“We have always loved finding and browsing through antique shops, checking out the latest trends in home décor, and growing and learning about new plants together,” the store’s website reads. “This sparked the idea of opening a boutique to combine all the things we love doing together.”
The couple transformed an old communications office building into a “unique and rustic boutique.”
“We thought, ‘What does Englewood need?’ And we realized the only places to buy gifts are at the big corporations, like Walmart or Meijer,” Toni said last week. “There is Log Cabin Comforts down the street, but they’re a bit different than us and offer a lot of antiques, while we specialize in a little of everything.”
Toni, formerly employed by a regional medical network, and Jeff, a framing contractor, combine wholesale purchases along with handmade merchandise to assemble their unique stock of offerings.
“We have everything from home decor to house plants, kitchen essentials, a men’s line of soap, goat milk soy candles, and a baby line,” Toni said. “My husband makes a lot of our items, too.”
Some of the shop’s most popular merchandise is crafted by Jeff, Toni said.
“He makes items for every season using barn wood. Things like decorative rabbits, Christmas trees, birdhouses, and wall hangings have been really popular,” she said.
An updated list of the shop’s current inventory is available on the website at www.rusticandrooted.net.
Toni said the community response to the business has been positive and welcoming.
“The Christmas season was fantastic; we had so much support from the community, and things are starting to pick up again this season,” she said. “The response has been so positive and wonderful.”
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