Sometimes, life works in mysterious ways.
Or at least that’s the case for Rachel Marie Sanchez and Justin Sokol, owners of Marie Gregory, a boutique in the Historic McKinney Square providing a unique fashion styling experience.
Not too long ago, both were complete strangers who, coincidentally, shared a dream of opening a boutique, and, while both had two completely different life paths, life would bring them together to turn their dream into reality.
Justin, who’s originally from Illinois, lived in California prior to moving to McKinney. He had connections to the Lone Star State after having lived there for a couple of years, and often traveled back to visit his best friend.
One day, during one of his visits, his best friend, who had moved from Arlington to Cedar Hill, told him that his new next door neighbor happened to be hiring at a Dallas boutique he owned. Encouraged by his best friend, Justin decided to go in for an interview and got hired on the spot due to his magnetic energy.
Justin, who still lived in California and had recently ended a long term relationship, accepted the job and decided to make Texas his new home. However, it wasn’t an easy transition for him, as nine months later his dad passed away. Justin traveled back to Illinois and made the choice to stay there to help take care of his grandfather. For a year, he worked as a bartender and barista, while caring for his grandfather along with three other girls. A year later, Justin moved back to Texas to pick up where he had left off.
Rachel is a Texas-native who was born in Allen and grew up in the McKinney area, a place that she describes as close to her heart.
Her parents owned a commercial cleaning business that started in McKinney in 1976. Rachel grew up in the business and ended up taking over after her parents left.
In addition to running her commercial cleaning company, Rachel is also a wife and mother. She had always wanted to own a store, however, having retail businesses as her main cleaning clients, she knew how demanding it could get, knowing she’d probably spend weekends and holidays away from her family, and not being sure how she would handle everything, she held off on her dream for several years.
Click here to read more about their story and see photos of their products
