GROVES — Adorned in Grace and Love Boutique upgraded from a Facebook page business to a storefront on Lincoln Avenue in Groves on Jan. 11. When the boutique opened its doors, owner Deidra Lemonis said it was a dream come true.

Adorned in Grace and Love Boutique, 4316 Lincoln Ave., sells custom made outfits and T-shirts for women and children, alongside shoes and accessories.

“We started this business in 2016 on Facebook, that’s where it all started,” Lemonis said. “We were doing pre-ordered sales through Facebook and did it all from home. Finally, I had a lot of people reach out to me and say, ‘Deidra, you need to open a store!’ So I decided to start my search.”

The Port Arthur native said she outgrew her current home confinements two years after launching the site on Facebook, with a nudge from her friends and family she began to look for her dream location.

“Somebody reached out to me about this place on Lincoln Avenue being open and available,” she said. ““We knew we always wanted to be in Groves on Lincoln Ave. This just kind of fell into our lap and it was perfect.”

Lemonis’ 4-year-old daughter, Ava Grace Monette-Lemonis, was a huge inspiration behind the boutique and the naming of the store.

“My husband and I have two boys and (Ava) is our only daughter,” Lemonis said. “She kind of inspired us to start a children’s clothing boutique, which is actually named after her.”

Ava’s initials, A.G.L., represent the lettering for the boutique — Adorned in Grace and Love.

Ava is also a brand rep for the clothing store, which includes many items designed and custom made by Lemonis. She said her love for designing clothes started many years ago while she was learning to embroider alongside her mother, Estelle Richard.

“My mother and I started an embroidery business in 2011,” she said. “She just recently passed a year ago, but her and I started this business and launched from home.

“Then I got this idea to expand and see what else we can offer. She started sewing handmade outfits. We started doing research and I found a manufacturer overseas to help me put together these outfits I designed. That’s how we started, so a lot of the things you’ll see in the store are hand designed by me, and a large part of opening the store has been to honor my mother.”

While the store currently sells clothes mostly for women and girls, Lemonis said she is in the works of launching a line of home good products and décor next week as well as expanding the boutique to include boys clothing.

The 33-year-old said the response from the community since the boutique’s opening has been spectacular. Lemonis said she is excited about the store’s future and wants to encourage the public to check out the store and shop local.

“I have always been one who has shopped local — Nederland, Groves, Port Neches,” she said. “I think it’s really important for everyone to shop local because you can get that one-on-one experience. You can see the items in the store. You can try them on, whereas if you go online it’s hard to judge all that.

“I love having the one-on-one time with my customers. I love seeing everybody who comes in here and stops and chats. It’s really enjoyable and I can’t wait to see what the future brings.”

For more information or to request a customizable outfit idea, visit Adorned in Grace and Love Boutique on Facebook.