06/14/2026
Pam Willingham – The Heart and Soul of The Shop Around the Corner
In the heart of Cullman, Alabama, there’s a colorful little world where creativity isn’t just encouraged, it’s practically bouncing off the walls. That world belongs to Pam Willingham and her beloved shop, The Shop Around the Corner.
Pam didn’t set out to build a local art community; she just really loved to draw. As a fourth grader stuck in a hospital bed for three months with a broken leg, boredom became her best teacher. With a sketchpad and whatever she could see out the window or down the hall, Pam discovered her gift.
That early spark never faded. When her husband Tony proposed, Pam had one condition: art classes first. True to his word, Tony found her a teacher, local artist John Sachs. Pam eventually started teaching children’s classes herself and the Cullman City Board of Education even tapped her to lead enrichment programs at the high school. But her real passion? Watching kids light up with possibility.
Shortly after 9/11, Pam went all-in on what she loved and bought the building for a dress shop with a side of art. Today, The Shop Around the Corner is part art gallery, part joyful chaos factory, and home to one of Cullman’s most popular after-school programs. Parents drop their kids off knowing they’ll be safe, happy, and maybe even a little inspired. Pam and her team hop on the bus, pick up students from city schools, and bring them to a wonderland of art supplies, dress-up corners, puppet theaters, building blocks, and fenced-in play areas complete with a creek and trees. Phones and screens are banned, “Kids need to be bored sometimes,” Pam says with a grin. “That’s when they create.”
The program serves ages 5–12, and Pam has a special soft spot for the little ones. “They’re natural artists. Hand them a brush and they never say, ‘I can’t.’ They just go for it.” Older kids get more structured classes, and everyone rotates between free play, snacks, movies, and sit-down art time.
Pam draws inspiration from her own life and travels, encouraging students to paint what they see, grandpa’s barn, a beach sunset, or that camel from Egypt, rather than copying someone else’s work. She credits early encouragement from local legend Dot Graf (whose book “If Walls Could Talk” is a Cullman treasure) for showing her that everyday scenes can become art.
At this stage, Pam’s mornings are for painting, afternoons for kids, and the business has evolved into something beautiful: a paid-off building, a steady rhythm, and the freedom to do what she loves. “I always wanted a gallery,” she says. “I just didn’t know it would come with school buses and puppet shows!” She laughs.
The community has noticed. Pam has earned “Best of the Best” honors in the Cullman Shoppers Guide more than once, a recognition that means the world to this hometown artist. “That really meant a lot to me because it’s my hometown,” she says.
If you’re in Cullman and haven’t stopped by The Shop Around the Corner yet, do yourself a favor. You might find Pam working on a new commission, kids racing around the play yard, or a fresh batch of pottery masterpieces drying on the shelves. Either way, you’ll leave reminded that art isn’t just something pretty on a wall. Bravo, Pam. Cullman is brighter because of you.
MCTV Reporter: Tiffany McKoy
