'Purely Michigan' store opens in St. Joseph

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. – Purely Michigan, new shop downtown is officially opening this weekend. Everything inside is from the State of Michigan.

“I’m from the buckeye state,” said Saint Joseph’s newest merchant Lynne Christiano.

Christiano is an odd owner of Purely Michigan on State Street given the circumstances. “We’ve got everything from every part of the state,” she said.

“I think people have embraced shopping local, buying local and buying things from within their state,” she said. “There wasn’t anything similar to that.”

Christiano said she came up with the idea of a Michigan-only store while sitting around with friends. They figured other downtown shops were offering local products but not completely local.

Taking on the new venture from a non-profit background, Christiano couldn’t change everything about her new life. Shirts are being sold to support Asian Carp invasion efforts and stickers sold to help fund dredging in the Saint Joseph River for recreational boats.

“You have to get involved in your community to be a part of it and make a difference.”

She might not be from here but “this is home,” Christiano said. “It’s where I’ve been for 26 years, it’s where I’ve raised my children.”

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at the store Saturday.