Cartabella Cards & Invitations and Clara K. (A Little Gift Shop) share a modest shop located at 825 Westfield Boulevard in Broad Ripple. Respective owners, Ghega Scolari and Ellen Schwartz, sell a variety of greeting cards, wedding invitations, stationary, artisan jewelry, natural products, silk scarves, hand crafted leather purses and more. They recently described their professional backgrounds and how their long-time friendship included operating a retail business together.

Ghega Scolari has a unique background that has helped add a unique edge to her personalized invitation business. "I was a textile designer in Lake Como in the northern part of Italy before I moved to Florence where I worked as a graphic illustrator and textile designer for 11 years, creating scarves and ties," she explains. Mrs. Scolari moved to Indianapolis when her husband, who worked for Eli Lilly in Florence, was transferred here. When she first came to Indianapolis and her kids were still young, her creative drive motivated her to design Christmas cards at home. After much encouragement from friends and family, she started her own business, Cartabella, through which she now designs wedding invitations, announcements, programs, place cards and thank you notes in both Italian and English.

Ellen Schwartz's background also brings her a unique perspective on the retail business. After growing up in New York, she followed her middle school sweetheart, now husband, to Indiana University. After college, she was a K-12 teacher and taught junior high and high school students in Chicago for some time until her husband was recruited back to Indiana for work. Despite her lack of retail training, she has many forms of inspiration for her shop. "I get my ideas from things that I have and love or have been given as gifts. We've added items to the shop slowly, getting ideas and inspiration from customers' suggestions, trends, traveling, etc. Some of my lines include French Kande, Ayala Bar, Michal Golan, Spencer Peterman, Houston Llew, Natori, S'well, Lokai and many more," said Mrs. Schwartz. She tries out different products in the shop and adjusts her inventory based on what her clients like the most.

When shopping at Cartabella and Clara K., it is clear that Ghega Scolari and Ellen Schwartz are not only business partners, but also long-time friends. They met about 16 years ago and their friendship quickly grew into a strong bond. So when Ghega suggested that she and Ellen share a shop together, Ellen knew it would be a fun and exciting experience for both of them. "January will be our second year working together. We feel that it is through our relationship that our customers have such an enjoyable experience shopping in our shop," Mrs. Scolari noted.

More information is available at: www.facebook.com/clarakcartabella and on Instagram at: @clarak_cartab. Inquiries can be answered at: ghega2@mac.com and ellenindy60@gmail.com. Their hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. They are closed Sunday and Monday.

You can discover that one of a kind artisanal gift for Valentine's Day or any occasion when you visit Cartabella and Clara K. on the canal in Broad Ripple.