Some things just speak to you: a sunrise, a baby's laugh, a cuddle from your dog, the right song on the radio at the right moment. That feeling has a name - that's Pure Poetry.

For Portia, the name means even more. 'Poe' has been her nickname since childhood.

Portia grew up in Norwalk and has called Trumbull home since 2003. Before that she spent ten years in Boston, where she managed the Fresh store on Newbury Street and later traveled with the brand's corporate team. Visiting specialty boutiques around the country, she realized she wanted a shop of her own one day. The idea really started when she was ten, playing "store" with her friends and having pretend conversations with customers. In Boston, those conversations became real, and they felt just as good.

She studied child psychology and worked with neurodivergent children before returning to retail. She also spent ten years at home raising her kids. She doesn't have a business background, and doesn't pretend to. What she has is a people background, and it shapes everything about the shop.

Pure Poetry opened in 2015 as something more than four walls or a transaction. It's meant to be felt with all your senses: the music, the aromas, the way the light hits the shelves. A song comes on, and suddenly you're somewhere else, in another time. She wanted a place where people feel comfortable, safe and happy, a place that supports women-owned businesses and nurtures its community.

That belief extends to her team. Portia believes everyone deserves the chance to work, and she leads by example, with some of her favorite employees being neurodivergent.

After hours, the shop becomes a community table. Local artists and makers lead small workshops, there's charcuterie and conversation, and everyone goes home having made something with their own hands.

None of it happens alone. Pure Poetry has always been a family affair, and Portia will tell you she'd be nowhere without her family's support.

And if you ask nicely, she might show you her pin collection. It started on a family trip to Disney, and like most things Portia loves, she took it to a whole other level.
When Portia is not in the shop, you'll find her bopping around town, supporting other small businesses, walking her rescue dog Chaka Khan, or enjoying time with her pride and joy - her two adult children Luca and Nola.