Somewhere near Detroit, Michigan, there once lived an Italian grandmother named, Concetta. She stood approximately five feet tall and wore size six shoes. In 1948, when she was just 9 years old, she and her family left Italy for the United States. At the age of twenty, Concetta married Vincenzo Mariani, an Italian American carpenter, who had moved from Italy to the United States on his own when he was sixteen years old. The beautiful married couple brought five healthy children into the world and eventually 12 grandchildren followed. In 2019, the first great-grandchild, Madelyn, was born, prior to Vincenzo and Concetta going home to be with our Lord Jesus in February of 2020 and December of 2021. Concetta is fondly remembered for how she loved to cook; loved to eat; and loved to feed her family. No one was allowed to leave her house without a big To-Go plate of food in tow, plus an additional bag of various items to take home. At family gatherings, Concetta would make sure of it that every belly was stuffed full, even to the point of immobility. On one ordinary afternoon, Concetta’s eldest granddaughter, Christina, was reading “The 5 Love Languages,” by Gary Chapman, when she nearly fell out of her seat, so moved by a clear epiphany: “Grandma Mariani’s primary (speaking) love languages was Gift Giving!” “Duh!” Christina exclaimed to herself. Amidst a family of mostly “Quality Timers,” this brand-new perspective brought increased clarity & understanding to various family personalities, needs & dynamics. Special occasions had always been a big deal to Grandma Mariani, and not solely due to the quality family time that they ensured. She put a great deal of effort into finding the perfect gift for each one of her five children & 12 grandchildren, every single birthday & Christmas season. Even when her shopping days were long gone, Concetta would still sneak envelopes of money into the hands of her loved ones, every occasion that she could find. Ironically enough, Concetta, herself, was nearly impossible to shop for, and any human being who could find the right gift for her- an item that would not be returned to the store the very next day- became highly regarded in the family as someone who possessed special superpowers (i.e. Aunt Janel) and was quickly perceived to be an angel sent by God to help save the rest of exasperated shoppers in the family. Concetta’s extreme pickiness may have been largely misunderstood by the family. She was one-of-a-kind in that she often seemed to know what she wanted; the only problem was that the item typically did not exist in stores or online at the time. I, Christina Mariani Engle, was born with the same Concetta genes: I greatly enjoy gift-giving, but if you buy me anything, there is a 99.99% chance that it will be returned or re-gifted, expeditiously. Nearly every single item that I desire in life has already been custom designed in my head and rarely can it be found online or in stores. Even still, I will search until I find it, regardless of how small the needle in the haystack is… (I am a huntress feminine archetype & treasure hunter; to me, the hunt is as equally cherished as the desired item, itself.) In the cases where the item does not exist, then I, or someone close to me will create it. There is a high probability that it may even end up for sale in this shop. As it takes one to know one, it has become very clear to me in recent years that Grandma Concetta Mariani was a designer at heart. She had her own sense of style, and obviously she needed all of her clothing and household items custom-made.; there is nothing better than this. Neither of us will settle for something that we do not want, nor for something that we only sort of like and we feel absolutely no pressure to buy anything out of convenience, simply because it is in stores. My newlywed husband, Joshua Engle, is a carpenter who has been living on his own since he was 16 years old. He started his own construction company prior to the age of 18 and his personality is strikingly similar to that of Vincenzo Mariani’s. This small & humble boutique is greatly inspired by the beautiful marriage, as well as the unique personalities of Vincenzo & Concetta Mariani. With both of their heavenly stamps of approval on each item, this shop will continue to be filled with only the highest quality goods. From handmade gifts to original art, to custom clothing items, accessories & home goods, each item is handpicked, handmade and proudly displayed for sale as one of Christina's many collected treasures. May you and your loved ones find great success here in finding the perfect gift to help you celebrate each one of life’s special occasions. Happy Shopping!