280 Living
December 2016 | Volume 10 | Issue 4
neighborly news & entertainment
lights that
unite ‘Clark Griswold of Chelsea’ brings holiday cheer through Christmas light display By ERICA TECHO
A
nyone driving down County Road 39 during the holiday season knows Rick Cloutier’s house. It’s the one with tens of thousands of Christmas lights and a display of inflatables in the front yard. “I popped a lot of breakers when we first started here,” said Cloutier, a Chelsea resident. “We had to add more power to the house.” Christmas decorating starts in October at the Cloutier house — July if you count the planning and shopping at light and decorations sales. Each
See LIGHTS | page A31
Rick Cloutier and his family, top, put up more than 30,000 Christmas lights and other lawn decorations each year at their Chelsea home. Photos by Erica Techo and Sarah Finnegan.
Retiring from retail: Rogers Trading closing
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By ERICA TECHO
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A Lasting Love After unexpected passing of beloved elementary teacher, friends, colleagues and family recall Maggie Russell’s impact on community.
See page B12
Rogers Trading Company has been on a journey through the last 70 years. It has moved from Second Avenue to First Avenue in downtown Birmingham, traveled down U.S. 280 behind Full Moon BBQ to its current — and final — location behind Logan’s Roadhouse. And now, after 70 years in the metro Birmingham area, Rogers Trading Company is closing its doors. “This is not a bankruptcy sale. At the end of the day, it’s just time to go,” owner Lee Rogoff said. “I’ve got two grandkids, and I want to spend time with them.”
Rogers Trading Company owner Lee Rogoff sits inside the store’s mascot 1953 Jeep Willys on Nov. 14. Photo by Sydney Cromwell.
The store’s retirement sale kicked off Nov. 17, just shy of the 10-year mark on Resource Center Parkway. The sale will continue for an indefinite amount of time, Rogoff said, which is one of the benefits of owning the store’s building.
See ROGERS | page A30