDimensionalDog.com or on Facebook.

How did you get into dog training and why did you create Three Dimensional Dog?

I started working with dogs about 18 years ago by apprenticing with a dog training school. In the early 2000s, my family and I developed out our own training business called McDonald Canine Academy. This was where I gained my best education on what it was like to start, run, and grow my own business. We had unique opportunities like working in northern Iraq with the prime minister's family as well being the lead consultant for the Kurdistan Regional Government's national canine security services.

Through my experiences I began to notice a pattern between dogs' behavior and their physical, intellectual, and emotional systems. This became what I now call the Three Dimensional Dog philosophy and that's how I started my current business: Three Dimensional Dog.

I wanted to develop my own company around that philosophy and a vision of helping people view dog behavior in a different way. At Three Dimensional Dog, we strive to help families find more satisfaction in their relationship with their dog and to better understand their dog. Often times, we heal and save those relationships.

What do you believe makes you different from other dog trainers and what do your customers value the most about your services?

When I started to develop out our philosophy on dog behavior, I noticed that most trainers and services were attempting to teach dogs how to do more things: sit, roll over, shake, etc.  But what we found when entering clients' homes, was that owners were often struggling with the exact opposite.
Their dog was uncontrollable and was already doing too much.

We actually target the problem of an “out of control” dog by teaching the dogs how to do less. We teach dog parents how to create healthy boundaries with their dogs. We identify behavior patterns or triggers for negative behaviors and work to mitigate those triggers. We teach a philosophy centered around communicating with your dog and understanding the conversation that's happening between the two of you. We use a different language: dog owners are “dog parents.”

We do all of this in the owner's home. We teach in the environment where bad behavior is most likely to surface and where boundaries can actually be created. The resounding value of what we do is in its effectiveness. It works.

Even in cases where the owner asks, “Is my dog 'train-able'?” I can usually calm wild behavior and gain control within minutes of entering their home.

What's the biggest challenge or obstacle you've encountered being a small business owner?

Learning perspective. As our business has developed, I've had to exercise a lot of self exploration. I had to understand where I was and where I should be. I have discovered that I need to move from the small details to the big picture ideas. And handing off those small details to someone else (no matter how competent they are) is a vulnerable thing.

What is your current marketing strategy or the best way you've gained new customers?

We've just started venturing into that area. We've worked off referrals from clinics and previous clients so far, but are trying to formulate a new way to gain customers as well.

I wrote a book, “Three Dimensional Dog, A Unified Theory of Canine Behavior,” that is a great resource for those interested in our services. Our team continually creates valuable content that any dog parent can access through our website (threedimensionaldog.com) and our Facebook page.

​Our goal is to stay top of mind to dog parents and to stay engaged with current, past, or potential clients.

What's one piece of advice you'd give to someone interested in starting their own business?

Always ask questions. Never ever quit learning and don't assume you know everything. Surround yourself with people who know more than you do. When you feel a little ignorant or a little “small,” chances are you're in the right place.