Rising Stars: Meet Marc Vera of Mt. Juliet

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marc Vera.

Hi Marc, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
nook started as a dream back in 2005. I was living in Brooklyn and wanted to have my own store full of all the beautiful things I saw in the city and through my travels around the world. I moved to Rochester in the Fall of 2005 and the first iteration of nook opened in June 2006. My late partner Jeff helped me with it, but it was my baby. Back then we carried music and magazines in addition to cards, jewelry, rugs, furniture and items lovingly made by hand. My goal was always to support people and brands who are supporting others with their work. The recession of 2008 killed the original nook and cancer took Jeff from me in 2011. While Jeff was on hospice, he asked what I was going to do when he was gone and I told him, “Reopen nook.”

Fast forward to 2021 and nook reopened, almost 10 years to the day of Jeff’s death. Since opening, we’ve expanded twice and are now 4500 sq ft. We carry many lines that are not represented anywhere in central Tennessee. We also take great pride in being able to tell the backstory behind almost every single product in our store. Many of our lines give back to non-profits and many are small mom + pop companies with only 1 or 2 employees. nook also supports the Mt. Juliet community in multiple ways. We put on craft:Ed twice a year, a handmade goods market that benefits the band programs of Mt. Juliet. To date, craft:Ed has helped raise over $30,000 for the bands. We also put on art exhibits from not only local, and national artists, but the students of Wilson County schools.

I am married now, so my husband Rick and I run the store with two part time employees. I’m also a full-time hospice nurse, so I am out in the community helping others during their hard times. We are here to bring joy, love, beauty and acceptance to all.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Running a small business is hard. It has its ups and downs and you never know how it’s going to go from day to day. We are open 7 days a week, so it can get rough, but we know it’s important to be available to our community. People know that they come to us at 1pm on a Sunday and get that last minute baby shower gift.

It can be difficult when customers say things are “expensive” but we then take that time to explain to them where the item is made, who made it, and how that person makes everything in their line. People like to think that everything should cost what they see similar items sell for in big box retailers or on Amazon. Once customers understand what handmade is versus machine made, they get it. We also point out that we have items that are $1 and items that are $8,000. It’s all in how you look at things.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Many customers come in to the store and mention how warm and welcoming it is. I grew up all over the world and creating an inviting space has been my way to cope with new environments. As a kid, I was always rearranging my room and decorating. My first jobs out of college were in the radio industry and then I spent 8 years at Entertainment Weekly. After Jeff died, I worked in advertising before going to nursing school. But throughout all that, I was still traveling the world and taking note of all the beautiful products and shops I’d see.

People now come to nook for those products. We are known to have an amazing card section with cards for everything… Sorry you were misgendered, Happy Soberversary, I’m a Miscarried Mom,too and many others you won’t find elsewhere. Most of our clothing lines are from Europe or Japan. Our furniture line is from Canada. Our candles come from Belgium, Spain, Iceland and Scotland. We’re proud of what we’ve created. We’ve had customers come large cities all over the US tell us, “We don’t have a store like this in San Diego.” When our nook living opened, customers repeatedly said, “This reminds me of being in Helsinki.”

There are two things I’ve heard from customers that stuck with me: “I had a really bad day at work and I just needed to come here and see beautiful things.” The other was from a child who was sitting in the kids section. She was looking around and said, “Wow. I want my room to look like this.”

The other thing that sets us apart is my current profession as a hospice nurse. Many customers know and we’ll connect and talk about life and difficult times they are going through. Hugs are given out in droves here. We love being that safe space for the community.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I used to tell Jeff that I didn’t care if I sold anything at nook. I just wanted people to leave happy. He would ask me, “How do you plan to stay open if you don’t sell anything?” I replied, “I don’t know, but I’ll find a way.”

Success to me is not a number, it’s a feeling. It’s knowing that I made someone’s day, that I helped someone. Success is getting a customer to the right gift, even if its not at nook. Success is being a good person and going to sleep at night thinking, “I made a difference today” or “I made someone smile.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nookliving.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nooklivingtn/