B-metro - The magazine of metro Birmingham living

In a world where so many people are juggling commutes, careers and the day-to-day grind, one of the biggest complaints is the irritating chore of filling up the car with gas. Ben Morris came up with a mobile app solution that has turned into a business he hopes to expand across the nation. Through the… Read More

Kiara Newell—model, mom, entrepreneur, fashion designer, and YouTuber—learned early in life to ignore the word “no.” “I was always the child who asked, why?” Newell says. “Why is this like this? Well, I’m going to change that.” True to her word, Newell has broken the mold in the way she approaches her career as well… Read More

Surprising stories of hope and recovery. Judith’s Heart Story  A Patient-Centered Team Approach Like any mother and wife, Judith Lilly, 74, holds family close to her heart. But, unfortunately, after a bout with cancer and advanced kidney disease, Judith learned that same organ wrapped in love needed life-changing surgery. It was shortness of breath and… Read More

After finding her dream loft downtown, Angele Monconduit infused it with a style inspired by her native New Orleans. Written by Jane Reynolds Photography by Edward Badham Angele Monconduit is so New Orleans, her birthday this year is on Fat Tuesday. She grew up in the Big Easy and still returns home whenever she can to ride in… Read More

A one-on-one conversation with Maurice Muhammad  Maurice Muhammad was just 24 and a recent graduate of Miles Law School when someone suggested he interview for the job of magistrate in Birmingham. He wasn’t even sure what a magistrate was, but he was open to the idea, and before he knew it he’d passed the interview… Read More

Nestled just off Five Points South on Cobb Lane—one of Birmingham’s historic old cobblestone streets—through the iron fence and past the gas light post is Delta Blues Hot Tamales. Adam and Fawn Freis started Delta Blues when they learned Fawn had celiac disease—an autoimmune disease triggered by gluten—and realized most restaurants are not very motivated… Read More

A perfect taste of Italy. Photography by Beau Gustafson Frank is singing in the restaurant, or maybe it’s Tony Bennett. It doesn’t really matter. What matters is the mood is being set for a classic Italian meal, and that’s Amoré. Tucked away in a small shopping center on Highway 280 near Greystone, you can walk… Read More

As one of the most versatile and sought-after drummers on the Birmingham music scene, over the course of his nearly 50-year career Mark Lanter has made a name for himself as a go-to player with the ability to inhabit just about any role thrown his way. From big band jazz and fusion, to thundering rock,… Read More

Meet me underground. Founder’s Station, the building complex in which Pilcrow Cocktail Cellar resides, originally housed a printing press around the end of the 19th century. Bar owner Joe Phelps wanted a name to honor that part of the building’s history so he chose “pilcrow,” a typographical character used to indicate a new paragraph or… Read More

An Avondale bar with the feel of a 1920s speakeasy. With cocktail servers dressed as flappers and bartenders in white shirts and suspenders, the setting is perfect for an experience that transports you back to the roaring twenties, right in the heart of Avondale. The Marble Ring is upstairs above Fancy’s on Fifth, and accessed… Read More

Elegant and comfortable Joel Cheatwood and Jason Koenig are partners in the new bar Paper Doll on 1st Avenue North. A night at Paper Doll can include young professionals, parents on a night out, girlfriends meeting for drinks, a business meeting. The name is an homage to an owner’s very dear late grandmother. Her favorite… Read More