History Behind the Name




One of the things I mulled over in my mind before opening my Etsy shop was what to actually call my new small business! I wanted it to be personal and short. Something that could easily fit on a small label. That's when the idea for a name came from one of my many favorite front porch conversations.
Our front porch is small and cozy. A place that I enjoy having my morning coffee with my family. My husband and I enjoy sitting out there and having conversations and relaxing. One evening, we began a discussion about our last names. My maiden name is Johnson which is a pretty typical and common last name. However, when my family immigrated from Norway, they changed it to Johnson from Johanns to diminish the prejudice that immigrants faced then and unfortunately still face today. My husband then began discussing his family background about the origin of his- and now our- last name. My mother-in-law is a genealogy guru of sorts. She loves to dive deep into the family history and uncover ancestors as far back as she possibly can. The excitement of uncovering family origins and mysteries is something I admire and enjoy listening about from her. One of those discoveries was the evolution of their last name. Before their family came over to the United States from Sejny (which was close to Lithuania and at the time was occupied by Russia/USSR), their last name was Rentelov. Much like what my family did, they shortened it to Rentel.
I wanted to preserve some of that family history, so that is where the name Rentelov came from. It's a personal touch to each and every item I make. Which, in turn, brings me great joy. This also allows me to share my love of sewing to many people all over the United States, and hopefully one day around the world.




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