Nelsonville, Ohio, home of the Nelsonville Music Festival, has much to offer in local arts, shopping and food.
Located just about 13 miles from the city of Athens, Nelsonville was first settled in 1814 by the Daniel Nelson family. Now, the central business district is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Like many communities, the pandemic has brought change to Nelsonville. However, new businesses continue to pop up.
One of the small stores found in the square is Gaia’s Realms, 27 W. Columbus St., owned by Jessica Stinson.
“I do psychic readings and natural healing here,” Stinson said. “It’s a store that provides you with tools to help you on your spiritual path.”
The metaphysical store has crystals, tarot cards, handmade items and more. Stinson created her store in hopes of using the funds to start a rehabilitation center.
“If you’re on drugs you can come there to be rehabilitated, to find work, to find housing,” Stinson said. “If you’re homeless you can come there to be rehabilitated, to find a job and function in the community ... just basically to help people get back on their feet.”
Stinson was born and raised in Nelsonville. She left for a while, but she says the town’s energy has always pulled her back. Stinson remarked that the stores in Nelsonville help each other out and will often refer customers to other shops around. Stinson also teaches meditation, tarot and reiki.
Another store in Nelsonville is New Leaf Marketplace, 31 Public Square, previously known as the Nelsonville Emporium. The store has food, art and local items. The Survivor Advocacy Outreach Program works with and supports the New Leaf Marketplace.
Additionally, if boots or hunting equipment are of interest, customers can explore the two floors of Rocky Outdoor Gear Store, 29 Fayette St. Then, for the crafters, there is the Paper Circle, 35 W. Columbus St., with different paper from origami to notebooks to printed paper. They also have memberships for paper artists to use the space.
For people looking for entertainment, Nelsonville has a few options to keep one busy.
Stuart’s Opera House, 52 Public Square, has plays, music shows and events featuring traveling and local artists. Another place with live performances is Rhapsody, 18 Public Square, a restaurant where there are often performers singing and playing music to set the mood.
Then, just a short drive away is the Movies 10-Fun Barn, 14333 US-33, for games and the latest movies.
For the art crowd, people can head to the Majestic Galleries, 20 Public Square, with different art exhibits circulating.
Another store for art lovers is The Makers Loft, 72 W. Washington, which Owner Luke Hall would describe as a “little funky hippie shop.” The store has tapestries, incense, handmade items and more. Hall originally intended to have a maker's space in his store, but due to COVID-19, those plans had to be put on pause.
Hall was inspired by old stores in Athens where he felt like he belonged.
“When I opened up the store and molded the store, I molded it off from those (stores) because they made me feel so included as a kid,” Hall said. “They offered the things that I wanted, not the things that everyone wanted.”
Hall does flatware jewelry and family heirloom jewelry and recycles silver spoon scraps for making jewelry with his partner. Some of the items from other artists are also made of recycled materials like paper and cards from recycled paper, as well as buttons from magazines or newspapers.
There are also a lot of different restaurant options to choose from.
If barbecue is the mood, there is the Starbrick BBQ on the first floor of Rocky Outdoor Gear Store. For pizzas or subs, people can walk over to Mama Renie’s Pizza, 23 Public Square, with a painted map of the town on the walls. For Mexican food, Los Mariachis, 99 Watkins St., has lots of drinks, appetizers and special dishes.
However, if drinks are the main attraction, The Mine Tavern, 14 Public Square, has drinks, food and games of pool. There are also some coffee options, including FullBrooks Cafe, 6 Public Square, which also has food and baked goods.
Residents like Talon Morris, who grew up just outside of Nelsonville and lived there until she was 19, appreciate the community. Morris’ parents used to have a photography studio in the square.
When Morris goes back to visit Nelsonville, she always sees new businesses that have popped up. Morris reminisced about Final Fridays, a tradition Nelsonville used to have every last Friday of the month, when there would be a theme, and shops and galleries would open their doors with additional vendors sometimes attending. The booths would have different things to sell like jewelry, art and baked goods, as well as many handmade items.
“It just felt like everybody just knew everybody and somehow everything was connected,” Morris said.
