Shopping in Irondale

Auburn and Alabama gear fills Campus Spirit's local shops, flooding the racks and shelves with hues of crimson, burnt orange, and navy blue. The Campus Spirit team helps keep fans ready throughout the year with merchandise celebrating the Auburn Tigers—who won the National Football Championships in 1957 and 2010—and the Alabama Crimson Tide—who began their strong-playing history in 1892 by winning 56–0 in their very first game. The schools' logos can be found throughout the store on tailgating gear, clothing, and even housewares such as oven mitts to wear when baking homemade footballs. Campus Spirit carries Auburn and Alabama gear at locations in The Summit in Vestavia and the Alabaster Colonial Promenade—two open-air shopping centers with merchants including Banana Republic, GapKids, LongHorn Steakhouse, Target, and Starbucks.

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."

Youngsters who have outgrown their gear and adults picking up a new sport can outfit themselves with selections from Play it Again Sports, the largest sporting-goods resale franchise in North America. In its stores, brand-name equipment—from popular makers such as Adidas, Nike, and Wilson—shines in displays alongside gently used wares. This gear helps equip competitive athletes playing sports such as soccer and golf as well as noncompetitive sportspeople who just want to fill golf carts with soccer balls for fun. Patrons can also trade in or sell their equipment, provided that it is still in working condition, and put that money toward new gear.

Nestled in historic downtown Trussville, The Spotted Zebra's cheerful pink sign invites pedestrians to meander through aisles of eclectic gifts and accessories. El Deano insulated tote bags gleam with green paisley and blue wave patterns, and T-shirts for children and adults bear heartwarming adages and cute designs. A kaleidoscope of jewelry pairs with patterned sunglasses and houndstooth watches, and monograms customize cups, towels, and wall décor. Throughout the year, a metamorphosing stock of seasonal décor and gifts also prepares shoppers for Christmas, Halloween, and Calendar Awareness Day.

Freshfully partners with Alabama–based farmers and suppliers to sell a variety of local and organic groceries in a shop and [online market. Alongside shelves of free-range eggs, hand-packaged creamed honey fills spoons with sun-hued sweetness that hints at the open air of nearby farms. The selection of fruits and veggies varies with the seasons, and the store’s staff regularly assembles produce boxes sourced from farms eschewing hormones, antibiotics, fertilizers, and upturned rakes left out for slapstick acts. The cultivators include [Moore Farms](http://www.localharvest.org/moore-farms-M8749), where Will and Laurie Moore let a love for heirloom and native strains of plant life thrive.