Edgewood brings ‘neighborhood’ feel to Homewood

In 2018, Tina Hebert moved with her two children, Jack and Stella, to Homewood, seeking the walkability they had enjoyed in downtown Birmingham.

They found that and more in the Edgewood neighborhood.

“Homewood is one of those rare places with its villages; you can walk to things,” Hebert said.

Hebert said she also wanted her children to experience diversity, especially at the high school level, something Homewood is known for.

While the Edgewood community has a reputation for being great for young kids with its accessible and family-friendly businesses, it’s also helpful for older adults, something Hebert looks forward to in the years to come. It’s near businesses, churches, pharmacies and the Homewood Public Library, she said.

Meredith Drennen, director of the Homewood Chamber of Commerce, said Edgewood is an “organic business district,” and, like the rest of Homewood’s neighborhoods, receives much local support.

“Our residents support these local districts,” Drennen said. “They want places to walk to.”

In days gone by, streetcars would run throughout Edgewood, Drennen said. While those are gone, there is easy access to restaurants and shops, which offer a high level of variety to suit all tastes.

In addition to the restaurant and business offerings, Edgewood includes Central Park, which offers families a place to play and relax.

Edgewood has grown with Homewood, Drennen said, having some kind of general store since 1928, two years after the city was incorporated. While the population hasn’t changed much, homes in the area have been renovated and, as a result, gotten more expensive as the population gets younger. Families have moved to the area due to the investments in parks and recreation and the school system, Drennen said.

Council President Alex Wyatt said Edgewod seemed to “change overnight” in regards to the number of children living there.

“The neighborhood feel of it has really been enhanced,” he said.

Drennen, who lives in Edgewood, said having unique businesses instead of strip malls and chains, gives the area its own character.

“Development has been thoughtful and respectful to the character,” she said.

Ward 1 councilor Melanie Geer said Homewood, and Edgewood in particular, has been great for her children. Her family enjoys riding bikes and going to the park.

As the area grows, Geer said she wants to strike a balance between maintaining what undeveloped property remains in the area and meeting the demands of growth.

“We have to be real careful that we maintain what folks love about Edgewood and Homewood,” Geer said. “The best new developments are the ones that emulate what’s already there.”

Ward 3 councilor Walter Jones called Edgewood’s business district one of the most successful in the city. While parking remains somewhat of an issue, obtaining the parking lot on the west side of the district has been “huge,” he said.

Johnny Creel with Seguro Insurance has been working in Edgewood for 30 years, offering insurance primarily for Spanish-speakers and about 700 Indian-Americans. He’s also lived there since 1989, and has seen more people and more restaurants move into the area, and many of the changes have been for the better, he said.

“It starts getting going in the afternoon,” Creel said.

Diversity in the area has increased, part of a citywide trend, Creel said.

“I love it,” Creel said of the area. “It’s very, very safe. I love the convenience.”

When asked their opinions on the Homewood area, business owners Sam Daibes of Sam’s Deli, Jay Connor of Edgewood Creamery, Ryan O’Hara of Big Spoon Creamery and Homewood City Council member Barry Smith had similar things to say.

“We just loved the convenience of everything,” Smith said. “We loved the neighborhood feel. When we had children, we had been here long enough that I knew I wanted my kids to go to Edgewood Elementary School because I knew people that taught there and what a fantastic school it was. It just made sense for us to stay in the same area. We’ve moved houses and things have certainly changed, we’ve moved to different parts of Edgewood but we’ve always wanted to stay in the neighborhood.”

Smith and her husband moved to Edgewood 25 years ago and immediately fell in love with the neighborhood, she said. When they bought their first house, they loved how they could walk to nearby shops, restaurants and Trinity Church, where they are still members.

Daibes has worked in the restaurant industry and attended Dawson Memorial Baptist Church for more than 30 years in Edgewood. Before it became Sam’s Deli, Daibes worked at Moners when it opened in 1989, staying in the community ever since.

“I love the community,” Daibes said. “To me, it’s a family. You know everybody.”

Daibes said that’s reflected in his daily interactions with customers. He’ll ask how they’re doing and about their families and children.

“I call them my kids,” Daibes said, laughing.

In Edgewood, everyone loves and supports each other, he said.

When Sam’s Deli caught on fire in January 2017, the community came together to host a fundraiser for Daibes, which helped him pay for repairs, he said.

When Big Spoon Creamery opened their second location three and a half years ago, O’Hara and his staff noticed the same “neighborhood feel” that Daibes and Smith experienced.

“We love it there,” O’Hara said. “It’s a very strong, tightly knit community. It’s very family oriented. A lot of the people we see there live really close to the shop. They walk over, they bring their kids over, they live and work in the area.”

Edgewood has developed and grown a great deal since they moved there, they all agreed.

When Edgewood Creamery opened in 2008, Connor said, businesses around them weren’t doing very well.

A barbecue restaurant and a business that used to be next to Edgewood Creamery were among many businesses that closed, he said.

“It was kind of scary,” Connor said. “After we moved in, we kind of watched it fall apart, but then Dreamcakes came in and then Saw’s came. They were both featured in Southern Living, which brought a lot of attention to the neighborhood.”

When Homewood Antiques, which is now closed, came to the neighborhood, it was good for Edgewood because it ensured the area wouldn’t just be a stop for restaurants, he said.

When more restaurants and shops opened in the area, Edgewood went from just drawing people in locally to becoming an attractive place to visit from everywhere, including Vestavia Hills and Hoover, Connor said.

The business strip continues to grow, with the July announcement that the coffee shop Frothy Monkey and restaurant Otey’s Tavern will replace Homewood Antiques, with another space on the corner still available.

While the business owners believe Edgewood is a great place to be, there’s also room for improvement.

O’Hara and Connor said finding parking space is an issue that affects Edgewood heavily when it's busy, even though it doesn’t affect them personally because a lot of their customers either come for ice cream after they’ve eaten at a nearby restaurant or live in the community.

“For some people, at times during busier parts of the week, I think parking is an issue there,” O’Hara said.

Drennen said the area is blessed by Dawson allowing residents to use their parking deck during the week. Still, parking continues to concern some.

“Parking is a problem all over Homewood, I guess,” Connor said. “One of the things we’ve never worried about is parking in Edgewood as an ice cream store because we’re feeding off of restaurants that already have customers, they leave there and then they come to us afterwards, or they walk from their houses. If you walk out the back door of Edgewood Creamery, there are two houses right behind us. If you walk out of the front door, within half a block you’re in a residential area.”

Connor added people that aren’t familiar with the area have a tough time parking in Edgewood.

Daibes said his only issue with the area is frequent speeding on Oxmoor Road in front of Sam’s Deli.

“They need to do something about it because most of the time people are speeding without noticing,” Daibes said. “It’s also hard for people to get around.”

“I think there is always room for improvement,” Smith said. “I think there are growing pains any time somewhere changes, and I think any time you’re seeing development and things changing, it takes some adapting to and time to work out the best way to do something and accommodate growth and changes. I think we try to do some of that by changing how houses can be developed, adjusting setbacks and trying to eliminate a lot of hardscape because we know that that can cause water problems.”

She said everyone knows development has created issues regarding stormwater runoff and the city’s infrastructure is aging but the city council is doing its best to manage it by setting limitations via city ordinances, such as how much of a lot people can develop so room is left for greenery.

“I think everything is a growing and learning experience so as these issues pop up, we have to find ways to manage those in the best ways we can,” Smith said.

The future of Edgewood is bright, Jones said. “I feel like the best days are ahead.”