"A place for you to explore something new in your everyday": New lifestyle boutique to sell handmade, international products

A new lifestyle boutique in English Village has brought handmade products from all over the world to Mountain Brook.

Amparo Fine Living held its ribbon cutting July 20, opening its doors to those interested in art, gifts, textiles and more.

Owner Mariana BarrandeGoodall is no amateur entrepreneur. The store is part of a larger group called Amparo, which includes Hotel Amparo in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Hotel Amparo was ranked No. 2 hotel in the world this year by Travel + Leisure, which also awarded it best hotel in Mexico.

BarrandeGoodall also founded another brand called Hibiscus Linens.

“Hibiscus Linens is my other baby,” she said. “It’s all textiles, and you can see our love for textiles here.” Products by Hibiscus Linens are scattered throughout Amparo Fine Living, such as pillows, cocktail napkins and tea towels.

Products in the store cover a whole spectrum of price ranges. For example, pillows range from $40 to $295.

Amparo, which is BarrandeGoodall’s first name, means “shelter” in Spanish. “I really believe that all of these spaces we create are a little shelter, a place for you to explore something new in your everyday,” she said.

The store sells handmade products from Portugal, France, England, India, Mexico, Texas and many other places around the world. They were all hand picked by BarrandeGoodall.

“I really like for people to have an escape from the everyday,” she said. “That escape can be a $10 soap that smells like the holidays, or it might be a piece of art you have been waiting to find, and we brought it for you here.”

Though she and her husband are currently based in Houston, her husband has Alabama roots.

“My husband and mother-in-law are from Montgomery, and something that we have been wanting to do for the last few years is bring all of these pieces of the world we have found back home to Alabama,” she said.

When BarrandeGoodall and her husband were looking for a location for their store, they appreciated the “vibe” and architecture of English Village, she said. “We felt like we could feel at home here.”

Her vision for the store also includes hosting events in the space, which has plenty of chairs and tables that can be easily rearranged.

“I would love for a local calligrapher to come and do a class here, or an up-and-coming designer to teach other people what the trends for the season will be,” BarrandeGoodall said. “I like to create spaces where people can gather. I mean, look at our living room area! If it was a different time, that bar cart would have some drinks.”

In the back corner, a green velvet couch adorned with colorful pillows sits in front of a statement wall covered in patterned wallpaper. BarrandeGoodall has arranged her products so that customers may envision them in their own homes.

“People in Mountain Brook are very chic, and they appreciate craftmanship, art and texture,” she said. “I think they will like what we are offering.”

So far, the store has received great support from the community, said BarrandeGoodall, who feels “very grateful” to be located in Mountain Brook.

The decision to open in the middle of a pandemic was challenging, she said. “But at the end of the day, I feel like everything we’re bringing here is for people to add a little bit of joy to their every day, so what better time than now?”

There are masks available at the front of the store — solid and embroidered — for customers to purchase, and the store is following all local health guidelines for businesses while aiming to keep the store at a maximum of four customers.

Amparo Fine Living is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit facebook.com/amparofineliving for more information.