By Barnett Wright | The Birmingham Times
On a recent blustery weekend Regina Williams, who lives in the Graymont Community near Birmingham’s Legion Field, made a short drive to a newly opened CVS Pharmacy in Five Points West to pick up medication. She spoke happily about the location.
“Instead of going downtown in the traffic I can just take the back road and I’m here,” said Williams, of the pharmacy which opened Oct. 17 in the 2200 block of Bessemer Road. “I’ve noticed we have new businesses created all the way around. I would like to see more because it shows the community they are wanted.”
Real estate developer and attorney Eric Guster through his Guster Development has brought several new businesses to the area and has fully leased all spaces at 2250 Bessemer Road, a retail center situated on a prominent corner across from the CrossPlex at the intersection of Bessemer Road and Avenue W. In addition to the CVS, the center also includes a MyEyeDr., a provider of eye health services, and VIPCare, a clinic that specializes in primary care for seniors, all national medical tenants.
The arrival of all three is expected to bring much-needed pharmaceutical and health services to residents, many of whom previously had to travel significant distances for basic medical supplies.
“I’m just so proud to be able to bring not just medical tenants, but national medical tenants to the area,” Guster told The Birmingham Times. “I was committed to making that happen because that community deserves high quality buildings and great tenants and we delivered it.”
The new CVS on Bessemer Road has a full-service pharmacy with a small, curated selection of over-the-counter products designed to accommodate pharmacy needs the community has historically utilized.
“The goal is to continue to make it easy for patients to access medications, immunizations and other pharmacist-provided health care services,” the company said in statement. “By taking a customized approach to our footprint that’s focused on the specific needs of the communities we serve, we’re continuing to strategically realign our pharmacy footprint to better support patients and ensure the right geographic coverage.”
Elizabeth Lucy, who lives in the nearby Ensley neighborhood, said of the CVS Pharmacy, “It’s nice … it’s more modern, it’s new and it’s only a pharmacy. The most I get from them anyway is medications and prescriptions. It’s very convenient.”
The Five Points West area has been a consistent shopping destination for Birmingham residents for over 100 years. It’s primary retail district, Five Points West Shopping City, is fronted by Bessemer Road which has a traffic count of nearly 22,000 cars daily.
With the Birmingham CrossPlex in walking distance, a city-owned family fun center planned and a Food Giant grocery store anchoring the shopping development in the former Winn-Dixie space, Guster’s retail center has the area poised for more growth opportunities and a rebranding.
Here are several other notable new and existing businesses in the Five Points West community:
Jack’s Family Restaurants
The freestanding, 3,275-square-foot restaurant at 2451 CrossPlex Blvd. will have a drive-thru window and a 68-seat dining room and expected to open in early 2026.
The site is adjacent to the Birmingham CrossPlex and is owned by the city of Birmingham and part of the Five Points West commercial revitalization district.
The location is on the north corner of CrossPlex Village, at the intersection of Lomb Avenue and CrossPlex Boulevard. It neighbors the retail strip housing J Wings, Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, The Crab Barrack and Domino’s Pizza.
Nourish Grocer
A new micro-grocer is bringing “fresh, real and affordable food” to Birmingham. Nourish Grocer—a new concept from the team behind Bama Health Foods—opened in Five Points West on December 6.
Bama Health Foods —formerly known as Health Foods West—has been a staple in Birmingham’s Five Points West community for years. Led by health coach and owner Jacquie Fazekas-Varner, Bama Health Foods offers curated natural supplements, ranging from vitamins and superfoods to herbs and hair care products.
This year, Fazekas-Varner and her team decided to open Nourish Grocer to make it easier for families on Birmingham’s west side to access “affordable, clean and culturally relevant food.”
Located next to Bama Health Foods in the Central Park neighborhood of Birmingham’s Five Points West community, Nourish Grocer will be stocked with a variety of healthy, locally-sourced foods.
Bama Health Foods
Fazekas-Varner is Canadian by birth but grew up in Philadelphia, PA. After visiting Birmingham, she quickly decided to make the Magic City her home. As an advocate for living a healthier life, Fazekas-Varner saw a gap in the Five Points West neighborhood. There weren’t many healthy food options in the area.
It was fate when she stumbled into the Health Foods West store in Five Points West and met the store manager Steven Cox. The two had the same vision: to provide the Five Points West neighborhood with healthier options.
Along with hosting leadership workshops, Bama Health Foods equips the Five Points West neighborhood with a center dedicated to educating, nourishing, and serving the community.
Marino’s Market
Marino’s Market has been a staple in the Five Points West neighborhood for decades. Founded in the early 1950s, Joe Marino’s mission was to serve his local Birmingham community with quality groceries at affordable prices. Even after experiencing the economic decline that caused many grocers to close, Anthony Marino (the founder’s grandson) refused to leave.
The store provides the surrounding area with healthier options. In a city where 69 percent of people live in a food desert, Marino saw how important the grocery store was to the residents. “I’m doing this because I’m trying to get people interacting with and involved in their communities,” said Marino.
Marino’s is more than just a grocery store. Marino provides college scholarships through his Education with a Purpose program. He has also been recognized by the NAACP and Southern Christian Leadership Conference for his achievements within the Five Points West neighborhood.
Refresh Clothing2
Corey Bishop is not your average entrepreneur. That’s evident immediately upon entrance to his vibrant and inviting Five Points West flagship Refresh Clothing2 location at 2247 Bessemer Road, Birmingham 35208.
Bishop started Refresh Clothing2 selling clothes from the trunk of his car in 2011. That humble beginning evolved into a mobile clothing tour taking his items from neighborhood to neighborhood as a traveling “personal stylist”.
After overcoming hurdles, he eventually moved into his Five Points West-Ensley location in 2014, a few years after the departure of former Five Points West family-owned staple Music-n-More. Bishop is building on the strength of that foundation and wants the Five Points West community to become a destination and not just a drive through.
Applebee’s
Located at the intersection of Warrior Road and Ensley Five Points West Avenue, addressed as 2246 Bessemer Road, the casual American bar & grill chain restaurant opened in 2008 and is one of six in the Birmingham metro area.
Starbucks
The coffeehouse opened to great fanfare in 2018 in CrossPlex Village as part of the Starbucks Community Store initiative which began to help create local jobs. It was the company’s first Community Store in Alabama and connects youth to education and employment opportunities. It offers in-store training so that trainees have the chance to earn a National Retail Federation Customer Service Certification which provides a competitive advantage throughout their future careers.
