When Jamie Cicatiello moved back to Tuscaloosa after graduating from The Savannah School of Art and Design, she wasn’t happy with what she saw.

After visiting her siblings’ and friends’ homes, she realized there weren’t very many options in Tuscaloosa for making their homes still feel young.

“We needed a place that had more originality,” she said. “That way we can say ‘Yes, I have kids but that doesn’t mean I have to go to bed at 8 every night.’”

From this idea Grace Aberdean Habitat Alchemy was born. She got the name Grace Aberdean from all the trips she made between Savannah and Tuscaloosa while she was in school. During the drive, there were two signs back-to-back – the first was Grace Street and the second was Aberdean Street, and the combination stuck with her.

Her store focuses on the idea of upcycling, which she says is breathing new life into products that would have otherwise gone unnoticed, and being a creative outlet for local artists.

“It’s really just a place for creative people to come and sell their work,” she said. “We want to keep it fun and personal.”

One way that the store keeps the business personal is by hosting an art night once a month called “The First Friday,” which features local artists in the small gallery.

Cicatiello said since she has moved from her original location in Northport to her downtown location in Tuscaloosa, she has been happy with how personal the First Friday events have felt. She has been able to show fewer artists each month, which has made it easier to convey the emotions of the store and of the artists.

The March First Friday will be held this Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. and will feature three local artists.

Patricia Davis, a mixed media artist, will be showing work from her thesis in 2007. Much of the work was inspired by her mother’s battle with cancer, an issue that also hits home with Cicatiello.

“When I choose the artists, I really try to sit down with them and make sure they have a clear message with their art,” she said. “One of the best parts of the show is seeing the artists and getting to talk to them.”

She thinks Davis’ show, called “Revisiting,” will really speak to what a lot of people have gone through.

The show will also feature music from the bluegrass band The Hale County Music Company and upcycled home goods by Dan O’Hare.

“Jamie engages the community in a way that other sorts of stores don’t,” said Soapy Jones, owner and operator of The Left Hand. “The store has a very unique way of reaching out and involving people in its daily business.”

The Left Hand is a local business that makes and sells organic soaps and is just one of the many businesses whose products Cicatiello sells on a daily basis in her store.

“I like the philosophy of the store, and I like Jamie,” Jones said. “She works really hard, and I think in that sense we’ve got the same goals. We work for the arts in Tuscaloosa and we work very hard at what we do.”

The philosophy of the store is to promote green products and living while still catering to any local artist who needs a place to show and sell their work. Right now the store has everything from furniture made out of stop signs to earrings made out of old furniture buttons.

Cicatiello looks for any artist who can take something that no one seems to want anymore and turn it into something beautiful and useable again.

“I try to introduce the public to new things and to see other people’s ideas,” she said. “I want the store to be a fun place for people to meet, mingle and maybe come up with the next revolutionary idea.”