Forty years is a long time to be in business, but for the new owners of Northampton’s Cornucopia, it seems like another 40 is not just doable, it’s a goal.
The popular natural food and health store, which was founded by Bud Stockwell and Sydney Flum-Stockwell in 1980, was sold to new owners Jade Jump and Nate Clifford last year, and, while the couple plan on maintaining the aspects that have made the store thrive over four decades at Thornes Marketplace, they also will bring a fresh perspective and some new ideas to the mix.
Clifford and Jump had both been working at the store for a few years when they decided to take the plunge. The Stockwells had decided it was time to retire, and in Clifford and Jump they had perfect heirs-apparent.
They both had worked for Cambridge Naturals before they moved west after the birth of their child and had been working on a business plan where they could work together. They just weren’t exactly sure which type of business it would be.
But when the offer came from the Stockwells over a post-holiday dinner, they knew it was a good fit.
“In the back of our minds, we thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be amazing if they wanted to sell the store?’” Jump says. “Because after working at Cambridge Naturals, we decided that’s what we wanted to do. We liked it, and it fits our lifestyles, so it just made sense.”
That dinner was back in 2016, and the couple couldn’t exactly commit to the buyout. They had moving costs and baby bills.
“So when it came up, of course we are interested, but we were like, ‘Yes, we’re interested but we don’t have any money,’” Jump recalls with a laugh.
Fortunately, the Stockwells weren’t in any rush. So the owners signed a letter of intent, and Jump and Clifford were able to grow into both running the store and, ultimately, owning it.
While the couple say their first nine months running the store had its challenges, overall, things have gone really well.
“Our sales are great, and we’ve got a lot of really fantastic customer feedback and that makes us feel good,” Jump says. “And we are seeing quite a few new faces this year, which is encouraging.”
As far as challenges, Clifford says it’s creating the overall atmosphere they want to see in the store.
“I think the biggest challenge is what is always the biggest challenge: creating a different type of engagement. And getting our management — including us — to be really committed to being communicative when setting standards that are adhered to,” he says. “We’re really good at certain things. We have a really good idea of where we’re going and what we want to do.”
With a staff as diverse as Cornucopia’s (23 employees on average at any given time, with an age range from 23 to 65), getting everyone on the same page can be daunting. Clifford says he and Jump know how they want to interact with customers and have really high customer service goals, but making that vision translate has taught them that they need to learn new skills as well.
“You know, in some ways I thought I was God’s gift to communication,” he adds with a laugh. “But in other ways I totally have to go back to school and learn some stuff. We all do.”
Overall, Jump and Clifford feel blessed to have such an experienced and educated staff. “These are people who are really dedicated to the store, and we cherish that,” Clifford says.
The store has also broadened its management tent and welcomed more voices in decision-making, according to Clifford. “We want to focus on what’s really going to work and what is sustainable,” he says. “So we like to be open and honest with our staff and have a lot of voices. We like to be positive and don’t necessarily take kindly to negativity, but we do listen to our staff.”
While they plan on continuing changes incrementally, the core of the store’s mission will remain similar. One area that the store has been a leader in is CBD, the extraction from hemp or marijuana plants that has been touted to help with such problems as anxiety, arthritis and even certain types of epilepsy. Cornucopia’s CBD products have to undergo third-party lab testing, and the store has to have a clear picture of the hemp source, Clifford says.
“We have worked hard to carry the best of what is available in the crazy world of CBD,” he says. “There are a lot of good actors and a scary amount of bad ones in this space. Knowledge is key, and we take pains to educate our supplements staff so they can educate our customers. We have become the valley’s most well-known CBD purveyor, and we take great pride in that.”
As far as people who would worry about taking over a business in Northampton at a time when the city sees a fair number of empty storefronts, Clifford has a different view.
“Businesses will go out of business after 25 or 30 or 40 years. That’s a normal business cycle. So I tell people not to believe everything they read or see,” he says. “This is a great town, and there are people like us who are working really hard to recognize where there are issues and make changes. But I think a lot of great things are right on the cusp of happening, and I’m excited.”
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February 14, 2020 at 06:39PM
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New owners of Northampton’s Cornucopia bring fresh perspective to longtime business - masslive.com
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