A whopping of shopping

You might call it a shopping smorgasbord.

The Hoopla Hometown Market, which opened May 4, offers patrons an array of options from gift items to clothing to yoga classes, all housed at 6374 Main St. in Springville.

 “And we make every effort to feature items created locally and throughout the area,” owner Amelia Nunez said.  

According to Nunez, just a few of those local merchandise items include jams and jellies, candles, soap and farmhouse wooden signs.

“We also can create a number of custom items like mugs, cutting boards, T-shirts and caps, plus we do embroidery,” she said. “And our artist also does a lot of inspirational things with Bible verses. It’s very important to us to customize for our customers.”

Nunez, who has resided in Springville for four years, learned the importance of meeting customer wants and needs during her time at UAB, where she earned a degree in public relations and communications.

“I worked as a sales manager in the accessory department for Parisian for 15 years and also as a sales representative and merchandiser for other stores, covering territories from the Midwest to the Southeast,” she said. “And all that experience helped me create my marketing plan.”

An important part of the plan is to support and encourage the hometown feel of community, she said.

“In the old days, you often had just one basic downtown store where folks went for most everything,” she said. “We can’t do that, but we can offer a good variety large enough to accommodate a large marketplace with something for most everyone and where everyone feels welcome.”

And why Hoopla?

“Well, it’s easy to remember, but even better, it’s fun and when you say it you can’t help but smile,” she said.

Nunez said Hoopla Hometown Market mainstays include accessories, jewelry and T-shirts such as Couture Tee and Girlie Girl Originals. 

“We also have hot clothing store items ranging from razorback tanks to rain jackets for the whole family made by Charles River Apparel out of Massachusetts,” she said. “And several very popular novelty gift items like round beach towels, spike sand cup holders and visors.”

Hoopla Hometown Market is housed in The Red Cottage, and rather than use the upstairs space for stock storage, Nunez decided to dedicate it to a yoga class area.

“We have two certified yoga instructors — one focuses on therapeutic yoga and the other conducts Mommy and Me, youth and prenatal classes,” she said. “What better therapy? Shopping and yoga.”

Participants can redeem the $8 class fee as a store credit toward a qualifying same-day purchase, she said.

While Nunez’ “fur babies” — four dogs and two cats — aren’t much help at the store, her husband Jim is invaluable, she said.

“He’s a history and social studies teacher at Center Point High School but also helps with design, marketing and daily operations,” she said. “He has two degrees in ministry, and we like bringing that godliness feeling to our store and our role in the community.”

Always looking to partner with area artists, craftsmen and businesses, Nunez has begun holding monthly meet-and-greet occasions so patrons can get to know different products and the people responsible for them. City Bowls food truck was scheduled in June, and Athens author and artist Tina Swann was in the spotlight in May.

Swann displayed sculpted crosses and cherubs painted on canvases. She also held a signing for her book, “It’s Not Odd, It’s God,” a collection of true stories of seemingly unexplainable happenings that Swann tells readers are not coincidences “but little God winks.”

Swann said she felt both honored and complimented to be invited to Hoopla Hometown Market, an establishment people enjoy and trust for its high caliber merchandise.

“Amelia has already carved her niche, offering unique and quality items, and for her to have me and my work there means she saw uniqueness in us both,” Swann said.

Nunez said she stays on the lookout for businesses and artisans she can welcome to her store “so the community can experience something different.”

“Plus, it brings new business to our partners and us,” she said. “We’re just a small guy trying to help another small guy.”