She’s thoughtfully arranged her merchandise into sections that could each be labeled with their own theme. There’s the garden section featuring decorated pots, small houseplants and other greenery. The farm corner pays homage to the local hobby farm that she and husband, Matt, moved into 10 years ago when they relocated from southern California.
There’s a section she calls “whimsy” and one featuring “tchotchkes.”
In spite of her descriptions, none of it is haphazard. Nesting Garden offers a collection of unique gifts and home decor carefully chosen to bring a cozy feel to any room in the house.
Woven throughout are what could be considered one of Schnoor’s trademark symbols: flowers.
At one stage in her career, Schnoor worked as a florist. She now dries flowers and uses them for decoration, gifts and part of Nesting Garden’s motif. Most are sourced from CC’s Blooms in Lebanon.
“I hate to see flowers die,” she said.
The bulk of her working years was spent making stores that weren’t hers look good.
She was a retailer for T.J. Maxx, a merchandiser for Claire’s, and most recently an associate at neighboring Springboro boutique Barefoot Girl at Home.
When her third and youngest child moved out last year, Schnoor saw it as an opportunity to put her talents to work for herself.
She dabbled in running businesses over the years. She sells eggs from their home farm and it even has its own TikTok, “Up Chicks Creek.”
And she’s sold dollhouse miniatures that she’s sculpted from clay on eBay for years.
But opening a brick-and-mortar operation was a different challenge.
“I was a little intimidated,” Schnoor said.
She initially used a “big leasing agency” which found her a location in a Kettering strip mall. The deal never came to fruition, something Schnoor said she’s grateful for.
The Main Street location fell into her lap by chance. Schnoor said a neighbor owns the building and they were able to come to an arrangement, giving her a location only a few miles from her home.
She found a mentor in Traci Stivers of Stivers Media Design & Consulting, a Carlisle-based firm who works primarily with nonprofit and startup companies.
Schnoor gives Stivers a lot of credit for helping her work through business plans, paperwork checklists and the other details of starting a company.
Stivers said the credit isn’t warranted, and that Schnoor didn’t really need much help at all.
“She just needed someone to help her get her ducks in a row,” Stivers said.
Schnoor said she couldn’t be more grateful for how things have worked out, or for where they worked out.
“When my husband was transferred, I said ‘where’s Ohio?’' she joked. ”After we moved, my kids said we’re never leaving. It’s so green!"
Nesting Garden opens March 3. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday; and 10 a.m.to 4 p.m. Saturday.
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