Cuts and clothing: Bearden Design adapts during pandemic
Bearden Design moved into its Homewood storefront in January 2020, but since January and February are typically slow months for business, owners Debb Bearden and Gil Mouyal were looking forward to the spring when business would pick up.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March, they weren’t sure if they would survive, Gil said.
“We had just gotten settled in, and then we had to close down in March,” Debb said.
When asked what was going through her mind at the time, she said, “We’re going to go out of business. We’re not going to make it. I’ve never lived through a global pandemic, so there was the fear of the unknown. I had no idea what was going to happen.”
The Mouyals came up with a solution and consolidated their businesses. Gil has been a hairdresser for more than 40 years and had been renting salon space in Mountain Brook. In July of 2020, the Mouyals put up an extra wall at Bearden Design and changed the name to Bearden Design et Boutique. The storefront became a one-stop shop for clothing and hair needs.
Bearden Design et Boutique
► ADDRESS: 2846 18th St. S
► WEB: beardendesignetboutique.com
► PHONE: 205-502-7678
► HOURS: Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Sunday-Monday. Gil works Tuesday-Thursday.
“We’re having a great time,” Debb said. “Sometimes his clients will come out here and shop while they still have foil in their hair. Sometimes they’re like, ‘Oh this is great, I’m already out, so I’m going to shop, too.’ It’s been a win-win for everybody. Then some of my clients are now going to him to get their hair done.”
Gil said it’s great to work with his wife, and almost all of his former clients followed him to his new space. When it comes to hair, he does everything, he said: cuts, color, hair treatments and more.
At Bearden Design et Boutique, every item of clothing and accessory is hand-picked by Debb.
“I try them all on,” she said. “I pick them myself. I won’t buy anything unless I can touch it. I don’t just buy from line sheets. I try on every pair of shoes, every garment in this store. And 90% of it is exclusive to Bearden Design, so if you buy from me, you’re not going to see yourself everywhere.”
The store carries a house brand, called Jade Sport, that Debbie designed and manufactures in south Florida. There are two international clothing lines the store carries that Debbie said she loves — Summum from Amsterdam and Part Two from Denmark. They’re both classic and not too pricey, she said. The boutique also carries the best denim in the world, she said.
“It’s soft and stretchy and an amazing quality,” she said. “I had stopped wearing denim until I found this brand.”
Another thing that makes Bearden Design unique is its customer service, Debbie said. “We bend over backwards for our ladies. We offer approvals, alterations and layaway.”
Bearden Design et Boutique is on 18th Street at 29th Avenue. For more information, visit beardendesignetboutique.com.