BAREFIELD’S: Former City Councilman and Madison City Schools teacher opens fine clothing store to give back to the community
As a former city councilman and a Madison City Schools teacher, the Seiferts have always prioritized serving their community. Opening Barefields Fine Clothing in the Robert P. Cain Mercantile Building in downtown Madison is another way they give back.
The journey to opening Barefields can only be described as “life happens.” In December 2023, Heather was diagnosed with heart failure. With her main artery blocked 100% and others at 95%, she underwent a double bypass surgery. A year later, doctors installed a pacemaker defibrillator.
“It’s a miracle because when I got to the hospital, I was told I should have been dead. I had a major heart attack and did not know it. This led to major damage to the bottom of my heart,” Heather said. “While dealing with my diagnosis, I met with a health coach or really more of a life coach. We had actually planned out a boutique focusing on women’s clothes or a gift shop.”
Heather retired from teaching in June of 2024 but remained with the school system until August of 2025. That was when John lost his re-election campaign.
“It was a big shock to our family,” Heather said. “Since we had talked about opening a store, John looked at me and said, ‘Okay, we’ll open the store.”
Opening Barefields was not just a business plan for the Seiferts. It is a tribute to John’s growing-up years in Ozark, Alabama.
“John was raised by his grandparents, and his grandfather was killed in the line of duty when he was nine years old. His grandmother was given a job with the police department giving out parking tickets on the square,” Heather said. “Sometimes John would have to hang out with Mike Barefield, the owner of Barefields, and his then sister-in-law, Sylvia.”
At a young age, Barefields became John’s go-to for clothing needs, a tradition that has continued to this day.
“For the last 10 years, literally, Sylvia would send me photos of clothing. I’d ask, ‘Hey, I need something for this’ or “John needs this.” They always made sure it was altered and sent to us within the next day or two,” Heather said.
The last piece of the puzzle came when John attended an Auburn event where he met Ronnie Williams, the owner of the Robert B. Cain Mercantile building. The event featured former Auburn assistant coach Charles Kelly, who is related to Mike Barefield by marriage.
“When John proposed the store to Ronnie, he was thrilled to hear about the connections,” Heather said. “We just felt it was a way to not only build a community, but the business is a way to develop more relationships with people in the community.”
With serving the community in mind, the Seiferts designed the store for comfort and fellowship, including a lounge area with a hunt club, golf club, country club aesthetic. Friends and acquaintances donated items to give the lounge area its feel, including signed sports memorabilia from Sonny DiChiara of the Trash Pandas and Auburn’s Carrion Johnson, as well as taxidermy mounts.
“We are big baseball people, so we had Coach Smith and Coach Johnson, who were baseball coaches at both Madison high schools, sign jerseys to display. The neat thing about this is the Patriots jersey was worn by Lemon & Lavender owner Brandy Booth’s son, Brayden, who played at Bob Jones and is currently playing at Mississippi State,” Heather said. “It means a whole lot that our family and friends bought into our dream. They have not only been very supportive but helped us create it as well.”
Heather says they see Barefields as something Madison needed. The store, which debuted with a soft opening in August, offers what she calls “Southern charm” brands for men, including Duck Head, On Reserve, Greyson, Johnnie O and Gen Teal. Men’s clothing offerings range from casual to dress, including suits.
“The area is lacking what I refer to as ‘Southern charm’ or brands from southern companies,” Heather said. “These are brands that John wears and likes, so we know they are quality clothing. I think downtown Madison is the perfect place to offer these brands.”
Since planning and opening Barefields, Heather has learned a variety of new skills. Ordering merchandise, managing shopping trips at the market, learning about men’s clothing and, of course, recognizing what sells well.
“We offer SEC clothing, including Auburn, Alabama, and Tennessee,” Heather said. “I have learned that the Tennessee items have sold better than anywhere else.”
As for the women’s clothing options, Heather starts with her own style, then complements it with items that appeal to a wide range of women. The shelves and racks contain dresses, separates, and accessories that pull a look together, including a vast inventory of the brand Entro.
“The inventory does reflect my style in many ways. I had a former student come in the other day, and she said: “Oh, Mrs. Seifert, this looks just like your closet.” I look to choose things that are very flattering for everybody,” Heather said. “Our women’s clothing serves a more mature audience, but I do plan on carrying things for the younger girls as well.”
In addition to a curated inventory, Barefields offers alterations and tux rentals. Although they have yet to expand the formal wear portion of the business into the upstairs area of the building, Heather says they plan to do so; in the meantime, they will use the space for other events.
“We are planning to use the space to start some women’s groups, host book signings, host bowmaking classes, painting classes, and a multi-age women’s Bible study,” Heather said. “I’m looking at the results of a Main Street survey as well. People want a place to paint and drink wine, so that is an option as well.”
Since opening, Heather says business has grown steadily, and customers are coming in from across North Alabama and southern Tennessee, including Nashville.
“There was an air conditioning repair guy doing some work for us. He completed his job and then appeared again 30 minutes later with his wife and daughter,” Heather said. “I looked at him and said, ‘I thought you lived north of Ardmore? ‘” He actually drove back to get his wife to buy him a Tennessee pullover, so it has been fun seeing where customers are from, and it is rewarding. We’re both big people of faith, and we’re very humbled by what we are experiencing.”
With community at the forefront of their business, the Seiferts are also experiencing the Madison community on the receiving end. Main Street Madison has supported them since the beginning; other Main Street businesses have shared tips, cell numbers, and publicity help.
“Everybody has welcomed us and has been very supportive. They let us know that they will do anything to help us, and we try to do the same for them,” Heather said. “Even some of the owners of the new businesses have stopped in to say hello or brought in balloons. The owners of Posh Mommy sent a plant. It’s like a family.”
Barefields will hold its grand opening Oct. 2 during the annual Madison Street Festival. Heather says they will offer a discount, along with t-shirts for the first 50 customers and koozies for all that visit the store–just another way to give back to the community.
“The main thing is we want to build even more relationships here, and bring something special to Madison. We feel like we are doing that through Barefields,” Heather said. “It is sort of our personality to give back to the community, but also help people feel like they are part of the community, and I think we are offering that too. It could be somebody brand new to living here; they can come in, meet us, and we want it to be like they’ve met their new best friend.
