Meet the women behind Charm on 2nd in Birmingham
Charm on 2nd reflects the personality and passion of its co-owners. (Dennis Washington / Alabama NewsCenter)
When you step into Charm on 2nd, you can feel a strong female presence, both literally and figuratively.
The pops of color, vintage-style décor, carefully curated jewelry and accessories, and oh-so-cool vibes enchant passersby and welcome back loyal customers.
But even more memorable are the shop’s two co-owners, Rachel Bayerle and Nicole Putman, who have put their heart and soul into creating a space that builds community in downtown Birmingham and celebrates the power of women.
“Basically, we just want everyone to feel like this is a safe space for them,” said Putnam, who joined Bayerle in taking ownership of the shop in 2018. “Everyone is welcome, and we are here to support you. … We want the community to know we are here for them.”
Bayerle worked part time for eight years in the shop alongside the original owner, Chatham Hellmers, and regards her as a hero, mentor and big sister.
“She’s really amazing and opened this great place,” Bayerle said. “She’s been a trailblazer entrepreneur in this city when it comes to retail. She’s had several successful stores, and this one was probably her favorite little baby, so she made it go on, which is kind of amazing to pass the torch down.”
Charm on 2nd is a Birmingham retail mix of modern and vintage with a woman’s touch from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
Bayerle recruited Putnam to be a co-owner, and together they embarked on adopting and making the shop their own, where they sell a dazzling collection of locally made and vintage jewelry, accessories and gifts.
“We have an amazing collection of new stuff we get from all over the place, but we also have an incredible vintage collection,” said Bayerle. “And then, we’re also really lucky to have so many local makers, and that’s something we’re definitely focused on, getting more local makers in our shop.”
Bayerle and Putnam said the pandemic has changed their expectations for the future of the store and highlighted how local businesses interact with the community.
“During COVID we’ve kind of built a community with people on Instagram,” said Putnam. “We all have kind of come together, and we’re starting to really see the importance of helping each other because that’s what you have to do. You have to do that anyway, but now it’s more important than ever.”
Bayerle and Putnam work to ensure they support the businesses downtown as well as female-owned businesses throughout Birmingham.
“All the female business owners in town have some sort of connection,” Bayerle said. “When a customer, especially from out of town, shows up here and they’re asking about the city and where they can go, I’m going to send them to other female-owned businesses – for retail but also restaurants. And they do the same for us.”
Bayerle described a customer coming to the store after eating at Shu Shop, a nearby Japanese-style tavern and eatery. The customer had complimented the owner’s necklace, who in turn shared that she had purchased it at Charm on 2nd.
“So it’s just support. It’s a network of support and it really is unlike any other support system I’ve ever had,” she said. “It’s kind of really great!”
Reflecting on Women’s History Month, Putnam said she is looking ahead to what future generations need from female leaders of today.
“I think that they need us to build the foundation for them. It’s our job to not only help our daughters get to that point, but we also have to help our sons understand how important it is to support women and the things that they do, because we haven’t always been treated equally, and being sexist is not cool,” she said. “Women don’t have to play a certain role, and neither do men, and we need to move away from that and just support each other.”
Bayerle also acknowledged the challenges that continue to exist for women.
“Women of color need to be more supported. It’s something I see my friends struggling with hard. I don’t always recognize the issues they’re having, but they’re there, and it’s a hard barrier to cross,” she said. “This is crazy to me, especially in a city that’s supposed to be thriving on diversity, down here, in the actual city.”
Both women recognize that there is much to be celebrated about how far women have come, but there is still so much more to do.
“I think it’s important that we celebrate those women who have fought to get where they are, like Kamala Harris,” the first female and person of color elected vice president. “That is amazing to me. It gives me chills to think about the fact that she is where she is today,” Putnam said.
Bayerle added: “I think it’s a time to reflect on the past, and be like, yeah that’s awesome, but what else now? What’s our next step?”
2329 Second Ave. N., Birmingham, Alabama 35203
205-703-8721
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Throughout March, Alabama NewsCenter is recognizing Alabama women of distinction, past and present, in celebration of Women’s History Month.
