POWERGRAMS

26 Alabama our home," she says. Ahulani is a Hawaii native who has brought a taste of the islands to the South. Her Coconut Girl Café opened on Feb. 1 and was the first in the Shops of Columbiana. She serves her "famous" teriyaki chicken sandwiches, soups, salads and smoothies topped with a warm "aloha" for each customer. The success of Coconut Girl has made it easier for Szafranski and Smith, who both say customers of each shop spill over into the other businesses. Ahulani and her retired Marine husband had lived in Alabaster for three years searching for the perfect place to open her business after moving to the mainland. They settled on Columbiana, in part, because it reminds her of her hometown, Hilo, except she can't see the Pacific Ocean from her new home. Staying in the right frame of mind A Main Street fixture for nearly three decades, Busy Hands Framing & Gifts is something of a Wizard of Oz operation, with Linda Cook manning the store and her husband doing the handiwork behind the scenes. Richard Cook was a longtime Columbiana Office manager and Alabama Power employee before retiring 10 years ago. Linda's late father, Bill Mattison, was lead lineman in Reform before he retired. She continues with what is one of Columbiana's longest-running businesses. Busy Hands got its start when Richard managed the Aliceville Office and helped two young women get their picture frame business off the ground. They eventually gave it up and the Cooks took it on together for three years before transferring to Columbiana. After 10 years, the business outgrew its downtown corner store, so they moved to the current larger location at 202 Main St. A steady flow of customers walks across the 120-year-old pine floors far beneath the high wood-plank ceiling, as they look at original paintings and prints, candles, metal dinnerware and sundries. City Councilman Leslie Whiting returns an item on his lunch break from the Post Office but ends up buying something else that catches his eye on the way out. He is among the frequent return buyers the Cooks depend on. Although Busy Hands is packed with potential gifts, it's the work of Richard that is the store's mainstay. He cuts and builds all of the custom frames in a huge workshop at their house near Lay Lake, then transports them the 10 miles to Main Street. His lifelong hobby of woodworking has proved valuable in retirement. "I should be retired but I love it," says Linda. "I love Columbiana. It's a neat little town." Coconut Girl Cafe offers sandwiches, smoothies. Shops of Columbiana Busy Hands is second-oldest business on Main Street.

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