A couple that owns an engraving and monogramming business has gotten back into the brick-and-mortar retail arena, opening a store about two weeks ago in an Oleander Drive shopping center.

Bob and Clare Heinz opened a similar store in a mall in Connecticut in 1990, but eventually found that their online sales were more successful.

“So we sold the store and moved down here,” Clare Heinz said.

That was 10 years ago. This month, the couple opened “a Special Gift” in Philips’ Plaza at 5751 Oleander Drive.

“We were just looking to expand into the local community and give our website a little more exposure,” Clare Heinz said.

Plus, in a storefront, customers can see things they might not necessarily notice on the couple’s website, aSpecialGift.com, when they’re looking for something specific, she said.

In recent years, more websites that personalize items have cropped up. “It’s much more competitive than it ever was,” Clare Heinz said.

The store’s space at Philips’ Plaza is about 1,000 square feet, and the couple leased it directly from the landlord.

Built in 1986, the plaza is owned by Philips Azalea Plaza Inc., according to New Hanover County property tax records.

“We didn’t want a huge space,” Clare Heinz said, adding that it wasn’t easy finding a unit that size.

While the store offers engraving in just a few minutes for many of its gift items, the couple also has machines used for embroidering and other personalization services in a 2,000-square-foot warehouse space in Leland.