One of the big reasons we decided to stop in Greensboro, Alabama (just after Magnolia trees) is the Pie Lab–part humble pie shop, part ambitious social change experiment. Started in Belfast, Maine two years ago by the design collective Project M, the Lab, which opened as a pop-up, has grown into a permanent fixture in this small Alabama town of 3,500.

It’s a hot, sunny day, and a Mason jar of sweet tea has never tasted so good. I tell the woman helping us that we drove all the way from Detroit to visit the Pie Lab, and she walks out from behind the counter to give me a hug. There’s a photo shoot underway in the back, and moveable, reclaimed wood-slab walls are covered with photographs by a local artist in the front. We get two slices of mixed berry pie with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and buy two whole pies for Easter dinner–the mixed berry and a coconut cream. All deliciousness aside, this place is every bit the community center it was intended to be. Folks walk in and out, and it feels like one, big ongoing conversation with different characters floating in and out. We were honored to be a part of it for a small slice of an afternoon. Special thanks to Marvin (below) for being so hospitable, making the most amazing sweet tea, and for having the idea of selling pecans to raise money for GED scholarships.

For more photos from the road, go to the Lincoln-Designtripper site!

[Disclaimer: Ford Motor Company is the paying sponsor of designtripper’s road trip to New Orleans, which also included a Lincoln MKX for the duration of the trip.]