TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Many men and women have similar ideas but when it comes to shopping, the ideas are completely different. Tuscaloosa has a small variety of shops, restaurants, grocery stores, etc. to begin with but has been growing. The Shoppes at Legacy Park include shops like Dick’s and boutiques but also a variety of restaurants including Chuy’s Tex-Mex, Nothing but Noodles and I Love Juice Bar. For some people, they are still not satisfied with the businesses that have been added. There is a long process in opening up stores but it is not always as hard as outsiders believe.
Ellen King is an engineer but as a side job, she is the owner of Kings Lane online boutique, based in Birmingham. King says she did not have many difficulties when opening her shop that most people believe there would be.
“The most difficult part to me is choosing what items to carry. There are literally hundreds of thousands of items out there, so making choices for what you feel like people will like and buy is hard. As long as you do your homework and maintain good records, it’s really fairly easy to run,” King said.
Regina Scholey, a junior at The University of Alabama, came all the way from California for school. Being from the West Coast, Scholey has to get used to the southern lifestyle. Not only was there a lifestyle change, the culture was different. The transfer from California to Alabama was difficult, Scholey says, especially without all of her favorite clothing stores and restaurants that Tuscaloosa does not offer.
“It is hard coming to the South after being raised on the West Coast my whole life. Tuscaloosa compared to California has nothing to offer business wise. Mexican food down here is not real. There needs to be more juice bars and acai bowls. I eat much healthier when I’m back home because all of the food is fresh. The culture shock was insane,” Scholey said.
Tuscaloosa has a lot to offer but it might not be enough for the amount of people that come here from each state. The amount of out of state students out numbers the instate students. Therefore, students coming from other places are going to miss the food or stores they have back home. Grace Chandler, a junior at The University of Alabama, is from Birmingham, Alabama. There are not many differences in the businesses between Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, Chandler says.
“The only places I wish we had in Tuscaloosa that I miss are Whataburger and Free People. I’m surprised we do not have either of those considering they are pretty popular back home. Every college girl I know loves Free People. For Whataburger though, I would have to say it is more popular than any other fast food chain restaurant. I believe they would be very successful here,” Chandler said.
The food aspect seems to be the most important than other types of businesses. Although clothing shops are important, they are not necessarily needed. Restaurants are needed. Even though there are still places wanted here in Tuscaloosa, it has grown a lot.
“There is so much more there now than there used to be. I can see a need for more restaurants and hotels with the growing student population. I can also see a need for more shopping, whether it is clothing, shoes or home goods and furnishings,” King said.
When it comes down to it, the perspectives of what men and women want are not as different as others would make it out to be. Looking back on what Tuscaloosa was even just last year; there have been many improvements and additions.