More Than 90 businesses, one downtown Huntsville address

For Aaron Hase and his family, downtown Huntsville is more than a popular retail and dining destination; it is a third-generation family affair. Formerly known as Clinton Row Shops, Clinton Row Market is a mixed-use space that holds retail, office, and storage space.

Hase said his grandfather had owned the Clinton Row building since the late 1990s and established the retail concept in 2014.

After his grandfather died in 2024, the larger family inherited and managed the business for about a year. Hase and his wife, Shannon, purchased it from the family in 2025 and renamed it Clinton Row Market.

Part of the market’s appeal is its constantly changing collection of stores. Businesses frequently move into larger, smaller, or different spaces within the building as their needs change.

“It’s interesting because even if you walked through, let’s say, three months ago, it’d be completely different today because it’s always evolving,” Hase said.

Vintage clothing and video games are currently popular, along with romance books, comic books, Magic: The Gathering products, and Pokémon cards. Hase jokingly described the trend as Clinton Row’s “nerd moment.”

“We want to keep it interesting, with creative, new, fun businesses that you’re not going to find at other places around town necessarily,” Hase said.

Events also bring shoppers into the market. In August, Clinton Row businesses collaborated on a night market that attracted young adults and families.

“Night market was huge. You could barely walk through the halls,” Hase said.

The event’s success was partly driven by tenants promoting it through their social media accounts. 

Clinton Row’s variety of stores also makes it accessible to families with different interests.

“We get a lot of families. You can walk through with a stroller. Mom can go shopping here. Dad can buy Pokémon cards, the kids can buy vintage video games, and there’s custom jewelry. There’s just a little bit for everybody,” Hase said.

At press time, Clinton Row was planning a family-oriented event around Halloween, although details had not yet been announced. Hase said Black Friday and Small Business Saturday would be the market’s next major events.

Beyond existing as a unique shopping experience, Clinton Row serves as what Hase calls a “small-business incubator.”

Traditional office and retail leases can require three-or five-year commitments and high upfront costs. At Clinton Row, however, most tenants lease their spaces month to month. This flexible arrangement lets entrepreneurs test an idea without taking on the financial risk of a long-term lease.

“I think that’s one of the things that hurts a lot of people when they’re trying to start a business; you go, you want to sign an office or a retail lease somewhere, and they’re like, oh, that’s going to be three or five years. It’s a triple net lease,” Hase said.

Hase continued, “Most people don’t even know what that means, but it’s very overwhelming, the financial outlay that you’ve got to put yourself on the line for.”

When a business does well, it can move into a larger space without leaving the market. Clinton Row gives existing tenants priority when its larger spaces become available.

Hase said several businesses have used that model to expand. In Bloom began in a small space before becoming one of the market’s anchor tenants. One Man’s Vintage started in a small second-floor location, later moving into the back hallway and then later into a larger storefront.

Huntsville Hobby, also known as “the Pokémon Guys”, more than doubled its space within its first few months at Clinton Row and is now one of the building’s most popular stores. 

Blushing Books, which Hase says is Alabama’s only romance bookstore, has also developed a strong following.

The market’s tenants contribute to one another’s growth through mentorship, social media promotion, and informal groups in which owners exchange business practices and plan collaborative events.

“You’re sharing your 20,000 followers with their 30,000, and it’s helping you find different audiences and a lot of best practices. We’ve got little groups that meet together that are business owners here,” Hase said.

More established retailers in the market may also mentor newer owners in similar industries. 

For Clinton Row, that culture of collaboration is an important consideration when the company chooses tenants. 

Hase said Clinton Row is a small family, a place where hopeful entrepreneurs can thrive. 

Spaces in different sizes and at different price points are available, along with a community willing to help a new business grow.

“If someone’s looking to start a small business, we’d love to talk to them. There are different sizes and price points for everybody. This is a good place to come try out your business, grow it around like-minded people that are going to help you and have fun,” Hase said.