swank 35223 is a boutique offering trendy fashion. Retail is the family business for Dees, a Philadelphia, Mississippi native. She grew up working at Williams Brothers, a general store owned by her grandmother and her grandmother's late brother - who was the grandfather of football stars Peyton and Eli Manning. "I remember Eli would sack groceries, and I would be selling shoes at the same time,' says Dees, who earned a degree in fashion merchandising from Ole Miss. After her 2003 graduation, she was hired as an assistant buyer at Saks in Birmingham.

After two years at Saks, Dees was ready for a change. She had dreamed for years of opening her own clothing store. "I took off a year and traveled and played and just sort of gathered my thoughts and decided what really I wanted to do." The end result was swank 35223.

Dees travels to markets in New York City, Los Angeles and London in search of clothes that aren't available anywhere else in town. She's reluctant to reveal many secrets but points out that travel is key. "It's all about traveling and watching. Fashion changes every day. Every week there is something new, and out, and coming, something that some celebrity has worn that you have got to get.""

Dees is on the road one week of every month, keeping an eye on what's new and searching for up-and-coming designers.

Open Monday - Saturday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

2732 cahaba road
mountain brook, alabama 35223
call us at 205-871-2324