For home decor and gift needs, there is a small shop in East Tallassee to find all of that and more.
“(The Little Red Barn Company is) a little retail store that sells vintage eclectic home goods with a mixture of high-quality new products with curated antiques, branded gifts and homemade items,” owner Aprill Brown said. “We try to offer our shoppers a unique shopping experience centered around the vintage farmhouse aesthetic.”
Many in the community also likely recognize the Little Red Barn Co.’s building, off Notasulga Road, as it has been in the area for the past 100 years. Brown said she lived just down the road and would pass the building each day, dreaming about what it could be.
After 15 years of admiring the building, her husband talked to the owners and asked Brown if she wanted to start a business there. They first began out front with woodworking and craft pieces, but realized they could really have a go with it if they also had the space inside.
While the building has been restaurants and a general store, most recently it was an antique store. Brown bought the contents inside, signed the rental agreement and started the shop at the end of last year.
As she sold the antique pieces, she realized there was a lot more space inside than originally thought. While she loves history and old pieces that can be a conversation starter, she wanted this little red barn to offer more.
Over the past few months, she has been building more elements into the business for it to become the Little Red Barn Co.
“The biggest thing about my store is I like to showcase local and Alabama brand's first,” she said. “I work with a lot of crafts people, and you will see their artwork in here. I like to say, ‘whenever you shop at Little Red Barn Co., you are actually supporting more than one small business.’ For every item that you buy you are supporting two small businesses.”
Brown has not only vintage pieces, but also artwork, handcrafted pieces, gift items such as candles, Amish farm soap, beard care items and a nostalgic candy station.
“I really enjoy getting to hear the stories from the community so I’m trying to bring back some of the nostalgia of the building,” she said. “That's why I have the nostalgic candy station, just to bring back that general store feel.”
Brown said she hopes to collect more stories and old photos of the building from the community to one day have a wall showing the history of the space. Brown is originally from Columbia, Missouri, but her parents moved to Tallassee before she graduated high school. She later met her husband, and they raised a family here in Tallassee.
Brown has run a business cleaning houses for many years, allowing her to keep a flexible schedule to spend time with her kids. Now that her kids have graduated from high school, she and her husband are ready to start a new chapter with the Little Red Barn Co. being a part of the story.
“It has been a very fun process, and I am so thankful that God has put this opportunity in my life and that He is standing by my side every step of the way to see my dreams come true,” Brown said.
Little Red Barn Co. is right across the street from Mae Pop’s Barbecue at 2971 Notasulga Road. The hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and noon-4 p.m. Sunday.
For any crafters in the area, Brown said Little Red Barn Co. is looking for more handmade items. There is no vendor fee and individuals can contact littleredbarnco.llc@gmail.com or 334-415-0987 for more information.