Cornucopia
Jade Jump and Nate Clifford, new owners of Cornucopia in Thornes Marketplace, are ready for this. From crafting business plans to checking out possible spaces, the intention to launch their own business is woven into the fabric of their relationship.
Lucky for Northampton, when Jade became pregnant four years ago, the couple looked for a new community to raise their family. They chose western Massachusetts, leaving behind eastern Massachusetts and Cambridge Naturals, where they both worked.
Nate found work at Cornucopia as a buyer, then the store’s manager. Jade came on board to manage the store’s marketing.
When Bud Stockwell and Sydney Flum-Stockwell invited them to dinner three years ago the young couple quipped to one another on the car ride over “What if they want to talk to us about taking over the store?”
That’s exactly where the dinner conversation went. Nate said, “At some point when you get serious about making something happen for yourself, a door presents itself and we were ready to walk through it.”
Jade adds, “Then it was about working out the financials. That took time, which helped us refine our plan and understand the finer details of what we were taking on.”
Bud, who remains as a store employee two days a week, said, “I think it’s great that a new generation of leaders are taking over Northampton businesses. They have fire in the belly.”
Bud does what’s needed. He’s our cheerleader. It would not have been good for business or the community if he had been here one day and gone the next,” said Nate.Jade and Nate are giving the store a fresh face with paint and new signs for the front of the store and the exterior. They are also working with a local chef to create recipes for a prepared foods category they will launch shortly.
The website is also getting a refresh. Jade said, “We want to add more personal pages about staff so people can feel a connection with those that serve them.”
What’s next? Nate said, “We didn’t know a lot and admitting that and being open to help made all the difference. What I really want to do is to evolve into helping other people who want to do what we’ve done.”
On the day we spoke with Jade and Nate, Bud was fulfilling one of his goals for retirement: gardening on a rare sunny spring day.
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