Photo by Erin Nelson.
From left: Eric Brandino, Renee Genereux and Jessie Isom, the new co-owners of Brandino Brass, stand outside the store in Homewood.
Brandino Brass is under new ownership — sort of.
Eric Brandino, the latest of Birmingham’s Brandino family to do business under the family name, recently elevated two of the company’s long-term employees to co-owners: Renee Genereux and Jessie Isom. The ownership restructuring is just the latest chapter in Brandino Brass’s circuitous route as one of Homewood’s most well-respected small businesses.
The business was launched in 1948 by Tony Brandino, Eric’s grandfather, going by the moniker Brandino Sales Company in downtown Birmingham. Focused primarily on appliances,
Tony’s brother Paul joined soon after as they transitioned into selling specialty hardware and cabinet supplies. Eric’s father Buster joined the family business in 1970, and in 1980 the company changed its name to Brandino Brass.
Tony Brandino closed the business in the Birmingham area in 1992 as he focused his attention on the Gulf Coast. Buster and Eric eventually brought the local Brandino Brass name out of mothballs after some other business ventures failed to take hold, reopening on Central Avenue in Homewood in 2009.
“My dad had bought into Authentic Brass, and the economy and some other things just didn’t work out well,” Brandino said. “We were kind of like,’ What do we need to do now?’ So here we are.”
Together, the Brandinos reestablished Brandino Brass a, opening a showroom in the smaller unit of the current location on Central Avenue. However, over time, Brandino Brass would grow into the 4,000-square-foot showroom the business occupies today.
“We had an opportunity to get this spot,” said Brandino while standing in the foyer of the original shop. “So we left that spot and came over here. Then that spot came back available, so we punched a hole through the back of the wall and took it back.”
Over the years, Brandino Brass developed into the go-to resource for homeowners, builders, designers and architects for high-end interior door and cabinet hardware, kitchen and bath accessories and lighting. In 2014, Buster Brandino had back surgery and, after years of lingering health issues, he decided to retire in 2022, beginning the next chapter in the Brandino Brass story.
Genereux joined the company in 2010, followed by Isom in 2012, each providing a level of expertise that has bolstered Brandino Brass’s reputation. Genereux brings a passion for design that has made her highly sought after, while Isom possesses technical knowledge and problem-solving skills that turn ideas into reality. Together, they are the final pieces of the puzzle.
“I’ve always enjoyed the design aspect,” Genereux said, “doing countertops and helping people design kitchens, making it unique to each person’s taste.”
“I enjoy figuring out issues and how to make things work,” Isom said. “Some of the things some of the architects draw don’t always work, and we just have to figure out a way to make them work. I get their vision to come to life.”
Genereux and Isom each had professional relationships with the Brandinos before coming on board as employees. Genereux, who has worked in the construction and renovation industry since she was 18, got to know Brandino while working for another business across the street and had turned down an earlier offer to work for him at Authentic Brass. This time, the timing was right.
“I just finished getting a degree in drafting and design when Eric asked me to come and join Brandino Brass, so it happened to be great timing for me to make a change,” Genereux said.
Isom’s relationship with the Brandinos goes back to 1999, when he started working at Authentic Brass. After the economic crash of 2008-09, Isom found himself working in commercial hardware, but stayed in touch with the Brandinos until the offer came to join the team at Brandino Brass.
“I had just built a relationship with them and we had kept in touch and done a couple of things on the side,” Isom said. “In 2012, [Eric] called and asked if I’d be interested in coming back to residential hardware.”
Since then, Brandino Brass’s reputation has stretched far beyond the Birmingham area. They are regularly contacted by influential architects and home builders across the nation, and close to half of their current projects are out of state. Genereux said the entire Brandino Brass team has worked tirelessly to achieve success and is thankful that Brandino has given her and Isom this opportunity.
“I think Jessie and I have earned it and we appreciate that Eric has seen all of our hard work and offered us ownership,” Genereux said. “I think he’s seen we’ve put in a lot of long hours and, hopefully, made the company successful over the years.”
Brandino Brass is located at 2824 Central Avenue, Suite 100 in Homewood.
