Apr 19, 2014

La Rencontre Gift Shop Hoping For Good Encounters in GraftonBy Nathan GrimmTheTelegraph.com

Grafton, IL – Translated from the French language, “rencontre” roughly means a casual encounter or meeting with a friend. It’s something the owners of Grafton’s newest gift and antique shop, La Rencontre, hope to experience plenty of in the coming months.

Rencontre was actually the original spelling of the surname of owners Matt and Mica Roundcount. Matt Roundcount’s ancestor Francois Judic took on the last name after having many contentious encounters with the Iroquois people in the 1690s — rencontre also means a “hostile meeting” in Judic’s native French. Over time the name changed to its present spelling.

But in looking for a name for the shop, located at 4 W. Clinton St. in Grafton, the couple couldn’t escape the word’s perfect encapsulation of their business. The shop is located at the intersection, or meeting, of Illinois routes 100 and 3. The confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, which happens in Grafton, adds to the name’s meaning. And, of course, the process of finding neat or special antiques is often a chance encounter as well.

Read complete article »