Below is a article from Exodus Magazine of Samford University in Birmingham, AL written about The Briary

Photographs by SARAH BRYAN

Story by Jordan Sowards

Put this in your pipe and smoke it.

It is as though the place was constructed from the fabric of a memory of a grandfather, inspiring immediate feelings of nostalgia and comfort. 

Established in 1974, The Briary has long passed the life expectancy of such charming small businesses; the kind that everyone roots for while shaking their heads in pity at its impending doom.  Proprietor Skip Elliott defied small business conventions to establish The Briary as a familiar fixture during its 30 year tenure in Homewood.

The Briary was originally part of the Tinder Box tobacconist franchise that Elliott and his parents opened in Brookwood Village mall.  It remained there until relocating in 2000 to a now 105-year-old farmhouse, located at 609 Oak Grove Road in Homewood.  "I don't know which is better," Elliott says, " getting rid of (the franchise) or getting out of the mall."  Upon entering The Briary, it is nearly impossible to imagine such an establishment ever having been located in a mall.

Closing the front door from the creaky wooden porch out front, visitors are immediately met with a subtle bouquet of various flavored tobaccos and pine.  The tinkling doorbell fades as customers are greeted by Elliott, smiling, bearded and friendly; or by a jolly, bespectacled store manager John McCulloch, who has worked at The Briary with Elliott since Elliott's parents retired in 1984. 

The interior of the house inspires the sort of aesthetic warmth that even homes cannot.  The room is constructed of brilliant hart pine from the floor to its 14-foot ceilings.  Elliott's hundreds of briar pipes lay polished in antique display cases with individual drawers that slide in and out independently, as they were originally built for dress shirts in a men's clothier.  The pipes lie glinting in their cases under the gently lighting of the main room (There is not a fluorescent bulb to be found in the place.)  This room's many displays of craftsmanship captivates its visitors, but it is only a matter of time before their attention is stolen by an outburst of hearty laughter from the adjoining room.

This other room is different.  Lit by table and floor lamps, and by orange dusk spilling through the windows, it is not as bright as the main room.  It is also elegantly furnished with overstuffed leather couches, a coffee table, an area rug, crowded bookshelves, framed pictures and vintage posters.  On any given business day, friends and patrons of Elliott's gather in this "smoking room" to commune in fellowship, discussion and debate. 

The clientele here is a melting pot of various professions and socio-economic backgrounds.  Attorneys, construction workers, students, professors, ministers, retirees, machinists, artists, landscapers and accountants come to sit and relax.  Men are dressed in expensive suits and loafers or T-shirts and jeans, and range in age from 19 to their early 60s.  The topic of discussion moves seamlessly from the film The Passion of the Christ, to conversations-interrupting cell phones, to two of the men's recent trip to New York City.  (Another man affectionately refers to it as the figurative equivalent of "dragging a dead skunk through a rose garden.") 

The tremendous sense of community felt in the room extends beyond the walls of this favorite hangout.  These men frequently have dinner together or attend a movie as a group.  Elliott says the fraternal camaraderie and dynamic of this room is "one of the most very special aspects of The Briary."

Even when The Briary existed as a crowded "corridor" in Brookwood Village mall, as Elliott recalls, there would always be a friendly group occupying the precious few square feet of the old storefront, leaving little room for shoppers.  "This is a place where people enjoy going to just sit around and shoot the bull with their friends," Elliott says.  The desire to accommodate this sort of genial social gathering for his customers was on the forefront of Elliott's mind in 1999 when he began to shop around for a new location to house his business.  Through a series of serendipitous events, Elliott purchased the unkempt farmhouse from the owners of an antique store originally located there.

The location couldn't have been more perfect," Elliott says.  He worked tirelessly to restore the house to its current luster.  The cost of renovating the farmhouse was about half of what it would have cost Elliott to stay in the mall, perhaps sandwiched between such citadels of retail as Hollister & Co. and Wet Seal.  Somehow, the though of that setup doesn't ring with the same homey appeal of The Briary's current settings. 

The Briary boasts a list of qualities that separate it from other tobacconist and make it unique.  Elliott makes and sells some of his own pipes which have sold for as much as $700.  The Briary is the exclusive North American distributor and wholesaler for famous Italian pipe maker Claudio Cavicchi, whose pipes sell for anywhere between $119 and $995.  The store custom-blends its tobaccos for many customers and also manages a significant internet mail-order business.  The Briary is also different from any other business in Homewood because in the farmhouse's backyard stands one of only two outhouses remaining in the city. 

Perhaps the individuality of this business is the very reason it has continued to thrive despite all the odds against it.  Patron of The Briary since 1978, Bob Lee says "Pipes and cigars have a long history of bringing people together."  Obviously for Lee and many other loyal customers, Elliott has provided a place for these reunions to happen.