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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Work continues as the former Wolf Camera becomes the new home for Edgar’s Bakery in downtown Homewood next to the Valley Hotel on 18th Street on Nov. 4.
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Rendering courtesy of Capstone Real Estate Investments.
Edgar's Bakery
A bakery that is well-loved across the greater Birmingham area is soon making its debut in Homewood.
Edgar’s Bakery will be at the former Wolf Camera storefront on 18th Street South.
Owners Terry and Dottie Smith opened the first Edgar’s Bakery in 1998 at The Colonnade development off of U.S. 280 after they both noticed a need for a scratch bakery on the southern end of the highway. Dottie, a CPA-slash-cake decorator, made a good teammate for Terry, who spent years in the food service business at Bruno’s Supermarkets.
They named the bakery after Terry’s father, who has been deaf since he was 3 years old.
“I was proud of my dad, and his middle name is Edgar,” Terry said. “So we named it Edgar’s, and he’s been smiling ever since.”
Edgar’s is a full bakery that also serves breakfast and lunch. Bakery items include cookies, pastries, muffins and more. The bakery also makes special occasion cakes and wedding cakes.
Edgar’s already has five stores in greater Birmingham, in addition to one in Tuscaloosa and two in Huntsville. But at the Edgar’s call center — where customers can place orders or leave feedback — customers were often requesting for a store to open in Homewood, Terry said.
Then Michael Mouron came to Terry with the perfect spot. Mouron is the owner of the upcoming Valley Hotel development on 18th Street and also owns the former Wolf Camera storefront. Finally, Terry felt they found the right time and the right place to open an Edgar’s in Homewood, he said.
“I think it’s very convenient to Homewood,” Terry said. “And I feel like Homewood is growing, and it’s a good time to do it.”
The Homewood location will have mostly the same menu, but Terry said he has some unique ideas for the new location.
“I think we’re going to keep that store open later at night for dinner, and we’re exploring doing beer and wine to go with your salads and meals and things like that,” he said. “It’ll be the first store we’ve ever done it in, so it’s kind of a test.”
Downtown Homewood will be the perfect spot to test these new offerings because of its younger clientele and its potential to become a “destination” spot similar to Pepper Place in downtown Birmingham, Terry said.
The Homewood location will also have an outdoor dining area and on-site parking.
Throughout the years, Terry has heard lots of positive feedback about his bakery. Recently, a customer approached him and asked if he was the owner, Terry said.
“She said, ‘I just wanted you to know my14-year-old son has had every birthday cake from you guys,’” Terry said. “It was such a warm feeling thinking that we contribute to happy times and celebrations that people have.”
Terry said he plans for the Homewood location to be open by early February. For more information, visit edgarsbakery.com.