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Photo by Erin Nelson.
The part of Shades Mountain Plaza owned by Chris Gauldin has undergone a major exterior renovation, giving hope for a retail renaissance there.
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Photo courtesy of Robin Schultz/Bluff Park Drone.
Above: A screenshot from a video of Shades Mountain Plaza in December 2015.
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Photo by Jon Anderson.
Renovations are in progress on Jan. 6.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Improvements continue to be made to Shades Mountain Plaza in Bluff Park on July 31.
Shades Mountain Plaza is in the midst of big changes as major exterior renovations wrap up and the owners say they’re getting new tenants soon.
Chris Gauldin, who owns the portion of the plaza that contains Shades Mountain Mercantile, said he got the inspiration for the recent exterior renovations from Crestline Village in Mountain Brook.
The new look incorporates high-design brickwork alongside brown and white English-style gables and accent trim.
Gauldin also collaborated with a friend who is a designer and “got a little bold with some colors” to set off a couple of the storefronts.
“I said, ‘Let’s do something a little funky and edgy,’ and I kind of like how the colors came out,” Gauldin said.
The parking lot has also been restriped and fitted with new bumpers, Gauldin said, noting that the plaza’s interior spaces will be renovated to suit the new tenants’ preferences.
“I’m talking with people to get it full,” he said of his side of the plaza.
In April 2022, Chris Feagin, owner of Hoover Antique Gallery and Urban Suburban Antiques in Crestwood, opened Shades Mountain Mercantile — his third antique mall — in Piggly Wiggly’s former space at the plaza.
The Bluff Park Post Office is also still there, as is a drug store that doesn’t serve the public but uses one of the retail spaces to cater to nursing homes.
I’m talking to three restaurants trying to find the right one for that middle space. I’m talking to the city about putting the patio space out into the parking lot possibly. That’s an idea in the making.
Chris Gauldin
“I’m talking to three restaurants trying to find the right one for that middle space,” Gauldin said. “I’m talking to the city about putting the patio space out into the parking lot possibly. That’s an idea in the making.”
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Photo courtesy of Robin Schultz/Bluff Park Drone.
Above: A screenshot from a video of Shades Mountain Plaza in December 2015.
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Photo by Jon Anderson.
Renovations are in progress on Jan. 6.
He said he hopes the new updates and the coming changes will “excite the community and serve the community well.”
The plaza is in a convenient location for families in Bluff Park to go shop and eat without having to go down to U.S. 31 or Lakeshore Drive, he said.
John Lemak, who owns the section of the plaza directly across the parking lot from Gauldin, agreed.
“It’s the primary retail location serving the community,” he said. “It’s basically a retail oasis there surrounded by rooftops, schools and churches. It’s important for the community.”
That goes for both the customers and the vendors, he said. All of his current tenants are independent small business owners, and half of them have been there for more than 20 years.
“They have a lot of pride about being here,” Lemak said of his tenants — Sampson Dentistry, Mason Music, Baker’s Famous Pizza and Wings Plus V & Grill.
Photo courtesy of Robin Schultz/Bluff Park Drone.
Above: A screenshot from a video of Shades Mountain Plaza in December 2015.
He said he just sold one outparcel to a business owner who wants to build an office building for his new headquarters with “possibly a couple of small places for rent.”
Lemak also has a new tenant contracted for the empty space in his section of the plaza that he’s excited about but said they aren’t ready to announce who it will be just yet.
All in all, Lemak said he sees that “there’s a lot of growth and improvements in the community both residential and commercial,” and he sees a lot of interest in the area moving forward and continuing to improve on both sides. He wants to be a part of that.
“I want to make sure all the tenants are happy and remind everybody in the area that these people are there and provide great services — you don’t have to go all the way to 31, especially with all the foodie services here,” Lemak said.
Greg Knighton, economic development director for the City of Hoover, said he’s excited about everything that’s happening in that area at Shades Mountain Plaza, at the new Bluff Park Village Shopping Center across the street and at the businesses in between like Camp Bow Wow and Hoover Fitness, which were also recently renovated.
He said he was thrilled to see the Shades Mountain Plaza renovation come to fruition.
“When the city worked just across the road for the redevelopment of Bluff Park Village and the new Piggly Wiggly, we were hopeful that would be a catalytic development for redevelopment in Bluff Park, and we do believe that to be true,” Knighton said. “We’re excited about what’s happening up there.”
The Bluff Park Village area is also interconnected with sidewalks that extend out toward Shades Mountain Plaza “to encourage that general walkability,” he said.
Robin Schultz, a Bluff Park resident who has campaigned in the past through the website BluffParkal.org to see Shades Mountain Plaza spruced up, said he thinks Gauldin “has done a terrific job; it looks fantastic from what they’ve done so far.”
He said he was also grateful to see the post office reopened after a mold issue had shut it down for a few weeks for interior renovations also.
“That was resolved and repainted,” he said.
Overall as new tenants move in and renovations continue, Schultz said he and others are “hoping that the inside will be as good as the outside.”
So far, he said Gauldin has “invested a lot, and it looks phenomenal.”
“The Lemak side was the good-looking side before; I think now both sides are going to look really good,” Schultz said.
And around the plaza, other business owners are hoping to ride that wave of momentum.
At the rear of the parking lot, Jennifer Pidgeon has been running her shop Jenny’s Corner since early 2022. The space, which was formerly Lazenby’s Decorative Art Studio, now holds items recovered from estate sales, which Pidgeon sold online from her home before opening the shop.
Nearby in 736A, Art Zone offer summer art camps and art classes for kids, teens and adults.
In 736C, Bluff Park Vintage offers clothing, books, furniture and decor as well as repair and restoration of items.
And on the other end of the plaza near Clearview Road, Hoover Family Medicine offers appointments and walk-in care. The practice held an open house for its new building there at 774 Shades Mountain Plaza in January.
