About Us

Our Story

Some dreams are too important to let die.

In 1997, our grandmother Ruth opened a small boutique on Marshall Way in Old Town Scottsdale. She had no business plan, no investors, and no guarantee it would work. What she had was an eye for beautiful clothing, a deep belief that every woman deserves to feel seen, and two granddaughters who spent every summer arranging displays, greeting customers, and absorbing every lesson she had to give.

She named the boutique after us.

Margaret was 33 then. Elaine was 27. We didn't fully understand what she was building. We just knew that when we walked through those doors, something felt like home.

For over two decades, Margaret & Elaine became more than a boutique. It became a place where women in Scottsdale came to celebrate milestones, find their confidence, and feel genuinely cared for. Ruth knew every customer by name. She remembered their sizes, their anniversaries, their daughters' graduations. She didn't just sell clothing. She made women feel beautiful at every age, every season, every chapter of their lives.

When Ruth passed away in the spring of 2019, we stood in the empty boutique the morning after her funeral and made each other a promise.

We would not let her dream die.

We kept the doors open through grief. Then COVID hit. Then supply chains collapsed. Then the building sold and our rent tripled overnight. Every year brought a new reason to quit and every year we chose not to. We chose Ruth.

In 2023 we made the hardest decision of our lives. We closed the physical boutique on Marshall Way for the last time. Twenty six years of memories, of women trying on their wedding rehearsal dresses, of teenage girls shopping with their mothers, of Ruth's handwriting still visible on the stockroom wall where she used to track inventory.

We locked that door and we cried.

But we are still here.

Today Margaret & Elaine lives online. No storefront, no Marshall Way address, no bell above the door that Ruth loved so much. But the same two sisters, the same values, the same promise we made to our grandmother that morning in 2019.

We curate every piece in our collection the way Ruth taught us. Does it flatter? Does it feel as good as it looks? Would you feel confident wearing this to something that matters? If the answer is yes, it earns its place in our store.

We won't pretend things are easy. Running a small family business online in 2026 is its own kind of fight. Every order we receive is not just a sale to us. It is proof that what Ruth built still means something. That there are still people who would rather support two sisters honoring their grandmother's legacy than click away to a faceless corporation.

If you've read this far, you already understand us.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for every order, every kind message, every time you chose us. You are not just a customer. You are part of the reason Ruth's dream is still alive.

With love and gratitude,

Margaret & Elaine Scottsdale, Arizona · Est. 1997