PORTLAND — The essence of Ope! A Stationery Shop, a new store opening on Congress Street in June, can be found in its name.

Ope is a polite Midwestern interjection often said when a person bumps into someone in the supermarket or misses a turn while driving. Linguists say it likely developed among the region’s Scandinavian immigrants as a rounding of “oh!” and similar to “oops!”

Shop owners Lexi Zavala and Zach St. Clair grew up in the Midwest and moved to Portland in 2021, after the couple graduated from Kansas State University and hunkered down with his parents in the early days of the pandemic.

“I knew I wanted some piece of the Midwest in the name,” said Zavala, 30. “Portland has a similar small-town spirit that drew us here, and I wanted that for this space.”

Located at 648 Congress St., between High and State streets, Ope! will carry small-batch, artist-designed greeting cards and a variety of supplies for letter writing, scrapbooking and journaling.

The shop also will be a communal space where people can make their own greeting cards and work on other paper projects. Zavala and her husband are still setting up the shop, but some cards, canisters of pens and rolls of stickers are already on display.

Ope! is the second artist-owned stationery shop and creative space to open in Portland in recent months. Last October, block-print artist Katharine Watson opened her first store, Open Studio, at 199 Pleasant Ave., in the Deering Center neighborhood.

WITH HELP FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Ope! was born out of Zavala’s dual interests as an artist and community builder who has a master’s in public health.

“People can come here and slow down and find a beautiful journal or make their own greeting card,” she said.

Zavala began making her own intricate greeting cards during the pandemic. More recently she ventured into block-printing, beadwork and jewelry design, selling her graphic handbags, trinket boxes and earrings at First Friday Art Walk events.

Her experience during art walks gave her the confidence to open the shop. She also has been a wholesale manager for a Kansas company for many years, working remotely since moving to Maine.

Zavala and her husband, who is marketing manager for LeRoux kitchen stores, developed a business plan with help from New Ventures Maine and Coastal Enterprises Inc.

They furnished the store with display cases, a farm-style table and chairs, and a Victorian settee they found on Facebook Marketplace. They reached out to family members and friends for financial support, raising $25,000 in personal loans to launch and stock the store for a soft opening sometime next month.

“We’ve had a lot of help from local businesses, friends and family members,” Zavala said. “Zach’s nana is sewing curtains for us. It’s been very emotional to realize there are so many people who believe in us so much they’re willing to help get us started.”

ANOTHER STATIONERY STORE

Watson, the owner of Open Studio, had her eye on the yellow brick corner store at Stevens and Pleasant avenues for a while. “When it became available, I jumped on it,” she said.

For 15 years, Watson has been creating hand-carved linoleum block-print designs that she turns into notecards, tea towels and other items. Previously, she sold them online and wholesale to other shops, as well as at craft shows, makers markets and popups.

“I always loved the customer interactions, and I always wanted to open a shop,” said Watson, 38.

Watson’s colorful designs — purple coneflowers and pinecones and mussel shells — evoke the beauty growing in her garden and iconic images from the coast of Maine.

Her shop includes a printing press where she creates her designs, and she hosts print-making workshops and creative happy hours to provide inspiration and motivation to others. She also sells cards, journals, stationery and other items from other Maine artists and companies that reflect her design aesthetic.

“If you like what I do, you’ll probably like the other things in the store,” she said.