"I created it on paper," Lopez recalls. "In the evenings, I'd write down the place I wish I'd been able to go to. A place I'd feel comfortable. A place to build community.

"I started writing down what I wanted and it became what I call an inspirational center."

That inspirational center became For Your Journey, which Lopez describes as a place "where everything is intended to enrich, inspire or empower you on your life journey."

The front of the store is filled with gift items—to give or keep—such as incense, candles, light-catchers, jewelry, inspirational plaques, wind chimes, herbal scents, paper lanterns and T-shirts and caps that say "Be @ Peace."

One of the most popular items is the Sacred Wheel of Peace pendant, a circle of silver metal inscribed with symbols of different religions.

"At For Your Journey, whatever that is, we have something for you. But we don't preach one thing," Lopez says.

Products are often associated with either a religion, a belief or a culture, including astrology, angels, Buddhist, Catholic, Celtic, Christian, feng shui, Hindu, Jesus, Jewish, Kabbalah, Native American, New Age, saints, tarot, Tibetan, Wicca, yoga and Zen.

In the center of the shop is the book area, with comfortable places to sit and browse the books, which range from alternative medicines to Zen and include mythology, self-help, astrology and poetry.

In the back of For Your Journey is a large studio where yoga classes are held and where the poetry group, book club, women's circle and other meetings are held.

Patricia Griffin says she discovered For Your Journey while walking from her home on The Alameda to Hester School when she was volunteering there.

"I'm not from Silicon Valley, I'm from a small town in Mexico," Griffin says. "I thought life here was very fast paced with no sense of community. Everyone was so busy. It was hard to even meet your neighbors.

"When I came to For Your Journey, I was looking for a sense of community. It's such a safe environment, with no judgments."

One of the first things Griffin did was join the Mariposa Circle, a women's group originally led by Lopez.

"I've met some wonderful women here from all different backgrounds, marital states and ages," says Griffin, who recently took over leadership of the Mariposa Circle.

"We have hikes, movie nights, workshops on things like natural beauty classes—anything someone has expertise on that they want to share knowledge of," Griffin says.

For Lopez, the decision to look inward at her own life journey started three years ago following "a painful divorce."

Using her share of the proceeds from the sale of her home following the divorce, Lopez bought a home in Vacaville. She moved there, telecommuting to her senior financial analyst job with Hewlett-Packard.

"In the two years I was in Vacaville, I started reading a lot of books, going to seminars and doing yoga. Doing self-help, I started healing myself."

A year ago, Lopez heeded her inner self and decided to start the business she had dreamed of. She left HP, took out a home equity loan on her Vacaville home, rented it out and came back to San Jose.

Now living at Avalon on The Alameda, Lopez says she is very comfortable with this area of San Jose. Her parents met while living on Villa Avenue, she was born at O'Connor Hospital and her first apartment was on Sunol Street.

Locating her store on The Alameda seemed like a natural step in the course of her life, and she hopes eventually to buy a home nearby.

She rented the property in July 2003, re-did the interior and opened for business in September.

At the very rear of For Your Journey is a stairway leading up to the second floor. It's the location of the Red Dragonfly, which owner Julie Valentine calls, a "studio for art and creative expression." It's a combination art gallery, art gift store and studio, which opened in March.

Valentine met Lopez when she came into For Your Journey as a customer.

When Valentine told Lopez she was a Kundalini yoga teacher, Lopez invited her to teach classes at For Your Journey.

Coincidentally, Valentine is also an HP veteran, who left initially to work for some dot-coms and then started consulting on web-page design.

"While working on my own, I realized I needed to do more things for my body, and I discovered yoga," Valentine recalls.

"I found Kundalini yoga particularly powerful—it centers your soul. I started studying it. I didn't think of being a teacher, but after taking it and realizing I had the ability, I started teaching."

Valentine's web design work also helped her discover "the artistic side of me," which resulted in her Divine Goddess Designs line.

Now Valentine has a line of sachets, pillows, candles, note cards and other items featuring her sketches of different women. An actual woman inspires each sketch, and she now offers custom sketches that can be used on items such as stationery or sachets. She's even done custom sketches of couples for use on wedding favors.

Prior to moving in above For Your Journey, Valentine had looked for space along The Alameda to replace the small studio she had in Campbell.

When the storefront Valentine thought she had a few doors down from For Your Journey fell through, Lopez offered her the upstairs space.

Valentine says she prayed over the decision before making it. Since then, she adds, "blessings just keep coming. I know it's the right thing to do."

With this larger location, Valentine is now able to carry the works of other artists and give classes. In the front of her space is a small store that now sells the work of 15 artists, ranging from jewelry to ceramics to photographs and paintings. Over the next year, she hopes to expand the number of artists to 70.

Beyond the retail area, Valentine has a combination studio and gallery. Each month, the work of two or more artists is featured on the walls. Tables in the center of the room are used for classes, including painting, writing and creating herbal body products.

The Red Dragonfly space is designed, she says, to "create coziness. They're here doing a piece of art and telling their stories. They're in community, exchanging phone numbers and going out for coffee. You can see friendships coming out of them.

"Part of The Red Dragonfly is for you to have an awakening. A painting class isn't about becoming a Van Gogh. Everybody has the ability to create something and see joy."

Both Lopez and Valentine offer a variety of classes.

Lopez says most of her instructors "have regular jobs, but are people with a passion for their subject. It's something they're exploring on the side. My astrology teacher is an attorney."

The poetry group started when a customer mentioned she wrote poetry and Lopez invited her to start regular poetry readings. They now take place on the second Thursday of each month and are free.

"The transformations I've seen in these women have been phenomenal," Lopez says. "They come in so shy, new to the area and not knowing people. They come in and meet people, have coffee with them and then want to start their own businesses."

Both Lopez and Valentine acknowledge that their clientele is overwhelmingly female.

"Men come in for incense and books, but they don't often come to events," Lopez says. "We're trying to do men's events, but it's not in their nature to go into a closed room and talk. Women naturally come together."

That doesn't discourage Lopez, who says of her venture, "It's more than I could have imagined it would be."

For Your Journey, 1435 The Alameda, 408.947.1508, www.foryourjourney.com; The Red Dragonfly, 1435 The Alameda, 408.297.1610, www.thereddragonfly.com. Both stores are open from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays.