Southern Bath & Kitchen is in the business of making renovation dreams become realities. In fact, this family-owned company has been built on hard work and dreams since its inception in 1938, when Russian immigrant Louis Davidson founded parent company Southern Pipe & Supply in Meridian, MS. Since then, the now fourth-generation, family-owned business has grown to operate approximately 95 locations in seven states across the Southeast and has expanded to house six additional divisions, one of which is the beautiful, consumer-based showrooms of Southern Bath & Kitchen.
Southern Pipe & Supply Co., Southern Bath & Kitchen’s parent company, was founded by Russian immigrant Louis Davidson, who set sail for America in 1901, landed in Mobile, AL, and began working toward the American dream.
Because it is family owned and has been for four generations, Southern Pipe refers to its employees as “family members,” and that familial sentiment is felt right when you step into Birmingham’s Southern Bath & Kitchen showroom.
While the Birmingham location does keep some of their products in stock, the warehouse in nearby Meridian houses millions of dollars of products and makes deliveries to Birmingham daily, so in most cases a product can be delivered the very next day.
Birmingham’s Southern Bath & Kitchen showroom is a haven of fixtures, kitchen appliances and cabinet hardware located just off of First Avenue North on 35th Street. Take a step into the recently remodeled 2,500-square-foot showroom, and you’ll not only be greeted by their friendly team, but also the gleaming products, from Kohler and Delta to Viking and KitchenAid. Wall displays are stacked with faucets, medicine cabinets and cabinet knobs and pulls, while bathroom vanities, kitchen sinks, bathtubs and toilets in a wide range of styles and finishes are arranged on the showroom floor. Top-of-the-line appliances for both the kitchen and outdoor grilling are also featured in the store.
In addition to the outstanding range of products the showroom offers, the attentiveness and care of the small staff, comprised of outside showroom salesperson Heather Wiggins, showroom manager Vann Foti and branch manager Jeff Rodgers, is what sets Southern Bath & Kitchen apart. “It’s very personal, and we have so much knowledge that we can really help guide people through the whole process,” Vann says. “You’re not just picking a faucet off the wall, grabbing a box and going home with it. It’s a whole process, and, in that process, we take everything into consideration, from the paint color to the countertops.”
While there are certain brands that Southern Pipe serves as a distributor for, like Kohler and Delta among others, Jeff says that each store operates on its own. This allows Vann and Heather to bring in special products that are well suited for the Birmingham market and for their clients, in addition to the usual stock that Southern Bath & Kitchen carries.
“I just love working with people and it gives me the opportunity to do interior design and help people put everything together,” Vann says.
“Right now, freestanding tubs, farmhouse sinks and bathroom vanities are all very popular,” Vann says. “The style of things are going more streamlined and are moving away from traditional to more of a transitional type of look.”
The expertise of the staff really sets this showroom apart. “Sometimes something looks beautiful on Houzz, but the customer may not know what it takes to make that work and it may not actually be functional. Then they feel like they have to start all over again, but that’s what we’re here to help with,” Jeff says.
Whether you are just beginning to dream of a someday renovation or are in the throes of the construction process, Vann and Heather, both with degrees in interior design and more than 15 years of combined experience in the industry, are able to guide you toward the perfect products for your specific project. “Consumers these days are more educated than they were 10 years ago, but they don’t necessarily realize all of the choices that they have,” Jeff says. “They spend time online, looking at what they want and then get here and it can be overwhelming, so that’s where we come in.” In that effort, Vann spends time with each customer who comes into the showroom and works one-on-one with them to determine what products best suit their vision for their space. “If we’re planning for a whole house, we’ll go room by room, from the master bath to the kitchen, and pick everything out,” Vann says. “That keeps the customer focused and helps them to not get too overwhelmed, because it’s very easy to feel that way.” Being able to actually touch and see the various products and finishes available in person is also key in visualizing the space and helps take inspiration found in the glossy pages of a magazine or online into reality.
Similar to how important it is to be able to see bathroom fixtures and cabinet hardware in person, the best way to grasp which appliances will work best for your home and your lifestyle is by seeing them in context. Therefore, Jeff and the team regularly host live demonstrations of their range of appliances and cook up delicious dishes for their customers to enjoy. “It’s just about educating our customers on what makes the appliances special,” Heather says. “We have it set up live in here so that we can actually do presentations for our customers. The range works, so we cook little sausages and asparagus and cheese dips and all sorts of things.”
One of these special features that Vann says her customers often don’t fully understand until they see it working in action is cooking with the broiler. While the broiler setting on most ovens reaches only 500 degrees, the broiler on the showroom’s Viking can reach 1,500 degrees, which allows for perfectly charred steaks and beautifully roasted vegetables. “Most people don’t broil anymore because the ovens just can’t get hot enough,” Vann says. “But you can. People just don’t know unless you show them.” While those high-end appliances will look beautiful in your kitchen whether or not you ever cook on them, the team at Southern Bath & Kitchen hopes to ensure that their customers leave with a full understanding of all the gorgeous appliances can offer.
In addition to helping individual customers, the team at Southern Bath & Kitchen also often works with interior designers, architects and builders to create the perfect looks for their clients or projects.
Though stainless steel appliances continue to be the showroom’s most popular choice with clients, black stainless is a newer surface for appliances that the team sees gaining popularity in the coming years.
This is an AGA Total Control cast-iron oven with three ovens and two hotplates. While this piece may have an antique charm, it is the very definition of cutting edge technology, as it is operated by a touch-screen panel or remote control handset, controlling a roasting, baking and simmer oven.
And that high-quality service doesn’t stop after your purchase has been finalized. “We try to work with each person and go all the way through their project with them, even after the sale,” Vann says. The team coordinates delivery and installation, and offers service after the sale. So if something goes wrong with your product, the team will coordinate with service companies to ensure that everything is running smoothly for the customer, a policy which has earned the showroom lifelong customers.
This thoughtful service, family-focused culture and friendly environment makes the showroom a place where tough decisions get a little easier and complicated projects become a little less overwhelming. With help from their bath and kitchen experts, Southern Bath & Kitchen makes any challenging project a stunning, showstopping reality.
The Birmingham Southern Bath & Kitchen showroom is located at 300 35th St. N. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call (205) 581-8600 or visit sbkbham.com.
Thank you to Brendon Pinola and sbkbham.com for the beautiful images of the Birmingham showroom!
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