Category: St. Clair Business

Bella Vista Winery

An event venue for every occasion

Story by Paul South
Photos by Mackenzie Free
Submitted Photos

At James and Margie Sanford’s winery, nature’s bounty is on full display. While seven varieties of native bronze and black Alabama muscadines ripen on the vine as they ready in the rich soil for future harvests, eagles soar overhead.

Red foxes prowl the 21-acre property, where the breathtaking scenery, like a perpetual postcard, changes daily.

So, the name of their vineyard fits – Bella Vista Winery – Italian for “beautiful view.”

During the holiday season, indeed all year long, Bella Vista is open to serve an array of wines and to host celebrations of every kind, from small weddings and events to everyday visitors who want to raise a glass at one of St. Clair County’s most breathtaking spots.

As a way to realize return on investment until they were ready and approved by the state for the winery, the idea for an event space took root. A pavilion was built in early 2024.

“We knew (the winery) was a little bit down the road (timewise), so we invested our time and money into building this nice, covered pavilion,” she said.

So far, Bella Vista has hosted several weddings, with more on the calendar in the future. To be clear, the business markets itself as a winery that can also host small events – micro-weddings, baby showers, birthdays and the like.

“If it can be done with 50 people max, (the winery) is a good fit for that,” Margie said. “In the pavilion, we can handle 80 people or more. But if it’s rainy on the day of your event, we have to have a backup space to bring it inside and be comfortable.”

She added, “We’re not going to advertise ourselves as a venue going forward. We’re going to advertise as a winery with space for small events.”

For Margie, who spent more than 20 years as an event planner in the Birmingham area, and James, who worked in sales, the winery is a dream come true.

“Margie and I enjoy traveling, and we enjoy going to wineries,” James said. “(Opening a winery) is something we’ve talked about for a long time. It’s something we decided to dive into with both feet.”

In their winery wanderings, they learned lessons they now apply at Bella Vista. The laid-back vineyard vibe is different from the volume-driven restaurant business.

“One of the things that we found when we were going to all these wineries was a synergy in the kind of people that come to these places,” Margie said. “And it’s people who are looking for a place to meet their friends and get away and enjoy an afternoon and not feel like they are having a meal and being rushed away so the table can be flipped for somebody else.”

Here, “we want people to come hang out with their friends,” she added. “We encourage people to bring a board game or something that they enjoy doing.”

The Sanfords are candid: This is not a kid-friendly place. “It’s a place for adults to come chill out, have a glass of wine and get things off their minds for a little while,” James said.

The Sanfords have obtained a license to sell wines obtained through distributors. Bella Vista sells wine from Georgia’s Chateau Elan Winery & Resort and from Childress Vineyards, a Lexington, N.C., winery owned by famed NASCAR team owner Richard Childress. But Bella Vista’s inventory also has a global perspective, carrying wines from all over the world.

Bella Vista Winery has an eye on the future. “We named it a winery for marketing purposes, with the hopes to have a local producer/distributor that could sell us wine made with our own fruit under a private Bella Vista Winery label.”

Along with the Muscadines, the winery property is home to peach, pear and apple trees that are still maturing, awaiting harvest time a year or two down the road.

The Sanfords are also considering planting other varieties of grapes.

While wine, fruit and fauna are the stars of the picturesque property, vineyards are a human endeavor. What have the Sanfords learned about themselves? It seems they are perfectly paired, like a nice cabernet with gruyere cheese. Thirty-three years of marriage and 40 years together can build that kind of pairing. You could call it a classic vintage. They met in high school.

“I’ve learned that my wife is the backbone of this whole thing. As far as dealing with the bureaucracy and the paperwork and that kind of thing, she is the backbone,” James said. “She studies and makes sure all the I’s are dotted and T’s are crossed.”

Margie agrees. But also trumpets her husband’s building skills. The pavilion is his handiwork.

“I’m the business end. But James has been in construction. He has the ability to take something that’s not working and figure out a workaround,” Margie said. “We’re very much doers ourselves, and I’ve always thought he can do anything. If I can dream it, he can do it.”

She added, “We’ve learned that where one doesn’t necessarily have a strength, the other can kind of lift up. We balance each other.”

The vineyard regularly hosts “Sip, Paint, & Repeat” nights that have been a big hit. The nights can involve painting on wine glasses or other media with the help of local artists.

The vineyard, in cooperation with the St. Clair County Health Department, serves flatbread pizzas and charcuterie. The winery is also open for small groups and businesses to host holiday celebrations. A photographer was onsite in late November for Santa pictures or Christmas family portraits.

As winter closes in, the low-maintenance native Muscadines bide their time. They seem to pair perfectly with Bella Vista’s chilled out atmosphere that Margie and James Sanford have created, perfect for small events and gatherings, all enjoying great wine.

“We’re not a party place,” Margie said. “It’s just more laid back.”d someone would come in and not love it the way we do and tear it down,” Tami said. “It doesn’t need to be torn down; it needs to be loved.”

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Downtown Pell City

A slate of new businesses calling historic shopping district home

Historic Downtown Pell City’s business district is growing of late with ribbon cuttings and grand openings becoming almost commonplace. In the past few months, four new businesses have opened, a fifth is relocating and expanding and a sixth and seventh say, “Coming Soon.”

Already adding to diversity of what downtown has to offer are Lake House Antiques, Weeping Willow Books, The Grove and Studio on 1^st. Gilreath Printing, a longtime downtown resident in a log cabin building on Cogswell Avenue, is moving to 1^st Avenue behind Venue on 20^th into a much larger facility they are renovating. Gilreath plans to rent its existing building, paving the way for yet another business.

Studio on 1^st is a cutting-edge hair salon located on First Avenue South between 16^th and 17^th streets. Just across the way in the next block facing the railroad tracks is a children’s embroidery shop called Little Stitches & Co. Abbye Grimes is the owner, and she is working toward an October opening.

Inside, beyond the French doors, will be a completely separate business operated by Grimes’ sister-in-law, Tina Dailey, who is planning to run her hair salon and real estate ventures.

Meanwhile, The Grove opened a café featuring acai bowls, smoothies and salads in September and is already garnering rave reviews. It is located on Cogswell Avenue in the former Dot Wood Appraisal building between 16^th and 17^th streets.

Just a couple of doors down is the new Lake House Antiques, an eclectic blend of antiques, vintage and home accessories.

And just beyond Lake House is Weeping Willow Books, the senior citizen on the block at nearly 120 days.

They all represent a shot of vitality for downtown, and residents and visitors alike are already showing their appreciation, following through on the demand for new and diverse shopping, dining and services options in a pedestrian friendly, downtown setting.

Weeping Willow Books

For Samantha Herrington, her Cogswell Avenue bookstore is a dream come true.

She loves to read, and combining her passion with business seemed a perfect fit. She renovated the space with a willow tree theme (hence the name). “I always loved weeping willow trees,” she said, so she gave it an enchanted forest look, and “the name kind of went with it.”

She has created an inviting space. “I really wanted a bookstore downtown that was nice, cozy and welcoming, a place where people could come and get away from everything else.” She achieved those goals basically from the start, opening in June with 21 different genres of books – “a little something for everybody.”

She has books for all ages, “zero to as old as you can get,” she said. She even has a novel approach to novels called “Blind Date With a Book,” which is a book in wrapping so you cannot see the title. On the wrapping are hints so that you can get to know the book without seeing it first. Surprises await inside along with the book – a bookmark, notepad and pen. And just like a blind date, she said, you can’t judge a book by its cover.

The reception has been phenomenal. “Everybody who comes in here is super excited we’re here.” Her biggest surprise? “More customers than I expected.”

She’s enjoyed meeting everyone. “They have been nice and friendly. There is a big book community here,” she said, noting that she discovered a growing local authors community and is featuring some of their work. Authors like Shawn Bailey, Cherith Fluker and Kyle Hannah’s book company clients are among the books she features.

Herrington is already eyeing the future with plans to offer book clubs for different genres, story time for the children, author signings and a café with coffee and pastries.

“I want to grow a place when the outside is too much, they can come in here, get away and read a book.”

Lake House Antiques

Jacob and Adam Castleberry moved their year-old business from U.S. 231 South to downtown in August. Actually, it’s their second business. They own a thriving property management company that operates in Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida.

Antiques are a pastime-turned-business. “We’ve been curating and collecting for 10 years,” said Jacob. “Our goal was to open a shop.”

While the property management company was based in Trussville, they never found a spot that “caught our eye,” he said.

When they moved to Cropwell, they found space in Lake Plaza. But when space became available downtown, they knew that’s really where they wanted to be. And customers are showing they’re glad they came.

“It’s been overwhelming,” Adam said. “It’s been great,” echoed Jacob.

The business started from their own experience and abilities. Their former home in Trussville was an eclectic blend, and friends and family encouraged them over the years to design spaces for others or open a shop.

They describe their place as “Grandma’s house,” Adam said, noting that the paintings, quilts and other items blended with vintage and new make it look like Grandma’s. “It’s lived in comfortable.”

He’s right. Alongside an oil painting or a pair of newly upholstered French wing-backed chairs with brass nailheads, you might find a tiffany lamp, a mosaic-top table, a regal dining room suite, an urn, photo frames, china or a Victrola turned cocktail bar.

On Sundays and Mondays, Jacob and Adam are traveling to source new items to feature Tuesday through Saturday, their days of operation.

“We want something new every day or every week at least,” keeping the shop vibrant and fresh, Adam said. And customers are responding with a steady flow of traffic heading their way since opening.

With a nod to the recent growth of that part of the downtown area and the camaraderie that has followed, Jacob said, “We’re excited to be a part of the new business downtown. We hope more is coming. We’re excited to see the growth of downtown Pell City and be a part of it.”

Customers say the shop has an appealing vibe that brings them back. “Hopefully, we’re going to be successful,” Jacob added. “It gives them another spot to browse around on a Saturday afternoon.”

Studio on 1^st

Studio on 1^st is the city’s newest destination point for professional hair care and skin care. The salon offers services for men and women tailored to them.

Owned by Briana Allen, Studio on 1st could be seen as continuing a family tradition of locally owned business. Next door is her father and grandfather’s longtime business, Allen Service Co. “They played a big role in why I opened my own place,” she said.

She opened July 15, but celebrated a grand opening in late September. She had worked in Birmingham but wanted to return to her hometown so that she could become more involved in the community personally and through her business.

“I’m loving it so far. It’s more than I imagined it would be. I really do love it,” she said. Besides being able to locate next to her family’s business, she chose downtown because of its small town charm. “You can walk to all the places. They know me, and I know them.”

Business owners refer business to each other, she said. “We’re all like close together, helping each other. It’s the perfect spot to start this.”

Joining her is stylist Shelby Dunaway, whom she says shares the same goals for the business – offering quality services and being involved in the community.

Coming on board in October is esthetician Morgan Russell, who will be handling the skin care part of the salon with facials and waxes.

Plans call for one more stylist, “then we’ll have a full house,” Allen said. But the planning hasn’t stopped there. She hopes to extend the back of the building to include a nail technician and perhaps a massage therapist.

Studio on 1^st, she said, is “committed to delivering exceptional service and an experience you’ll love coming back to.”

The Grove

It only took four months for an idea to spring into a full-fledged business. For Whitney Gunnison, the genesis of The Grove evolved from a need. She suffers from celiac disease, an immune reaction to gluten that prevents nutrients from being absorbed and requires a gluten-free diet.

There weren’t any good options locally, so she decided to create a restaurant that filled that need. She renovated the building on Cogswell Avenue and set out to create healthier options with fresh, whole ingredients.

Her story blends her food creations with nourishment for the soul, she said. “I am strong in my faith. I wanted to share the love of Jesus in this building so people could feel the joy, hope and love the Lord has given to us.”

While a traditional downtown may spark memories of yesteryear, there’s a new feeling up and down Cogswell and First Avenues these days.

With Acai, smoothies and fresh salads heading the menu at this café, it’s evident that it is more than just a place to grab a healthy bowl or a smoothie — it’s a place to be “rooted, refreshed and renewed,” she said.

It actually got its name from those ideals – and a sign. She and her husband had considered a few different names but couldn’t decide. The Grove was one of their choices, but they prayed for a sign. He was on a job site in Cullman when he spotted a huge white sign up ahead, proclaiming, “The Grove.” It was their sign – literally and spiritually.

They set out to create a menu by gathering her team together, and they would try different ingredients and “figured out what was great and not so great” through many evenings of taste tests.

Team members who helped with the renovation were paid in bowls and smoothies, she said.

The end result was a comprehensive menu of açaí bowls, smoothies and fresh salads. And it appears she landed on a winning recipe. Judging by the response in the opening days, it’s a hit.

“The grand opening was super chaotic, but in the best way, she said. “We ran out of acai. We tripped a breaker. We had to close early because Pell City sold us out. After Friday (opening day), I hired four more people.”

But, she added, “everybody was rooting for me. Everybody has been so supportive. They’re excited to have a healthy spot.”

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Discover writer wins state award

Elaine Hobson Miller adds to extensive list of honors

Ashville’s Elaine Hobson Miller has been named the 2025 Communicator of Achievement of Alabama Media Professionals.

The St. Clair County resident won the award previously in 2017. That year, she went on to be runner-up in the National Federation of Press Women’s COA race when NFPW held its Communications Conference in Birmingham that year.

As the Alabama winner, Hobson Miller again vied for the national award when NFPW held its 2025 conference in Golden, Colorado.

The Alabama honoree has been writing since elementary school, when she penned a piece for her school’s newsletter. Throughout high school, she worked on her school’s newspaper staff and served as news editor during her senior year.

Hobson Miller began her lifelong career as a professional journalist and freelance writer in1968, the summer before her senior year at Samford University. She accepted an internship at the Birmingham Post-Herald, that city’s former morning newspaper.

The following year, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism with a minor in Spanish. Hobson Miller accepted a full-time position at the Post-Herald. Within a year, she became that newspaper’s first woman to cover the Birmingham city government beat.

She left the Post Herald in 1972 when her first child was born and freelanced for several years. She was a full-time features writer for Birmingham Magazine from 1978-1980, returning to the Post-Herald in 1980, working first as a copy editor and then as food editor and features writer.

As a freelancer, she was editor of PrimeLife, a Birmingham-based magazine for people over 55, during the four months of its existence in 1988. She wrote a twice-monthly house column for the Birmingham News, 1992-1997, and was a regular contributor to Southern Lumberman from 1990 to 2001. She also wrote content for various local corporate and government newsletters, brochures and pamphlets, including Jefferson County, Shelby Medical Center (now Baptist Health Shelby Hospital), First National Bank and Vulcan Materials. She edited Birmingham Home & Garden magazine in 2002.

Hobson Miller took a brief sabbatical from journalism in 1996 following the death of her husband, who owned an independent pharmacy. She did enough freelance writing during that time “to keep my fingers nimble and my brain active,” she said. She sold the pharmacy in 2012 and resumed her focus on writing.

Although the honoree considers herself semi-retired, her work has appeared regularly in the magazine, Discover the Essence of St. Clair, since it was launched 15 years ago. She also writes for its sister magazine, LakeLife 24/7, both published by the Pell City-based multimedia marketing firm, Partners by Design.

Active in mission work, Hobson Miller has made four medical mission trips to Peru with Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in Homewood and Texas-based E-3 Partners, plus an independent mission trip to Peru. She did one mission trip to Spain and continues to participate in mission trips to Zacapa, Guatemala, where three Alabama churches have an ongoing relationship with the small village of Conevisa.

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$100-million development in works

Moody putting together massive retail project

If all goes as planned, Moody will begin seeing the beginning of a $100 million retail development along U.S. 411 and the Little Cahaba River.

Proposed by noted developer Stan Pate of Tuscaloosa, city officials are hailing it as a “real win” for the city, according to Moody Mayor Bill Lee.

The 200,000 to 250,00 square foot retail space is targeting property between 7 Brew and Joey Adkins Drive on Moody Parkway.

It took some incentives to land the deal, but Lee and the city council believe it to be a wise investment. The property has had its challenges because of the environmental concerns about the creek running through it, but the incentives will help overcome what had been financial roadblocks in the past.

According to the incentive agreement the council approved, worth about $65 million in incentives, it involves abatement of selected sales and property taxes, fees and permits, for up to 40 years or until the total it is paid. Pate has five years to begin the incentive process after his company invests a minimum of $10 million.

The 30-acre site will be mixed use of shopping and dining options. Clearing has already begun on the property. Existing property owners sold their land to Pate and businesses on that property now will be demolished after their leases are up.

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Helms Healthcare

Returning to bygone era of medicine

Story by Carol Pappas
Submitted Photos

In today’s corporate-driven medical care climate, Pell City’ s Dr. Rock Helms is forging a new path in healthcare for the region by returning to the days of old – ways from which he never wavered.

He opened Helms Healthcare in Vincent in March and in less than 90 days, 1,000 patients had come on board. And they’re still coming.

It has been an ideal match for the tiny town of Vincent, population 2,500, and Helms Healthcare. The town had been without a doctor for 20 years. The closest medical facility was in Harpersville but for the most part, residents traveled to Sylacauga, Birmingham, Pell City and Chelsea for major medical needs, according to Mayor Jim Lattimer.

Dr. Rock Helms takes care of tiny patient

Helms Healthcare locating a block from the city’s main street has been “a big benefit for everybody,” the mayor said. “He’s part of the community. That’s what we want for every business.”

Helms lauded the efforts of the mayor and council. “I am super appreciative. The city has been amazing. They made it very, very easy to come here, and we owe them a debt of gratitude.”

To make the partnership come to fruition required some investment by the city to prepare. The long vacant building on Florey Street that the city owned needed repair. “We looked at it and saw the potential, but it needed quite a bit of work, and it needed it quickly” if Helms was to open in March.

That was January. The council voted unanimously to move ahead with the opportunity, and they replaced air conditioning, fixed water damage and made other improvements to get the 3,000 square foot building ready to open. “$60,000 was worth it to get a doctor in here.”

Helms invested as well and continues to add and upgrade to what is now a state-of-the-art medical clinic with a doctor, three nurse practitioners, two registered nurses, technicians and a full staff.

He takes pride in the personal approach the entire staff takes to serving its patients. “When you call, you get a real person,” he said, not a number to press.

Helms said he could not have envisioned a better welcome from the community and the region. “It’s amazing the flow of people coming in.” He anticipated existing patients from his years in Pell City would amount to about a third and “hopefully we would grow the clinic over a year’s time to be sustainable. It has exceeded expectations in multiples. It’s obvious we are going to be successful.”

A full, onsite lab makes testing convenient

The numbers bear that out. In the month of May, 30% came from around the area – Vincent, Harpersville and Chelsea. Now it’s “north of 40 percent and growing like crazy.”

Helms has brought cutting edge health care to the area, providing general and cardiac ultrasound, lab services, digital X-ray and IV infusion of fluids, including iron, Lasix, hydration. Soon to be added is wellness infusion therapy. Iron infusions done there can save patients a trip to the hematologist. They offer weight loss management as well.

“We have helped a lot of people,” Helms said. “The sole reason they haven’t seen a doctor is because they have to drive. We’ve seen several like that. Transportation is a huge barrier.”

Since opening, he has seen better medical outcomes because they can get the help they need close to home. “That’s our hometown doctor,” said Lattimer, a hint of pride in his voice.

“The people have been very appreciative,” Helms said. “They’ve helped me personally and professionally to re-establish a hometown practice like I started in 2001.”

History appears to be repeating itself. Fresh from medical school in 1999, Helms came back to his hometown of Pell City to begin practicing medicine. His vision then – as now – was that of a small-town doctor building relationships with his patients, listening to their needs and guiding their care toward positive outcomes.

It is family medicine at its core, treating patients like family because, in essence, they are.

In 2001, he founded Northside Medical Associates in Pell City, beginning with only a handful of providers and staff. He grew it into a thriving campus of medical facilities, a pharmacy, urgent care and multiple specialties and locations in other communities with over 200 employees.

He sold it, fulfilled his contract commitments and is now starting over with Helms Healthcare in Vincent and plans to locate another in Pell City.

There have been patients wondering if he will stay in Vincent. While he does have plans to open in Pell City later, he stressed, “we will keep this open. I know it’s the Lord’s will. It’s nothing short of a miracle we are growing like this.”

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St. Clair Eye

Latest addition to Pell City medical community puts focus on treating whole patient

Story and photos
by Graham Hadley

When Dr. Shilpa Patel was offered the opportunity to open St. Clair Eye in the same building with Pell City Internal and Family Medicine in Pell City, making the decision was an easy one.

“We had recently moved to Odenville and saw there was a growing need for eye care in the county,” she said. “Dr. Rick Jotani at PCIFM said they had space there, and within a month we were rolling. There are lots of specialties in the building, and they needed eye care, so it really worked out great.”

Jordan Greer demonstrates a VR headset used for visual field testing

St. Clair Eye is a full-service vision medical center, with a focus on eye injuries and eye disease, often working in conjunction with other physicians. Patel is quick to point out that there are often many other health issues affecting the eye, so they make sure they are looking at the wellness of the whole patient.

“You have to tailor each exam to each patient and their needs,” she said.

To that end, St. Clair Eye makes sure they are able to treat patients with special needs, making sure the office is sensory inclusive, and their equipment is accessible to people with mobility issues as well.

“We are Kulture City certified,” she said, noting that doctor’s offices can be overwhelming for people on the autism spectrum, people with dementia and other cognitive conditions. Every patient who needs one is provided with a bag containing sunglasses, noise-reducing earphones, fidget toys and more – anything they need to be more comfortable during their visit.

According to the Kulture City website, certification makes sure businesses “cater to everyone with sensory needs, not just autism. This includes military vets with PTSD, adults with dementia, Parkinson’s disease, stroke patients, just to name a few.”

In addition to Patel and her staff being Kulture City certified, she is also fluent in American Sign Language.

“When treating patients, you have to have the right tools and skills to get the desired end result. And that varies on who you have in the chair. All of that comes with experience,” she said.

Though St. Clair Eye has only been open a few months in Pell City, Patel brings with her decades of experience as not only a medical professional in optometry, but also as “a distinguished scholar and fellow of the National Academies of Practice and a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry.” A Birmingham native, she is a graduate of UAB, Ohio State and Harvard.

She was in private practice in Birmingham for years and worked at the Callahan Eye Clinic.

The KultureCity sensory bags with ear and eye protection, fidget toys, and more

“Everyone in our office is local,” which makes them feel more connected to the community and patients. “We work as a team.”

Those connections to the community have always been important to Patel. She is particularly proud of her time volunteering for Red Mountain Museum, which eventually became part of what is the McWane Center today.

St. Clair is one of the fastest growing communities in Alabama, and as more people move to the area, so does the demand for medical services, particularly specialties like optometry.

“We do comprehensive eye exams, set people up with contacts and glasses, treat glaucoma, dry eyes and other vision issues. We see a lot of people with diabetic-related vision problems, and some people who just need regular checkups” and maintenance-level care.

“Most eye diseases progress gradually,” and many people don’t realize they have a problem until it has been going on for a long time, sometimes years, Patel said. As much as hands-on medical treatment is necessary, she says they also focus on educating their patients about not only specific problems with their eyes, but how their overall health can affect their vision. … We treat the whole patient, look at their overall wellness.”

Patel said St. Clair Eye has been growing quickly from day one. “We are getting busier every day. Marketing and word of mouth have been a huge help,” but so has support from the community.

“The Pell City Chamber of Commerce has been great. They were here for our open house” and have continued to support the new business, she said.

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