From the Editor
O
n a Sunday afternoon, I headed to Shelby’s restaurant in Pelham. The restaurant wasn’t actually open, but owner Kolbe Mele was kind enough to open its doors for a photo shoot for this issue of Shelby Living. I was joined by our new freelance photographer, Mary Beth Shelton, and Miss Shelby County 2012 Sydnii Todd. We had a great afternoon. Sydnii modeled fashions from local stores, and she and Mary Beth played around in the restaurant, thinking up new scenarios for each outfit. I learned a little bit about Kolbe, Mary Beth and Sydnii that day. Kolbe is a Shelby County native who owns Grey Bar on U.S. 280, but wanted to open another place in west Shelby County. Mary Beth is a professional commercial and wedding photographer who has a gift for fashion shoots, as well. (Seriously, you should thank her when you see this amazing spread. We never could have pulled that off without her direction.) I had heard wonderful things about Sydnii from people across Shelby County, and I was happy to find out all of the kind words were true. A senior at Troy University, Sydnii is studying broadcast journalism and was a joy to work with. In addition to being gorgeous and having legs for miles, she’s polite and really fun. She was game for anything Mary Beth threw her way. It was one of those days that make me really appreciate my job. I made some new friends and found a new restaurant to try. One thing I’ve learned after six months on this job is there’s always something new to discover in Shelby County. If you find something you think the rest of Shelby County should know about, send me an email! I’m always looking for story ideas, and I love hearing from our readers for any reason. Have a wonderful April! l
Katie McDowell, Editor
Katie.McDowell@ShelbyLiving.com
ON THE COVER Miss Shelby County 2012 Sydnii Todd spent the day at Shelby’s restaurant in Pelham for a fashion photo shoot. She is pictured in clothing and jewelry by Chic Boutique in Birmingham.
Cover design: Daniel Holmes Photography: Mary Beth Shelton
SHELBY Living editorial Katie McDowell Amy Jones Wesley Hallman Neal Wagner Christine Boatwright Nicole Loggins ContriBUtors Lisa Phillips Laura Brookhart Angie Brown Corey Nolen Mary Beth Shelton ProdUCtion Daniel Holmes Jamie Sparacino Amy Baldis Jon Goering marketing Matthew Allen Alan Brown Melissa Clark Thomas LaBoone Meagan Mims Diane Fant LaShan Johnson Tracy Jones administration Tim Prince Jan Griffey Mary Jo Eskridge Annie McGilvray Catherine Cousins Shelby Living is published monthly by Shelby County Newspapers Inc., P.O. Box 947, Columbiana, AL 35051. Shelby Living is a registered trademark. All contents herein are the sole property of Shelby County Newspapers Inc. [the Publisher]. No part of this periodical may be reproduced without written permission from the Publisher. Please address all correspondence (including but not limited to letters, story ideas and requests to reprint materials) to: Editor, Shelby Living, P.O. Box 947, Columbiana, AL 35051. Shelby Living is mailed to select households throughout Shelby County, and a limited number of free copies are available at local businesses. Please visit Shelbyliving.com for a list of those locations. Subscriptions are available at a rate of $22 for one year by emailing subscribe@shelbyliving.com, or calling (205) 669-3131, ext. 21. Advertising inquiries may be made by emailing advertise@shelbyliving.com, or by calling (205) 669-3131, ext. 26. March April 2012
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