Michelle Courtright Bjork

Who: Michelle Courtright Bjork, president of Shakespeare Enterprises, creator of romeoshops.com and cocreator of julietshops.com, Minneapolis-based websites designed to help shoppers give great gifts to the opposite sex.

To Be or Not to Be: “My husband and I have been married for coming on eight years now and dated for four years, and I always received really bad gifts,” Courtright Bjork says. “He means well, but misses the mark. Last February, he hit the nail on the head—a Patricia Locke pendant. He’d obviously taken some time to research. It was the best gift ever, and I thought, ‘Wow, I wish he could always do this.’ The idea was born.”

Method: “There were two parts to my research, the first being what women like to get,” says Courtright Bjork. “I am a huge gift-giver. I love to buy something unique, go to the little boutique store no one knows about and get the great find. . . . The other part was researching the guys. Every single guy I talked to said, ‘Oh, my God, this is brilliant because I hate shopping.’ The sexes are very different!”

Dr. Michelle: “Guys write and ask what they should get for their wives, girlfriends, whomever. Then they say, ‘By the way, my wife . . .’ with every complaint you can imagine. I do feel like a relationship doctor! I tell them, ‘Here’s what you really need to say.’ ”

The Fairer Sex: “I did bring on a business partner, Mark Fawcett, for Julietshops. He was a customer before I knew him. The idea was always there, which is why I started the company as ‘Shakespeare,’ but it was a daunting task.

To be truthful, I am not always the best shopper for my husband. Once you’re dating or married for a while you buy the standbys—cologne, cashmere sweaters, ties. I don’t know the cool things guys really want.”

Taking Off: “We were on Good Morning America on December 10, 2006. We just blew up after that. We had to hire ten people to help through the holidays. It was truly amazing. We had so many orders our site went down for forty-five minutes! We had to beg vendors to get stuff delivered overnight before Christmas. I hadn’t slept in my own house for two weeks because of the rush. Be careful what you wish for!”

	Tip-oriented product descriptions—you can even complete a personality quiz for your gift recipient—help make shopping for Valentine’s Day a little easier. Here are some of this writer’s picks (hint, hint to the new fiancé). Peace & Love necklace ($36), Nordic Gemstone ring ($135), and 1940s-inspired lingerie ($130), all from romeoshops.com