By: Sydney Wix
“You know… I’ve been seeing this elephant picture all over the place here. It’s on my pint glass right now, it’s over there on the wall, it’s all over their Instagram. Do you know what that’s about?” The patron asked the bartender from across the wooden bar in Avondale Brewery, one of Birmingham, Alabama’s, many microbreweries.
“Before I answer your question, let me ask you something. Is this your first time in Avondale?” The bartender returned as she placed the patron’s refilled glass of lightly colored draft beer back onto the coaster bearing the same elephant logo.
“Actually, I just moved to the area a couple of weeks ago. Do you have any tips or tricks? Friends even?” The patron responded while placing two single dollar bills into the bartender’s colorfully decorated tip jar.
The bartender smiled, continued cleaning the dirty glasses and said, “How much time do you have? Let me tell you a story…”
Stepping onto 41st Street South in Birmingham, Alabama, the atmosphere makes a considerable shift from the fact-paced energy of downtown businesses and skyscrapers to a small business lover’s dream. With breweries, restaurants, shops and murals lining the streets, it is impossible not to feel a sense of home and belonging in Avondale.
The community of Avondale lies nestled between the Lakeview District, Central Birmingham, East Birmingham and Forest Park. Within this rectangular block of Birmingham, there are murals depicting floral designs, inspirational quotes, human profiles, bicycles and even elephants.
The architecture of this area consists of old, brick buildings with a modern face lift. “Old but New” could be the mantra for Avondale with its ties to its historical past and interest in exponential growth in the future.
According to Statistical Atlas, the population of Avondale is one of the smallest in the Birmingham metro area. However, the boom of new business openings continues to draw people to move to Avondale. Of the current residents that call this place home, the largest majority of people work in the healthcare field, which is, most likely, due to its proximity to the University of Alabama at Birmingham and other major hospitals.
While Avondale continues to buzz with new, millennial homeowners and up-and-coming cafes, it was not always this energetic.
According to the Enyclopedia of Alabama (http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2141), Avondale was formed in the 1880s as a company town surrounding Avondale Mills, a textile and manufacturing mill. The streets were filled with horse-drawn carriages and mill workers rather than the electric cars and families walking their dogs today.
Much like the photographs from that time, there was little color in Avondale at its founding. Simplicity and monotony are two words that could be used to describe daily life in early Avondale.
This small town was also home to the area’s first zoo, taking up around 37 acres, which sat in present day Avondale Park and accommodated multitudes of animal breeds, from rattlesnakes to foxes (https://www.alabamaheritage.com/from-the-vault/miss-fancy-queen-of-the-avondale-zoo). However, the star of the zoo came in the form of a 1,000-pound elephant, Miss Fancy.
Miss Fancy was a popular attraction at the zoo. Her trainers were said to have taken her on walks through 41st Street South late at night and given her alcohol to help with her anxiousness and upset stomach, even during Prohibition.
Today, Miss Fancy’s legacy is still being honored throughout the town. She stands as a symbol of strength and resilience to ensure the people of Avondale that there will always be room for more expansion and more fun.
Recent additions to Avondale include Axel Row, the newest apartment community in Birmingham. This complex screams new and trendy with its bright red exterior and multi-story murals. Another new business in Avondale is Ferus on 41st, which serves Ferus ales within its light brick walls.
Back at the bar in Avondale Brewery, the bar-goer takes a few deeps breaths and says to the bartender, “Wow. I never knew an elephant could mean so much for a community like this.”
The bartender puts away the last clean glass, leans against the bar, gazes out the window to 41st Street South and comments, “Avondale has been my home since I was very young. My great grandmother used to tell me stories of children riding on Miss Fancy’s back around the zoo and seeing her walk these same streets at night. I come and work behind this wooden bar every day with an insane amount of pride knowing that what I do here, however small it may be, is carrying on Avondale’s legacy. This is Birmingham’s future, and it is pretty cool that I get to be a part of it.
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