Photo by Erin Nelson
Christie Howell, owner of Wrapsody, at the store in Hoover’s Stadium Trace Village. Howell is opening a fourth location, in downtown Homewood in the former Little Professor Book Shop.
Homewood is getting an infusion of fresh shopping.
Wrapsody, a gift boutique launched in Hoover two decades ago, will soon open its fourth location on 18th Street South in the heart of Homewood’s downtown.
Purchased by Vestavia Hills residents Reel and Christie Howell in 2017, Wrapsody is moving into one of the most sought-after spots on 18th Street. With a desire to be an anchor in Homewood for years to come, the Howells made the decision to buy the building from the previous owner, who was interested in getting out of the landlord business. The Howells believe buying the building outright sets them up for long-term success in Homewood.
“It’s not only a great location but a great business move on our end,” said Reel Howell, who is also the director of preconstruction for Arlington Construction. “There is tremendous comfort in knowing that nobody can choose not to renew our lease. The stars kind of aligned and it just made sense for us.”
Wrapsody offers trendy gifts, home decor, candles, jewelry, clothing and accessories from brands such as Barefoot Dreams, Julie Vos and P.J. Salvage. Christie Howell and her team curate their selections to match the various tastes and preferences in each market.
After launching in Hoover in 2004, the original owners eventually opened a location in Auburn in 2009. Once taking over the business in 2017, the Howells moved the Hoover location from Patton Creek to Stadium Trace Village, followed by a location on Gadsden Highway in Trussville.
The Howells had identified Homewood as a market they would like to expand into early in their ownership, but the right space never seemed to materialize. They also wanted to select a location that wouldn’t interfere with existing stores.
“When we bought the store back in 2017, we always wanted to expand because we were young and we wanted to provide employees with the ability to grow, and the only way you can do that in retail is to expand,” Reel Howell said. “Homewood was one location that, looking at the location of our current stores, we wouldn’t cannibalize our customers very much at all.”
Christie Howell is already well-acquainted with the Homewood and Mountain Brook retail markets as part owner of Once Upon A Time Children’s Boutique locations on 18th Street and in Mountain Brook’s Crestline community. She believes Wrapsody will boost the existing Homewood retail scene.
“I feel like the more the merrier,” she said. “When you have great stores that complement your business next to you, it can only help you in the long run.”
While the new store will be similar to Wrapsody’s Trussville and Hoover locations, the Howells said the Homewood location will have some differences to better fit into the dynamic of downtown Homewood. In the end, the pair believe this store will more closely resemble the original Wrapsody in Auburn, where it has anchored College Street for almost 20 years.
“I feel like this location is more of a destination space,” Christie Howell said. “Homewood is a place to go where friends meet for lunch and then they can stay all day at the shop, or where moms and daughters can spend an entire Saturday.”
“I feel like I’ve always had my eye on downtown Homewood because of that reason,” she added. “It gives me the Auburn kind of feel.”
Wrapsody will be located at 2840 18th St. S. Find out more at wrapsodyonline.com.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Wrapsody's Homewood location will open in the near future.
