Nature’s Cupboard
(Michigan City and Chesterton, IN)

The year 2020 marks Nature’s Cupboard’s 40th anniversary. Being in business for that amount of time in any industry is an achievement, especially considering the Indiana-based retailer’s humble beginnings.

“We started out primarily as a supplement store with some grocery,” said Mylese Tucker, second generation owner. “As competition grew, we had to take a look at what we could do to stay relevant among the bigger stores who were picking up many of the natural and organic products that had only been available in our store. We began to add more grocery and produce, but so did the conventional grocery stores. It was difficult for our small store to keep up with the pricing we were seeing in our new competition.”

The store was founded by LaVora Tucker, Mylese Tucker’s mother, and Evelyn Robertson in 1980—LaVora Tucker had the loan money, while Robertson had the industry know-how. Two years later, Robertson moved on to other endeavors, and LaVora Tucker was left to run the store, which presented a challenge at first, but she pressed on.

Eventually, the store experienced growth, and Mylese Tucker joined the staff in 1993. In 2006, the retailer joined INFRA (Independent Natural Food Retailers Association), which was pivotal for the success of the store, according to the daughter.

“Joining the forces of other independent stores like us, INFRA was able to negotiate pricing that allowed us to compete,” she said. “Neither my mother nor I had a background in business and INFRA gave us not only the tools we needed to compete in the ever-changing industry, but a wealth of knowledge in the incredible braintrust that makes up the membership. We started to pay attention to what other INFRA stores were doing and followed the trend toward more sales in the fresh department.”

In 2015, the store moved to a bigger location in Michigan City and expanded the 1,000-square-foot store to 3,500 square feet. They added a juice bar, upped their produce game and added house made deli items.

The retailer also added a second location in Chesterton, 20 minutes from the Michigan City store.

LaVora Tucker was involved with store operations until about a month before she passed away in 2017—she was 92.

Inside the Stores

Both Nature’s Cupboard stores are comprised of the following sections:

• 37 percent supplements
• 34 percent grocery
• 12 percent produce
• 11 percent juice bar/grab ‘n go
• 6 percent health & beauty

According to Mylese Tucker, Meijer and Walmart are the retailer’s biggest natural product competitors, which indicates just how mainstream the industry has become, she noted. However, with its knowledge, customer service and product mix, Nature’s Cupboard is able to differentiate itself, according to the owner.

“Our friendly staff that offers great customer service [keeps patrons coming back],” Tucker said. “If we don’t know the answers, we are always willing to do the work to find out. We also have a very welcoming and energizing atmosphere in our store. It is a pleasant place where people like to spend time.”

The retailer features an array of products that are sourced from local vendors, especially since many of those items thems are not available in larger mass-retail stores.

“Our top suppliers are our local vendors,” she said. “Because we are small and competition is everywhere, it’s imperative that we find those items that aren’t available in the big stores and that keep customers coming back to us. ElderPower is a locally made elderberry syrup that is one of our top sellers, and Farming for Life is a local farm that provides us with kombucha and fermented krauts. These products are popular with our customers because they work. The health benefits are immediately recognized from using such quality products.”

Challenges in the Digital Age

Currently, Tucker noted, Nature’s Cupboard is nearing $2 million in sales—in the past, supplement sales have accounted for the majority, but that number has been declining over the years, as internet competition has grown and there has been more of a focus on fresh items.

Other than competing with the ongoing development of the internet, another challenge has been avoiding employee turnover.

“Holding on to key employees has been one of our biggest challenges through this growth,” Tucker said. “We find talented people who we want to keep forever, but other opportunities take them away. We have had to learn to become creative with our benefit package since we can’t pay the wages that other larger companies can offer.”

COVID-19 Announcements

Nature’s Cupboard has taken a proactive approach to the COVID-19 health crisis by recently featuring a public service announcement on its website.

Specifically, it includes a history of the coronavirus, what you can do to safeguard yourself (including strategies to boost your immune system) and other steps the retailer is taking, such as:

• Having disinfectant wipes available at the front door for wiping off shopping cart handles. Cashiers will also have wipes at the registers to frequently clean anything that may be touched by shoppers. • Reducing food sampling to reduce the spread of germs.

• Ensuring that employees will continue to frequently wash their hands with hot water and soap, and will continue to make sure that frequently touched areas of the store will be washed and disinfected to help avoid the spread of germs.

In addition, the retailer has offered a pick-up service in its stores for customers who do not want to go out in public, as well as delivery services. VR