Yes, Alabama's Pants Store Sells More than Pants

Courtesy of the Pants Store

When I first moved to Birmingham, Alabama, from Virginia six years ago, I found myself bewildered by and in awe of three things: white barbecue sauce; the use of "Roll Tide" or "War Eagle" as a greeting; and the Pants Store, a shop I presumed sold pants and pants alone. A few months into living here, around the same time that I pledged loyalty to mayonnaise-based barbecue sauce and the Crimson Tide, I learned what the locals already knew: the Pants Store does, in fact, sell more than pants.

But it hasn't always been that way. According to the Pants Store website, founder Taylor Gee got his start selling pants out of the trunk of his Mercury in 1950. From there, people began shopping his Leeds, Alabama, warehouse, which was filled with bins of pants, and dubbed his place "The Pants Store."

Even as the years passed and the inventory diversified, the name stuck, and the store's presence expanded across the state. Today, there are five Pants Store locations in Alabama (Mountain Brook, Trussville, Leeds, Huntsville, and Tuscaloosa), plus you can shop online at pantsstore.com. But no matter where you're browsing, they've got something for everybody.

It's a veritable one-stop shop: The Pants Store can dress every member of the family from head to toe (shoes and accessories included, of course); and brands run the gamut, from old favorites like Levi's to more contemporary Southern brands like Fish Hippie and Spanx. They also sell an assortment of other sundries, like stainless steel water bottles and satin pillowcases, and carry an impressive lineup of game-day gear, like branded polo shirts and stadium-approved clear purses.

In other words, you can find everything you need, everything you want, and then some at the Pants Store—assuming, of course, that you're not a Georgia fan. You won't find Dawg gear here.

WATCH: Auburn, Alabama, Is Creating a Winning Food Scene–And You Should Visit Now