curating the coastal look
words by Amber Wielkins; photography by Stevye Murray
Gone are the days of tennis whites in the afternoon and dinner attire in the evening. Today, the lines between fashion and athletic wear have been beautifully blurred into one category affectionately called “athleisure wear.” At last, an acknowledgement for comfort and fashion! Leading the pack locally, Fairhope’s 7 South owners Beth Lee and Jody Donald are leaning in to support their beloved community by stocking sustainable brands that give back and by playing a role in keeping downtown Fairhope a shopping mecca for all
“ Everyone likes to dress up for
special occasions, but daily, people want to be comfortable while
looking put together. Our tag lines at 7 South are ‘‘From workout to lunch out’ and ‘From the boat to the bar’”
As the world has moved toward a more casual, comfortable lifestyle, friends and business partners Jody Donald and Beth Lee were among the first to recognize the possibilities for a local shop catering to the new normal. And they’re so right. 7 South offers so much more than typical athletic wear. In their own unique way, Jody and Beth have mastered the art of curating the perfect pieces that come together as polished looks. Boasting fashion-forward items like fur vests, sneakers that can be dressed up or down, jumpsuits and joggers that go day to night, and more — they all llive up to the tag lines.
Their origin story begins with a friendship, which we feel is a good place to start any journey. “Beth and I met at a Bayside parent night when she’d just moved here from Kentucky,” Jody recalls. “We had a tremendous amount in common with kids in the same grades, and our friendship grew from there. Our husbands became fast friends, too, and our families enjoy spending time together.” Adding in their combined skillsets equaled a successful business. With their friendship, love for their community, and the skills to make it all work, this duo decided to open 7 South. Jody confesses, “I had thoughts of opening a store in Fairhope but was reluctant to do it on my own. One night, Beth shared with me that she wanted to work closer to home, as she was still going to Kentucky to work events, so I brought up opening a store together and she was immediately interested. I was excited to partner with Beth because of her successful event-planning business and I knew our partnership would allow us time to be moms and wives, since our families are our first priority.”
The idea? “We both felt Fairhope needed a store that combined fitness, athleisure, and other good casual clothing. Beth and I wanted to open a store that offered the types of things we wore on an almost daily basis, and we did,” Jody says. “At that time, Fairhope didn’t have a casual menswear store andI felt we could fill that gap. Also, Chris, the kids, and I had developed the Old Point Clear Brand and wanted to merchandise it. We only had t-shirts and hats, but it’s since grown into other apparel items.”
If it’s variety you’re craving, both men and women are in luck. 7 South carries an extensive list of enviable lines too long to name here, but a few standouts are calling our name. For women, a chic new brand of bags, Think Roylin, has a 3-in-1 with straps that change out from chain to crossbody nylon, making it easy to go from day to night.Anything from Varley (the luxury workout and activewear line with fantastic prints and fabrics) looks great anywhere, too.Koral’s Lustrous leggings and one of their Netz tanks look great together and would make a great gift, Beth tells us. For men, Riomar loafers are the very definition of versatile — think stylish leather and waterproof — and Onward Reserve’s Performance button-downs combine the comfort of fishing shirt material with traditional styling. Perfect for this climate, they’ll be on our shopping list as well.
Along with running the store, both Jody and Beth consider it an honor to support various local charities and organizations.They regularly offer financial support and merchandise to local benefits and auctions, also donating items to local charities, but what sets them apart is their determination to find socially and environmentally responsible brands. ”For example, we have a sunglass brand called Diff that donates reading glasses to someone in need for every pair sold,” Jody says. “We also have a leather and jewelry line that employs women who’ve overcome extreme hardships and atrocities, both domestically and abroad,” Beth adds. “Their platform is to empower women through teaching them a skill that will help them find employment. We purposely buy brands that are made in the USA and/or give portions of their sales to ocean cleanup and use fabrics that help in this goal.” Finding as many of these purpose-driven companies as possible is one of the main goals of their business model, and we love them for it.
7 S. Section St.Fairhope, AL
251.270.72987
This post has been slightly modified for the web. Read the original article in the December 2021 issue of ACCESS Magazine.
Makeup by Courtney Matthews Makeup Artistry, Cocokat1978@gmail.com Hair by Felisha Allen, Identity Salon, 251.478.2409
