Articles

Show Some Local Love: Local Vendor Gift Guide

As a small business, we can’t hide how much we love shopping local. It’s not just about finding what you need. It’s about supporting the people and places that make a community feel like home. Each purchase helps to keep your community strong, your neighborhood lively, and your neighbors’ dreams becoming reality. When you choose small businesses, you’re not only giving back to your community; you’re supporting real people. That’s why we curated this gift guide to highlight a small number of the Alabama vendors we carry at Smith’s. Whether you’re welcoming an out-of-town guest or just wanting to shop local, we’ve got you covered. Here’s our Alabama gift guide for supporting local. --------

So I Heard You're Going Through Recruitment

I think I spent the better half of the summer before freshman year planning my recruitment week outfits. While I wanted to look my best (and let's be real, any excuse for shopping is a good excuse), I was really just trying to hide how nervous I was for recruitment. A whole week of meeting hundreds of girls, making new friends, putting my best self forward, all culminating in one bid — one envelope that will change my Samford years.

Two Generations, One Chapter, One Love for Samford

When Lolly Simpson ran home to Chi Omega on bid day, there was no one happier for her than her mom, Amy. Amy Simpson was a Chi Omega during her time as a Bulldog (PC '94). Amy played an active role on campus, both in and outside of her sorority. She served on SGA, Step Sing, Student Recruitment Team, Connections (then called SOS), and even was chosen as Homecoming Queen her senior year. Despite her busy college career, Amy found Chi O to be the source of many of her favorite memories, such as living in the sorority house for 3 years with her best friends...

What I Wish I Knew as a College Freshman

My college experience was one filled with laughter, tears, hugs, cheers, late nights, and a lot of caffeine. It shaped me, challenged me, and grew me. There were many things I learned throughout those four years, but there were also many things I didn't realize I learned until I had crossed that stage and turned my tassel. If I could go back and give freshman Maria some advice, I'd tell her...

Samford Bid Day and Sorority Gifts: A Parent’s Guide

Samford Bid Day is one of the most exciting moments of your daughter’s college career. It’s a celebration at the end of a long, tiring recruitment process and the day she finally gets to run home, meet her sisters, and begin a new chapter. You want your daughter to feel celebrated and loved, whether you’re there to watch her open her bid or you’re cheering her on from far away. That’s why Smith’s Variety offers one-of-a-kind Bid Day packages and recruitment happies, so you can celebrate your daughter no matter where you are!

Girls celebrating their new sorority chapter on Bid Day

Unique Father’s Day Gifts in Birmingham

Between Mother’s Day, graduations, Memorial Day, summer vacation, and the lead up to 4th of July, Father’s Day is quick to get lost in the chaos of the summer heat. Additionally, dads are notoriously impossible to shop for. That’s where Smith’s Variety comes in.

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