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Renew
Summer 2026—February 2027
2026 SFA Film Residency, with multi-city in-person experiences and monthly virtual workshops ⟶

Oral Histories

The SFA oral history program documents life stories from the American South. Collecting these stories, we honor the people whose labor defines the region. If you would like to contribute to SFA’s oral history collections, please send your ideas for oral history along with your CV or Resume and a portfolio of prior oral history work to info@southernfoodways.org.

< Back to Oral History project: Birmingham’s Central Business District

ORAL HISTORY

Joe Phelps

Pilcrow Cocktail Cellar

Growing up in West Virginia, Joe Phelps always dreamed of owning a bar. He first moved to Alabama in the early 2000s to attend Birmingham Southern College where he enjoyed studying local history. Following college, he obtained a master’s in computer forensics at UAB. Throughout college and graduate school, Phelps worked in local restaurants and bartended in his free time. A job in computer forensics took him to Tacoma, Washington, for several years following graduation. However, a fateful telephone call with a college friend alerted him to a unique opportunity that would ultimately lead him back to Alabama. In 2018 he returned to the Magic City to open Pilcrow Cocktail Cellar located in the basement of Founders Station on First Avenue North.

Date of interview:
2021-11-11

Interviewer:
Michelle Little

Photographer:
Cary Norton

Download Transcript

“

“...When you come down those stairs, you don’t know where [you are] - you could be anywhere, any time. Funny enough, Blade Runner was kind of an inspiration. So we wanted to meld centuries, decades, and come out with something that was pretty unique and people would remember.” - Joe Phelps

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The Southern Foodways Alliance drives a more progressive future by leading conversations that challenge existing constructs, shape perspectives, and foster meaningful discussions. We reconsider the past with research, scrutiny, and documentation.

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