Photo courtesy of Brookwood Village.
The Cottage of Serendipity opened its doors in Brookwood Village on Oct. 21.
Although Cynthia Elmore initially opened The Cottage of Serendipity in Pelham in 2015, she has seen her shop thrive upon relocating to Brookwood Village in Homewood.
Elmore heard about the opportunities in Brookwood Village, where The Cottage of Serendipity opened in October 2019 after selling the property in Pelham. Elmore and husband Mitch are both Homewood locals who moved the store to be in a more central location near their community.
Cynthia Elmore said business has picked up since moving closer to home.
“We have definitely seen an increase in business since moving to Brookwood Village,” she said. “We are very happy to be here. We love the environment here and the people. We look forward to what Brookwood will be doing in the future.”
The Cottage of Serendipity carries a wide-ranging inventory that has grown through the years.
“We offer gift items, home décor, women’s accessories, jewelry, serveware, kitchen items, baby items, collegiate items, candles, pendulum clocks and faith-based merchandise,” Cynthia Elmore said. “Local artisan items are available as well. We also offer wedding and baby registries, layaway and gift wrapping.”
Cynthia Elmore started the business in November 2015 after getting some encouragement from her husband, who now helps her run the business. Its unique name, however, originates from Cynthia Elmore’s college days at the University of Montevallo.
According to the dictionary, serendipity means the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. Cynthia Elmore said the definition fit her shop’s style and offerings while paying homage to a former shop she enjoyed.
“I shopped at The House of Serendipity in Montevallo when I was a student there and loved the experience,” she said. “We also felt the definition of serendipity fit our eclectic offering of merchandise and, because The House of Serendipity was no longer in business, I didn’t feel bad about using part of their name.”
The plan for The Cottage of Serendipity was not always what the business has turned into. Cynthia Elmore said the initial plan included opening in a different location while selling mostly vintage items.
“Our original plan for the business was quite different from what it is now,” she said. “We actually planned to open a consignment business in Alabaster. The plan was to rent out booths for vintage merchandise and to offer new merchandise as well. As often happens, though, plans changed due to several factors, and we ended up with mostly new merchandise.”
The Cottage of Serendipity often features products from local artisans. The Elmores also are involved in community philanthropy and use the shop to help charitable organizations in the area through monthly “Make A Difference” projects.
“We periodically choose an organization to support that is giving back to the community,” Cynthia Elmore said. “We have supported organizations such as Backpack Buddies, Big Oak Ranch Auxiliary and Alabama Children’s Home in this particular campaign. We try to support others by donating merchandise for drawings, auctions, etc.”
The Cottage of Serendipity, at 764 Brookwood Village, is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit the store’s Facebook page or call 205-593-4154.