Crestwood Village

Crestwood Village (formerly Crestwood Shopping Center and Shoppes of Crestwood) is a 38,168-square foot neighborhood shopping center located on a 3-acres site on the northwest corner of the intersection between Crestwood Boulevard and 56th Street South in Crestwood. It was developed by Ervin Jackson's Jackson Securities and Investment Company as part of their 200-acre post-war Crestwood residential community.

Though Jackson had marked the site as "Reserved for Crestwood Business Section" on his original subdivision map, he did not apply for a commercial rezoning until 1946. With no specific plans ready to go, he allowed the matter to lose momentum at City Hall, finally getting the zoning officially changed in September 1950. In January 1953 Jackson and partner Newman Waters announced plans for a modern shopping center, including a Shell gasoline station at the corner. This prospect engendered fierce opposition from many Crestwood residents, who formed a committee to oppose Jackson and Water's plans. After their requests to reverse the rezoning or construct a park in place of the shopping center failed, they went to court. A state circuit court decided that the gas station could be considered a public nuisance and should be moved away from the corner. That decision was overturned in June 1955 after a cross-appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court. As he had promised, committee leader and attorney William Soroka appealed the matter to the United States Supreme Court, but they declined to review the decision. Construction of the Shell station proceeded, and it opened in 1956.

The shopping center itself opened on June 27, 1957 with a 10,000 square foot Western Supermarket managed by R. R. Glasscock, Utopia Custom Cleaners and Elliott Drugs as the first tenants. An 11-store expansion was begun just a few months later, in March 1958, bringing the center to 36,000 square feet, doubling parking capacity to 144 spaces, and adding a continuous canopy over the shop entrances. F. H. Hoar and Sons was the contractor.

Other original tenants included a hardware store, bakery, and shoe repair shop. The Waters family bought out the Jacksons' stake after the center opened. They continued to own and lease the shopping center until 2014.

That year the property was sold to a group including attorney Payne Baker and Crestwood Tavern owner Mike Millican for $1.4 million. The new owners updated the storefronts with wooden slats and repaired and resurfaced the parking lot. They changed the name to "Shoppes of Crestwood" and The Filling Station restaurant for the vacant gas station. In 2016 they announced the addition of the Crestwood Pharmacy & Soda Fountain.

Robert Crook and Jaren Aksut of Ironvest Partners acquired the shopping center in 2017 for $3.5 million and undertook another refurbishing project, shoring up the retaining wall behind the strip, improving the landscaping and painting the brick and stucco walls an off-white color. They gave the strip its current name, drawing on the popularity of other "Village" neighborhood commercial districts.

Tenants

• 5500 (outparcel): Crestwood Tavern, former location of Frostop Root Beer (1960s), Going Jesse restaurant (1960s), Mama Mia's Spaghettini, La Mancha's, Bachelor's Three nightclub (late 1960s), Lochamy's BBQ (late 1960s), Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q (early 1970s), El Gringo's (1970s-1980s), Crestwood Grill, Playas del Nayarit, Michoacan
• 5500B (lower level): The Fit Facility (August 2019-)
• 5502: former location of Jerome Sims / Don Taylor, State Farm Insurance (-2016)
  • 5502A: Crestwood Pharmacy & Soda Fountain (2017-), former location of Casual Aire women's clothes (1964)
  • 5502B: Thank You Books (2019-)
• 5504: A Cut Above, hair salon
  • 5504A: 1st Avenue Upholstery
  • 5504B: Park Lane Flowers, former location of Elements (2017-2019), former location of Crestwood Beauty Salon (1964)
  • 5504C: former location of William McLendon, dentist (1964)
  • 5504D: Hi-Tech Hair (2006-), former location of Crestwood Barber Shop (1964), Crestwood Beauty Salon (1971)
• 5506: Subway restaurant
• 5508: Seasick Records / Newman's Classic Cuts (June 2015-), former location of Crestwood Shoes (1964), Urban Cottage
• 5510: Vape Works / True Story Brewing Company, former location of Crestwood Shoe Hospital (1964), Reeves Shoe Boutique, Mayhew Shoes, Finishing Touch & Alterations (1991-)
• 5512: Crestwood Coffee, former location of Marsh Bakers (1964), Bishop's Flowers (1971)
• 5514-5518: Urban Suburban antiques, former location of Western Supermarket (1957-1970s), Hudd's Food Center, Crestwood Antiques
  • 5516: former location of Utopia Custom Cleaners (Bertie Liner, manager, Mike Apostalakas, dry-cleaning chief)
  • 5518: former location of Emery 5 & 10 Store (1964), Powell Carpets (1973)
• 5520: former location of Romeo's Sporting Goods (1982-2019)
• 5522: Vineyard Food Market, former location of Elliott Drugs (James Elliott, pharmacist and owner), later Crestwood Pharmacy (Vincent John Musso 1973), Triple T's Food Store
• 5524 (outparcel): The Filling Station restaurant (2015-), former location of Spano Crestwood Shell, Crestwood Chevron, Crestwood Auto

References

• "Crestwood 'Fighting Mad' Over Proposed Gas Station" (March 5, 1953) Birmingham Post-Herald via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
• "Residents of Crestwood Fight Oil Station Plans" (April 7, 1953) Birmingham Post-Herald via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
• "Affter Long Court Fight -- Shopping Center To Be Built At Crestwood" (November 23, 1955) Birmingham Post-Herald via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
• "First Three Stores Open Tomorrow In New Crestwood Shopping Center" (June 26, 1957) Birmingham Post-Herald via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
• Grant, Don (March 12, 1958) "Crestwood Center To Add 11 Stores" Birmingham Post-Herald via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
• Tomberlin, Michael (April 8, 2014) "Crestwood Center to become Shoppes of Crestwood after $2.5 million investment, ownership change." The Birmingham News
• Chapman, Michaelle (April 8, 2014) "New owners for Crestwood Center." Weld for Birmingham
• Chambers, Jesse (June 15, 2016) "New owners set to transform Avondale strip mall." Iron City Ink
• Van der Bijl, Hanno (August 9, 2019) "Crestwood shopping center to receive more upgrades, new tenants." Birmingham Business Journal