Sarah Finnegan
18th Street and 28th Avenue Development
The owners of the two brick buildings at the corner of 28th Avenue South and Mamie L Foster are in talks with the city to sell them. Neighboring businesses Hatfield Auto and Little Professor have sold their properties to a private developer.
Two neighboring businesses on 18th Street South are getting ready to move to new locations after selling their properties to Capstone Companies founder Michael Mouron.
Hatfield Auto Parts and Service and Little Professor Bookstore, including Crape Myrtle’s Cafe, are longtime Homewood businesses. Mouron, who is also the chairman of Capstone Real Estate Investments, confirmed the purchase of the properties at 2717 and 2727 18th St. S., which includes the vacant lot next to Hatfield Auto that owner Trent Hatfield also maintained.
Area business owners said they believe Capstone is planning to redevelop the properties into a single retail development. However, Mouron said he could not share any details because current plans for the properties are still in their early stages. He did say that he hopes to begin construction within six months.
Paul Seitz, the owner of Little Professor, said he is currently seeking a new location for the store, and hopes to find a building that can accommodate him and Crape Myrtle. They will be in their current location until February, though Seitz said the bookstore may close earlier to allow time to pack up books and disassemble furniture. Little Professor has been in Homewood for 43 years.
Hatfield Auto has already found a new location for its parts store and service garage. Trent Hatfield, whose father Fred Hatfield started the parts shop in Homewood in 1958, said the entire business will move to the former Valley Tire Center at 190 Oxmoor Road in December or January. It has been located on 18th Street South for 55 years.
Trent Hatfield said the move came at the right time for his father and the rest of his family. The 18th Street South property, which also includes a neighboring gray building currently unoccupied, is valuable as it fronts a busy street with other existing retail.
Renovations on the Oxmoor Road location are underway now and Trent Hatfield said he is looking forward to meeting new clients and giving “West Homewood residents an independent repair facility to be proud of.”
Hatfield Auto’s business has shifted more toward the service side over the last few years, and the new location will have nine service bays, like the 18th Street South property, for tires, brakes, alignment and other services. All the garage and parts store employees will be making the move to the new building.
“Everything is staying the same except the location,” Trent Hatfield said.
There could be one more change coming to the block. John Tolliver of Quest Publications and David Senseman of The Maids said the city has approached them to purchase their neighboring brick buildings, at the corner of 28th Avenue South and Mamie L Foster. Both said the city has told them it wants to use the properties for a parking deck.
Senseman said he has been approached by developers to sell his building, occupied by Aviate and down the street from The Maids office, multiple times, including by Capstone in May. He learned about the city’s interest in his property earlier this month.
Discussions are still ongoing for both properties. Senseman and Tolliver both said the city wants to begin construction of the parking deck within six months if an agreement can be reached, lining up the parking deck project with Mouron’s project.
“I think the whole project is a good idea for the city,” Senseman said. “It’s going to make that strip over there really nice.”
Mayor Scott McBrayer said he could not give details about the proposed project at this time.
“If a project is able to move forward it could be exciting for the city of Homewood, but it’s a little premature for us to talk details right now,” McBrayer said.
