Photo courtesy of Homewood Chamber of Commerce.
The Knight family poses at the September celebration for Bandwagon being named one of Alabama’s 2024 Gee Emerging Retailers of the Year.
Leah and David Knight, owners of the Homewood-based sports apparel store Bandwagon, were named Alabama’s 2024 Gee Emerging Retailers of the Year.
Opened in 2021, the sports boutique specializes in custom community apparel and lifestyle apparel for all ages. Bandwagon caters to teams of all ages and has locations in Homewood, Vestavia Hills and Madison, Miss.
“We have devoted ourselves to serving our community through our customers,” said the Knights, who are Homewood residents. “Living in the community we serve has given us the opportunity to give back through Bandwagon.”
The Gee Emerging Retailer of the Year Award is named in memory of the late Morris “Mickey” Gee, a former Alabama Retail Association board member and University of Alabama at Birmingham professor. The annual award goes to an innovative and effective Alabama retailer who has been in business for at least two years, but less than five.
Gee, who owned the Pants Store for more than 30 years, realized that the first five years are tough, but young businesses can have a huge impact.
Bandwagon is one of five businesses in four categories that the Alabama Retail Association honored as the 2024 Retailers of the Year. It is one of two businesses recognized as Emerging Retailer of the Year, along with Kind Cafe in Fairhope.
“Leah and David Knight are Retailers of the Year every year to Bandwagon’s customers, its 10 Alabama employees and the Homewood, Vestavia Hills and greater Birmingham communities,” Alabama Retail Association President Rick Brown said.
