This article originally appeared in the December, 1983 edition of the Hill 2000 Newspaper.

Gepetto’s Workshop On The Hill

“Geppetto’s Workshop on the Hill,” a gift and consignment shop, now occupies the building which formerly housed cleaning equipment and before that Ferlisi’s Shoe Repair Shop.  Operated by three ladies of the Hill – Joyce “Scottie” Torrisi, Pat Merlo, and Gloria Griffero ~ it
opened its door to the public on November 25, 1983, the day after Thanksgiving in time for the traditional opening of the Christmas shopping season.

Pat Merlo, Joyce "Scottie" Torisi and Gloria Griffero smile happily and proudly as they greet customers shopping in "Gepetto's Workshop".

“It’s a dream come true” for Scottie who is a talented person herself – she likes to sew, paint, and decorate – and who often frequented shops where handcrafted items are sold and who always dreamed of opening a shop herself. Her children are all grown: Kim is Mrs. Francis Slay and the mother of another Francis; Joe and Philip have their own places on the Hill; only Kathi is home. This shop is an outlet for her.
“When the children were growing up, there was so much to do; now that they are grown, I have time on my hands.”   Fortunately her husband Jim has been very supportive of her new career as a shopkeeper.
The idea for the shop – named after Pinocchio’s “father”,in Collodi’s world-renowned tale of the puppet who becomes a real boy, a story written 100 years ago in 1883 – came about when Scottie and Gloria chatted at a cocktail fundraiser in June of this year. Gloria was looking for something other than teaching which has been her profession for 34 years.  Searching for a third partner who had some business experience, they approached Pat Merlo, an employee at Monsanto, and who had shown some interest in this type of a venture.
She enthusiastically agreed to join them.  So the wheels were set in motion. GPS, Inc. was born.

The tremendous number of talented people on the Hill was the chief factor in locating the shop on the Hill. Marconi was a logical location because of the amount of foot traffic which passes on it. The store at 1910Marconi Street was rented in September and work began on renovating it. Unfortunately Pat was producing “Deja Vu II” which occupied a major portion of her time and both Scottie and Gloria were a part of it.  However, with the help of a husband, brother, sisters, nieces., nephews, daughters, sons, mothers, and friends, the shop was redone in the evenings, and on weekends. New walls, a new ceiling, new carpeting, new shelves, fresh paint and lots of work transformed it in time for the opening.
Knowing that the time was too short to fill the shop with handcrafted items on consignment, the three owners bought stock, but as time goes on, they hope that more people will permit them to sell their goods on consignment. The telephone number is 776-5796.
“We want people who shop on the Hill, who come to buy Italian foodstuffs and sandwiches, or who frequent our restaurants to see what the talented people on the Hill can produce. “  It is interesting to note that Art ala Carte on the corner of Shaw and Marconi is operated by a woman, that the shop next door on Marconi, Fancy Plants is run by a woman, and now Geppetto’s Workshop is owned by three women. Women’s Lib is not dead.

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