SALEM, Ohio – Nature + Nurture is about to migrate a few doors down East State Street and double in size.
The bookstore that specializes in nature-inspired books and toys for children, classics for adults, stationary and other gifts, has been at its 515 E. State St. location for nearly four years. But owner Tricia Ross said the store has become overcrowded with merchandise.
Ross recently bought the former MacMillan Office Supply building at 553 E. State St., which has 5,000 square feet of space on the first floor alone.
“It will still be Nature + Nurture,” Ross said. “It’s still going to look the same, just more.”
The building has sat empty since MacMillan’s remaining office supplies and equipment were auctioned off in March 2024. Some renovations are needed, including flooring, paint and electrical work, but Ross sees potential despite the enormity of the undertaking.
Nature + Nurture evolved from a mail-order business of nature-inspired homeschooling curriculum into a bookstore with sections mostly revolving around nature themes. For instance, customers can buy not only books with birds in them, but also stuffed owls and bird puppets, play items to integrate creativity into the theme.
Ross has filled the store with items and themes her customers love. She currently has small sections on parenting, health and holistic books and various crafts and hobbies. She also has history books and Bibles but little space to add them to the currently packed shelves.
“I have stock off-site in storage units,” Ross said. But in the new building, she’ll “have storage on-site.”
She loves having events where children can read, but the lack of space at Nature + Nurture made it difficult to host them at the shop. Her plans for the new building include a space for events, including birthday parties, classes, book clubs and author events. She plans to make spaces where customers can sit comfortably and enjoy flipping through a book. She even may sell some furniture inspired by nature – couches, bookshelves and tables – which she said was always part of the intention of the shop. There also will be more room for art, which inspires her love of nature.
The new building will provide space for an office.
“I’ll actually have workspaces,” Ross said. “When I moved here, it was just me, and I didn’t even think about someone else working here.”
Now she is hoping the extra space will allow her to give more tasks to her employees, freeing her up to focus more on the programs and business growth.
The new building has a delivery dock in the back, which should make it easier to bring in new products. Upstairs, the building offers even more possibilities, with wooden floors and windows. She met with an architect last week and hopes to have the new location ready to move into by the end of January.
“I should have the space to grow,” Ross said. “I kept saying grow or die. I can’t grow unless I literally have more space.”
But she admits to having concerns about expanding.
Ross said she consulted with the Small Business Development Center at Kent State Tuscarawas, which serves Columbiana County businesses and entrepreneurs, as well as those in eight other counties.
Holly Bolinger, the center’s director, helped her run through the numbers to make sure the expansion made sense. Bolinger provided advice as Ross navigated the journey of obtaining financing for the building’s purchase.
Bolinger was a commercial lender, so understanding the steps needed for Ross to purchase a new building instead of renting space is something she knows well. She said she encourages entrepreneurs to do their research.
Pictured at top: Tricia Ross, owner of Nature + Nurture, stands inside the former MacMillan Office Supply building at 553 E. State St.