Personalization is the standard at Luv The Name in Geneva
If you're looking for a gift with a personal touch, a quaint shop in Geneva should have it.
Best friends Kathi Capobianco and Kelly Miller own and operate a business where personalizing is the specialty.
Luv the Name is at 312 S. Third St. between the two Grahams stores. Capobianco said the store features gifts and items that you won't find at the mall.
"We can personalize everything," Capobianco said. Baby gifts, towels, robes, home accessories, children's gifts, luggage, purses and aprons are all part of the mix.
All the personalizing and monogramming is done at the shop. "We have a machine on site," Capobianco said. The items are ready the next day.
The women said this type of business is popular in the South. "We wanted to bring it up here," Capobianco said.
A popular item at the store, which opened about two months ago, are personalized clogs. They sell for $125. Another big attraction is all the baby gift items, including blankets, dresses and sweaters. The weekend bags are also a hot pick.
The entrepreneurs have been friends for about 15 years. They met while working together at a property management firm. The women left the work force to raise their children. Now that the kids are in school, the West Chicago residents decided it was time to start the business venture.
Capobianco and her husband, Joe, have two children, Isabella, 8, and Johnny, 10. Miller and her husband, Ron, have four children: Lauren, 20, Lexi, 17, Garrett, 10, and Emma, 5.
The business is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, call (630) 232-6007.
Ahead of the curve: Two area Curves fitness facilities recently added new technology designed to offer a better workout.
As part of the program, a staff member assists in personalizing the client's profile and issues a CurvesSmart ID tag. The tag is electronically recognized by the monitor at each workout station.
The monitor indicates whether the woman's heart rate is in the target range and whether she is achieving target intensity and reaching the full range of motion for each repetition.
If the woman is exercising correctly, all indicators on the monitor will be green.
The Curves at 1578 E. Main St. in St. Charles and at 1016 S. McLean Blvd. in Elgin are utilizing the new equipment.
Jeanine Fitzmaurice owns the Curves in St. Charles. "The CurvesSmart technology offers women the benefits of a highly skilled personal trainer without the expense," she said.
Pam Burbrink owns the Curves in Elgin. She'll host an open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 16 to demonstrate the new workout feature.