Bon Ton Hatters and Shoe Repair

On Birmingham's 1st Avenue North there resides an operative business that has been there and been run by the same family since its inception in 1907. Having been run by Jimmy Callis for the last thirty years, Bon Ton Hatters was founded by Jimmy's grandfather Constantine, and Jimmy was preceded by his father, also Jimmy, in the business' operation. When I asked Jimmy about his business, he said, "It's pretty self explanatory. We block and repair hats, and we repair and shine shoes. That's pretty much all we have time for."

Jimmy Callis tending the Front Counter at Bon Ton Hatters

Bon Ton's Shoe Shiner sitting on his boot-shaped chair

Roy Williams of The Birmingham News conducted a brief-but-interesting interview with Jimmy Callis in 2010; the transcript can be found at al.com, here.

Technorati Tags: alabama, birmingham, hat repair, shoe shine, bon ton hatters, jimmy callis.

Dilapidated Storefronts of First Avenue South

The dirge has likely sounded for this once-burgeoning business district. It has now become a playground for miscreants and would-be artists. The breaking of a new day serves only to shed light on new painterly masterpieces that were sprayed on between between dusk and dawn.

Canon Rebel T2i, EF 50mm f/1.8 II, 1/250s @ f/8, ISO 200

Canon Rebel T2i, EF 50mm f/1.8 II, 1/320s @ f/8, ISO 200

Technorati Tags: alabama, birmingham, graffiti, storefronts, 1st avenue.

Dwelling on First Avenue

Hard times often call for exception ingenuity. There's more to this little makeshift housing than may initially meet the eye. The opening of the box faces the viaduct abutment and limits wind. The box is placed on cinder blocks to eliminate the floor being soaked by runoff. As an additional measure of protection from pedestrian, vermin, and the elements, the housing sits on an elevated plane with makeshift steps leading up to it. Finally, there is the chair; everybody needs a cozy place to sit.

Makeshift Housing on Birmingham's 1st Avenue S. :: Canon T2i, EF 50mm f/1.8 II, 1/200s @ f/4, ISO 1600

For another photograph of ingenious housing by Birmingham's otherwise indigent, visit this post: "A Homestead of Sorts".

Technorati Tags: alabama, birmingham, homeless, indigent, 1st avenue.

Blocked Up and Boxed Out

With some extra time on my hands the other day, I decided to go cruising along Birmingham's 1st Avenue South. It's an area that once contained many business, but now the buildings are about evenly split between occupied and derelict. Nevertheless it makes for good photographing.

Canon Rebel T2i, EF 50mm f/1.8 II, 1/250s @ f/8, ISO 200

Canon Rebel T2i, EF 50mm f/1.8 II, 1/500s @ f/8, ISO 200