Words JENNIFER KORNEGAY Photos 1-4 JON KOHN Photos 5 CONTRIBUTED
THE OVERALL COMPANY POpsicles, Artwork and music in opelika
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“Why do you make what you make?” It’s the obvious first question in an interview with an artist, a designer, a chef, a maker. Ali Maloney and Laura Pritchard’s answers to “Why do y’all make popsicles?” were refreshingly simple: “I love them,” Laura said. “And who doesn’t?” Ali chimed in. The frozen slabs of goodness on a stick made fresh daily by The Overall Company that Ali and Laura own with their husbands Ty and Jay in Opelika are equally simple and refreshing. Simple because most are made with less than five all-natural ingredients, many of which are locally sourced, like the deep-green sugar baby watermelons Ali had just brought in from a farmers market. Refreshing because they provide a tasty, rapidcool rescue when faced with one of those Southern summer days that threatens to melt your nail polish off. But the Overall Company is about a lot more than popsicles. In a recent chat with Laura, Jay and Ali, the friends explained what inspired them to start the business last August. “We’re building a community here,” Jay said. “The whole vision involves highlighting and celebrating Southern music, food and culture.” The corner building in Opelika’s downtown was once an actual overall-producing company, so the name pays homage to the structure’s “making” past. The décor is a collection of antique stools; vintage posters and signs; colorful, whimsical murals; comfy couches and chairs; and a funky found-metal sculpture that would be completely chaotic if not so perfectly placed in the large open interior (with aged wood and exposed brick from floor to soaring ceiling) to form unique spaces, spaces Jay hopes will inspire others to get creative. “It’s just stuff we love,” he said. “But this place as a whole is a creative hub for the people here, a center for them to gather and swap ideas. We want it to be ‘our place’ for people, where they come all the time to think and talk.” And they can brainstorm on a full stomach, thanks to the other edibles the Overall Company makes in addition to its pops: goodies like biscuits, bread pudding, their signature pimento cheese, muffins, sandwiches and other treats. Artisanal coffees, 12
MADEPAPER.COM • AUGUST 2013
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wines and a wide selection of craft beers including many from Alabama are on hand for whistle wetting, including drinks named after the regulars Jay is thrilled to welcome back time and time again. “We focus on simple Southern foods and locally made or grown products,” he said. The Overall Company also features live music and has an upstairs gallery space that hosts rotating exhibits of local art. There’s even a rooftop terrace. It’s a lot to talk about. But since it’s the middle of summer’s swelter, the conversation turned back to the pops pretty quickly, and Ali shared why she’s passionate about making them. “We can be so creative with them; the options are endless, and we’ve got these really healthy versions and then some that are more like a rich dessert, a little indulgent,” she said. And customers can be creative too, customizing their pop by giving it a dip in an array of chocolates or peanut butter and then rolling it in sprinkles, nuts or cookie crumbles. Varieties like the sweet-tart lemonade-basil, strawberries ‘n cream and raspberrychocolate are popular with The Overall Company’s customers. Jay opts for the coconut pop dipped in chocolate, and Laura most often craves the chocolate hazelnut pop dipped in peanut butter. Ali’s usual stands in stark contrast to the delicious simplicity of the pops she makes; it’s so complex, she rarely reveals the entire process. “When customers ask me what I like, I don’t actually admit it because it’s just so much,” she said. So, when you visit The Overall Company, make Ali smile by ordering her formerly secret, four-step favorite: a chocolate hazelnut pop dipped in white chocolate and peanut butter and rolled in Butter Finger on one side and Heath bar on the other. Then, grab a seat in one of the cozy chairs and while you savor every lick and bite, maybe you can find a muse amid the many layers of flavor and discover what your mind can make. The Overall Company, 1001 Avenue B, Opelika, AL 36801 T: 334 742 0100 www.overallco.com