BY MICHELLE KEY
PUBLISHER
OPELIKA — What began as a retirement idea for Michael Manning quickly became something much bigger.
Michael and his wife, Jeanne, are the husband-and-wife team behind Manning’s Magnolia Mercantile, a new community-focused marketplace in downtown Opelika featuring local makers, artisans and small businesses.
The idea, Jeanne said, came naturally from their own experience as entrepreneurs.
“Both our families have always been entrepreneurial,” she said. “Michael has always wanted to be a business owner.”
A few years ago, the couple started Continuum Herbals, a faith-based herbal supplier, and began participating in local markets. When Michael’s retirement approached, he began thinking about what he would do with his newfound free time.
“I suggested house cleaning, cooking and laundry but he thought opening a mercantile sounded like more fun,” Jeanne said.
She said Michael had floated several business ideas over the years that she had not embraced, but this one was different.
“He says he had thrown out several business ideas that I hadn’t supported but that I jumped on this one and within a few weeks we were off and running.”
The Mannings said their own experience as local makers helped shape the vision for the mercantile.
“We are a local maker and realize the value in handcrafted and heartfelt products,” Jeanne said.
What they found as they began working toward opening the business was a level of support they had not expected.
“The support that we have received from the city of Opelika, Opelika Main Street, the Chamber and the local citizens has been amazing,” Jeanne said. “We are right where we need to be.”
The mercantile was designed to give local vendors affordable, year-round retail space while also creating a shopping experience where customers can find products they may not see elsewhere.
The Mannings have intentionally sought vendors who offer different types of products.
“Our dream was to have a successful mercantile where vendors felt encouraged and valued,” Jeanne said. “We have put great effort into finding vendors that are unique and uniquely different from each other. Our goal is that no vendor have a direct competitor under our roof.”
Shoppers can find artwork, herbal products, fresh-roasted coffee, jewelry, apparel, dog accessories, cutting boards, note cards, baked goods, boiled peanuts, mushroom seasonings, plants, leather goods, handmade chocolates, knives, embroidered baby items, health and beauty products, wreaths, books, furniture and other items from local vendors.
The location itself was also important to the Mannings.
They chose a building on North Railroad Avenue in downtown Opelika because of its history and character.
“We looked at several options but love the historic aspect of downtown Opelika,” Jeanne said. “Having grown up in an 1820s home, I truly value the old stuff.”
During renovation, the couple worked to preserve as much of the building’s history as possible.
“We have gone to great extreme to preserve the antiquity and the historical value,” Jeanne said.
That effort has included working with the Museum of East Alabama to obtain items connected to the former Opelika Creamery. The Mannings served ice cream in honor of the creamery during the mercantile’s soft opening and even have a candle business planned that will carry a name honoring the old business.
“History is important to us,” Jeanne said.
Just as important, she said, is the sense of community that has already begun to develop inside the store.
“Our vendors spend a lot of time in store and know that this is their store and can spend as much time here getting to know their customer as they would like to spend,” Jeanne said.
She said she has watched vendors help one another, work together and fill gaps for each other.
“I feel such a strong community building when I see vendors partner up to fill a gap for each other and coming together for a common cause,” she said. “I never expected the community that I feel every day that I am there.”
Both Michael and Jeanne bring decades of experience to the business.
Jeanne has more than 30 years of experience in retail management, business operations, administration, customer service, inventory management and organizational leadership. Her early retail management career included developing and operating an employee retail store for Russell Corporation in Scotland, which ultimately expanded to three locations.
She later held leadership and administrative positions with several organizations, including the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services, Family Guidance Center, Lee County District Attorney’s Office, Auburn University, AFLAC and Judicial Correction Services.
Michael brings more than 40 years of mechanical, leadership, maintenance and operations experience. He served in the U.S. Army and Alabama Army National Guard and spent more than 20 years with Glynn Smith Chevrolet before working in school transportation maintenance for Lee County and Phenix City schools.
He retired from the Phenix City School System in June 2026.
The response from prospective vendors has been strong.
“Almost every day I have someone walk in wanting to be a part of the mercantile,” Jeanne said. “I am humbled that I have been able to welcome 99% of them with open arms as they are a perfect fit for what we are creating.”
For the Mannings, success will not be measured only by sales.
“Success for us would look like all vendor space full with unique product in every space,” Jeanne said. “Vendors in community with each other, helping each other and growing together. A community built on common ground. And of course some surplus after the bills are paid.”
Perhaps the biggest transformation is the building itself.
Jeanne said many local residents remember seeing it sit empty for years, and some had been inside before the renovations began.
“People discover a lot of hard work and heart that went in to making this business a place that everyone wants to visit and many just want to be a part of,” she said.
Manning’s Magnolia Mercantile is located at 850 N. Railroad Ave. in Opelika and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with extended hours on event nights.
