Nature's Emporium provides
pet supplies and oddities to
tlie community for 40 years
Sarah Carideo
Senior Reporter
Nature's Emporium,
owned by Roger Oaks,
is a hidden gem in fhc
Elon community and
has been locally owned
for 40 years.
“Once you come in
and see everything we
have, you’ll be a repeat
customer," said Manager
Kevin Brown. "One day
is not enough to look
around because there
are so many unique
things you won’t be able
to find anywhere else.”
This 20,000 square
foot space provides
home and garden
accents, unique gifts, pet
supplies as well as other
products and services.
Nature’s Emporium
sells fish, reptiles,
snakes, birds, rabbits,
chinchillas, hamsters
and guinea pigs.
“We have a little bit
of everything so there’s
never a dull moment,"
Brown said. “There’s
always something new
to see or learn about."
Customers are
allowed to bring their
pets into the store with
them, but leashes are
encouraged.
Customers and
their pets are Brown's
favorite part of the
job, he said. One of the
most unique aspects of
the store is that there
are topic specialists
who have experience
and are well versed
and knowledgeable,
according to Brown.
There are pet
nutrition specialists, one
of which has worked for
eight years, according to
Brown. These people are
important because if a
person brings in his or
her dog with concerns
about its health and
nutrition, the specialists
can help identify any
problems and how to
solve them.
Junior Katie O'Brien
experienced this
firsthand when she went
to Nature’s Emporium
to buy a fish. She spoke
with a specialist and
they encouraged her to
“get a starter fish before
getting a real one.”
Inadditiontoupdating
its logo, storefront
and motto, the store
is going to experience
some larger changes
soon as it expands to
accommodate a larger
garden section to house
more varieties of plants.
The store recently
launched its new
greenhouse and garden
shop area with Tammy
Garland as its in-house
container garden
specialist. Garland has
ALL PHOTOS BY HEATHER CASSANO | Photo Edrtof
Top Left: Nature’s Emporium on South Church Street sells garden accents, unique gifts and pets.
Top Right: Pets sold at the store include fish, guinea pigs, birds, ferrets, rabbits and hamsters.
Bottom Right: Gina Tanner is the daughter of the owner of Nature’s Emporium, Roger Oaks.
owned a client-based
garden shop and worked
with assorted clientele
such as the Biltmore
Estate. Her specialty is
working with orchids.
“The great thing
about us is that we’re a
local business, so we’re
supporting the local
community,” Brown
said. She encourages
everyone to come check
out the store as they
receive new supplies
every day.
MORF ONI INF- QTYI F
VIDEO:
Meet the
owners and
animals of
Nature’s
Emporium.
http://bit.ly/
TPOnature
L
1
KAi vVrbtl
Top 6: deals at the outlet mall
Lauren Ramsdell
Arts and Entertainment Editor
Last November, there
was a mad rush to the new
Tanger Outlet Mall to stock
up on super-sales and the
hype hasn’t died down. It's
still difficult to find parking
and the breezeways between
stores can get crowded, but
the outlets are worth a second
look. Here are the six best
deals at Tanger Outlets and
where to find them.
I. J.Crew’s student discount
Many well-heeled Elon
students already take
advantage of J.Crew’s collegiate
love. At checkout, display your
Phoenix Card for a 15 percent
discount off of already low-
outlet prices. The fine print
does say that the discount
can’t be combined with other
offers, including clearance,
so a sale piece will remain at
50 percent off, not 65 percent.
But any little bit can help move
those delectable chambray
shorts from the rack into your
wardrobe.
2. Rack Room Shoes: BOGO
every day
Rack Room Shoes does a
great job advertisingits already
low prices and combining
them with buy-one-get-one
50 percent off deal every
day of the year. This already
incredible savings combined
with outlet deals makes
snagging some new boat shoes
easier on the wallet.
3. HanesBrands factory
store
A little piece of cloth
like a sock or an undershirt
shouldn’t cost an arm and a
leg. That’s why the mammoth
HanesBrands factory store is
such a great resource. All of
those little clothing items
you need but don’t want to
spend a paycheck on are at
rock-bottom prices, and the
selection is enormous.
4. Oakley Vault starts at
half off
Although it hasn’t opened
yet,theOakleyoutletpromises
savings on 50 to 70 percent
on its signature sunglasses
and even backpacks, shoes
and luggage. When it does
open, expect to pay S20-S50
for a pair. Prices are still
expensive, but much cheaper
than full price.
5. Banana Republic is
classier than Old Navy
Since Old Navy is located
right down the street on Elon
University Drive, here’s a
little secret: they're owned
by the same company.
That means any gift card
you might get from well-
meaning parents can also be
applied to purchases at the
higher-end Banana Republic.
Discount prices and racks
of clearance apparel make
Banana Republic a good place
to get nice clothes for cheap.
hink SI5 skirts and pants at
oO percent off.
6. Burlington Brands
closeout deals
In this unassuming
glass-front store lies the
best kept secret in the mall.
The highest price you'll be
expected to pay is $13.99-
Basic T-shirts start at S3.99
and feature surplus from
JC Penney and Target. The
pants can be a little stuffy,
but for shirts, Burlington
Brands can’t be beat.
Next time you need som&
newclothes, undergarments,
shoes or sunglasses,
fuU-price establishments
like Southpoint Mall m
Durham or even Target on
University Drive. Nothing
really beats a deal,
Tanger Outlets is full of
them.