B-metro - The magazine of metro Birmingham living

Here’s our annual look at what makes our city great.

South Moon Under opened one week ago today at The Summit – Birmingham, Al. We sent our friend Carlyle Thornton Blog for some retail therapy and she shared this gorgeous look with us! “A romper? A maxi dress? I don’t know what to even call this gorgeous piece of clothing but I’m all about it. Safe to say i’m… Read More

The Birmingham Reporter pushed the boundaries. By Tom Gordon By the time you read this, Black History Month will have come and gone. But history is worth studying year-round, particularly when it involves people whose contributions to our state and nation have often been overlooked or ignored. Have you heard of a newspaper called The Birmingham Reporter? I… Read More

A one on one conversation with Lucy Bonds Over its 25-year history, a lot of things have happened at Lucy’s Coffee and Tea. Couples have gotten engaged here. PhD candidates from UAB have written the better part of their dissertations here. Owner Lucy Bonds even met her husband, Brian Kelleher, here, when he owned the… Read More

The Market at Pepper Place has spawned dozens of success stories. When April McClung started selling her Emily’s Heirloom Pound Cakes in 2014, someone recommended that she try to get into the Market at Pepper Place. “People said there would be a three-year wait, but that didn’t concern me, and I thought we would simply… Read More

With an all-female cast and crew, “Space Wind”—a new sci-fi comedy short combining 3D animated objects, characters, and live action—is headed to a film festival near you. Written by Rosalind Fournier; Portraits by Liesa Cole Veronique (“Vero”) Vanblaere, a Belgian artist who has called Birmingham home now for more than 20 years and owns the… Read More

Making music in the male-dominated realms of hip-hop and music technology, La’Shondra Hemphill—aka RyNea Soul—hopes to serve as a role model for other women in the industry.  Written by Rosalind Fournier; Portrait by Beau Gustafson As a young girl, La’Shondra Hemphill used to spend a lot of time in the summers teaching herself how to play… Read More

Leaving the corporate world behind, Mindy Santo finds that life and career are what you make of them.  Written by Rosalind Fournier; Portrait by Mary Fehr Mindy Santo—mentor, public speaker, and women’s empowerment coach—has learned that success doesn’t require a spot in the c-suite. It just takes a willingness to take risks, evolve, and pursue… Read More

A collegiate volleyball star turned Birmingham-Southern athletic director, Kyndall Waters strives to grow leaders on and off the field. Written by Rosalind Fournier; Portrait by Beau Gustafson Talk with Kyndall Waters about her standout collegiate volleyball career at Birmingham-Southern College (BSC), and the subject of her height will probably come up. In reality, by most… Read More

Written by Rosalind Fournier; Portrait by Beau Gustafson Bebe Goodrich was just 27 when she decided to take her passion for cold-brewed coffee—the drink she’d grown up with in her native New Orleans—and turn it into a business. It seemed like a niche market begging to be filled. “Cold-brewed coffee is truly part of the… Read More

When it comes to her own home, a local interior designer brings together a mix of traditional, contemporary and glamourous elements that demonstrate her passion for the process. Written by Jane Reynolds; Photography by Edward Badham   Patsy Baird enjoys moving. She doesn’t mind the planning, packing, or deciding what to keep and what to give away. Most… Read More