Alabama Stores and Shopping

For more than three decades, the framing specialists at The Framin' Shoppe have preserved memories behind glass. They build custom frames for flat items such as diplomas or photographs and build shadow boxes to contain three-dimensional items such as quilts or football jerseys with the athletes still wearing them. The shop also purveys DIY framing materials; posters; prints commemorating Alabama, Auburn, and other SEC football teams; and a wide selection of mirrors. Conveniently, the company operates at four Birmingham locations.

At Advanced Eye Care, Dr. Alexia C. Vaughn and her staff assess eye health and vision and outfit patients with frames from brands such as Coach and Sean John. Though Dr. Vaughn tackles existing ocular issues, she also works to prevent eye disease by recommending that her patients take vitamins, wear sunglasses, and subsist on diets of snowman noses. With prescription in hand and a staff of professionals on hand to offer advice, patients can select lenses enhanced with antiglare or scratch-resistant coatings and a pair of frames that flatter their face shapes.:m]]

Urban Cottage's whimsically upscale stock features treasures of all varieties, including jewelry, bags and purses, home décor, creative gifts, and various other sundries of singular charm. Gently swaddle an infant with muslin baby blankets ($30), or gift a carved-wood Roost matador bottle opener to libation-loving livestock ($22). No two pieces of folk art are the same, so pawing through Urban Cottage's richly appointed shelves is like catching snowflakes with a tiny butterfly net. Designer items, such as Bella bags and Envirosax ($8.95+) and Anne Taintor napkins ($5.50), creatively complement any party or guinea-pig baby shower.

Run by master picturemaker Jennifer Harwell, a self-taught painter popular for her angel series, jenniferharwellart's weekly classes help sprouting artists' talents grow and blossom. In a laid-back, relaxed setting, students unleash their furor artisticus upon a 16"x20" canvas while the swaddling wraps of a smock-frock protect their soft innards. Students get to keep their magnum opus once their paint guns stop smoking. All artistic supplies are provided, but Groupon buyers may supplement skill-sets by bringing their own beer or wine to the class.

Dedicated to a next-day turnaround for many assignments, Thompson's encases everything from diplomas to completed jigsaw puzzles within the ornate borders of more than 2,000 customizable frames. Guests can also peruse a collection of 300 ready-made frames that will fit snugly around standard-size pictures, or commission custom tabletop frames to showcase unconventionally sized posters. More than 100 framed, beveled mirrors further populate the store, silently reflecting the reversed T-shirt graphics and snarky grins of each shopper's personal doppelgänger. Frames and mirrors are complemented by a collection of original oil paintings, which help homeowners adorn their walls with a colorful still life, a muted landscape, or an unflinchingly honest portrayal of the human condition.

After attracting awe by donning a stylish dress to the Crimson Tide’s 2008 game against Clemson, University of Alabama grad Shena Birdsong realized that there were few boutiques catering to the tradition of wearing snazzy formal attire to football games. After setting up shop in 2009, Birdsong began selling cute houndstooth and crimson dresses to the Alabama faithful. Her wares proved popular, even among rivals, and she quickly expanded her collection to serve fans of fellow SEC members Auburn, LSU, Georgia, and Florida. Earning the praises of the Huntsville Times and WVUA, Gameday Girl Stuff’s collection of scarves, dresses, boots, and accessories is specifically designed for showing off at the stadium on autumn Saturdays and cutting a stylish figure in the off-season. Alumni proudly show their colors with orange-and-blue clutches and winter coats of red and black, or dress their up-and-coming fans in collegiate-color onesies and booties that ensure that a child’s first words will be “offense wins games, but defense wins championships."