Christmas Presents From The Past

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Roseanna Borelli is a California native. She moved to our state with her parents 25 years ago and brought with her a dream. Today that dream is being realized in Downtown Bessemer at a place called The Paisley Pig. The building itself is part of the history of the city, combining new ideas with an old-fashioned feel.

“This was a dream to have a shop like this. I didn’t know it would be in Bessemer, Alabama but here I am,” explains Roseanna. “This is my happy place. It’s become a happy place for so many other people and especially at Christmas time.”

She explains what visitors can expect in her shop, “One customer came in a said shopping at Paisley Pig was like an experience. You don’t just come in to pick up a lamp or a new blouse. It’s just, you make a memory when you’re here. We have twenty-eight vendors and from candles to farmhouse furniture to boutique clothes. One of my customers said if you can’t find it at Paisley Pig it probably doesn’t exist. "

What does exist here, according to Roseanna, is a ghost named Maxine who’s been here since The Twenties. Although Maxine chose not to make an appearance during our visit, there is certainly some old time Christmas magic here.

Bessemer Mayor Kenneth Gulley says Roseanna and the Paisley Pig are perfect for Bessemer, “My wife absolutely loves this place. She comes in because it’s one of the only places that she’s seen around the City of Bessemer where you come in and buy some antique, original looking things that you just don’t see everywhere else. I love when I see individuals come in and see what I see that Bessemer is a great place to live and do business.”

“We’re very hospitable and we’re very, very welcoming. So, when you come, you just become family,” the Mayor adds with a smile.

Roseanna agrees The Paisley Pig is a special place, “I just wanted it to be something for everybody and not just, OK, I’m looking for farmhouse furniture, I’m going to go to Paisley Pig. No. If you come to Paisley Pig, you don’t ever know what you’re going to find. We change it all the time and that’s kind of what we’re known for. We have customers that come in monthly that one of the first things they say is, Oh my gosh. It doesn’t look like the same store that it was last month, and I love that.”

“There’s just a lot of history and the vibe here is so, it’s unlike any other place I’ve been. I’m not just saying that because it’s my shop and we have a ghost!”

It is an experience, kind of like The Ghost of Christmas Past and it is Absolutely Alabama.

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