Featured as an azf Trendsetter in 2021 for his fun breakfast and brunch restaurant JOJO Coffeehouse in Old Town Scottsdale, Mike Melton couldn’t have imagined that an article highlighting his business would also bring the woman of his dreams into his life.
Melton opened JOJO Coffeehouse in December of 2018 and has been welcoming each customer who walks through its doors with dignity and kindness ever since; focusing on building a connection with the community and embodying a mission of hospitality.
Local entrepreneur Ali Matthews is the founder of Ali & Ariel, a company that makes custom sorority clothes and collegiate apparel for universities in the United States and Canada. With her love of fashion, art and branding, Matthews has been changing the Greek apparel industry and empowering women through her business for 15 years.
During the pandemic, Matthews’s mother came across the Trendsetter article on Melton, and after learning about his work and character, believed he would be a great fit for her daughter. Persuaded by the enthusiasm of her mother, Matthews read the article herself and agreed that the two of them had a lot in common. She also couldn’t ignore that he was very handsome. Curious, she sent him a friend request on Facebook. To her surprise the next morning, Melton had accepted the request and sent her a message. As the couple says, the rest is history.
“She reached out to me and I thought ‘holy cow’ this person is drop dead gorgeous and the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen,” says Melton. “She’s also just incredibly kind and talented and definitely beyond anything I could have ever imagined and she’s just been such an amazing blessing on my life.”
The couple recently got engaged in Paris over December right in front of the Eiffel Tower—everything Matthews ever dreamed of in a proposal. Since merging their busy lives together, Melton and Mathews are looking forward to getting married and growing their family while continuing to support each other and build their businesses.
“You never know where you’re going to find the love of your life and the right person, and timing is incredible. It was definitely the right timing, it was the right person, I was open and ready for it. I had my heart open to meeting the right person and I knew that I really wanted that,” says Matthews. “I never in my wildest dreams would have ever expected to meet the man of my dreams that way and I just think it’s amazing how love stories work out . . . it’s a wonderful, beautiful thing.”
