Tricia Shyver has a trying year. She lost her cousin in a car accident in June and a month later, her husband passed away in a car accident, leaving her to raise their two children, ages 2 and 3, alone. What seemed like a total loss, she is turning into a way to give back to the community and carry out a dream she knows would make her husband proud.
“My cousin was named Kaytlin Lee and my husband’s name was Nate so I put the two names together to form Nāturaleigh, a natural parenting store that will offer unique products,” she said.
Shyver said her new business is possible because of the life insurance her husband left behind. She knows he wouldn’t want her to pass this opportunity up.
“If we had both been here together, and this money came into our family, I would have still had this dream and he wouldn’t have let me rest unless I had done it,” Shyver said.
The new store will offer products such as cloth diapers, wooden toys, baby carriers, a consignment section, organic clothing, Baltic Amber teething necklaces, organic stuffed animals, and non-toxic nail polish. In addition, Nāturaleigh will carry bamboo toothbrushes, bamboo plates and dishes.
The store will be located beside Robin’s Resale at 2410 New Hartford Road and will be open 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday.
“I want to keep focused on other small businesses as well; I have a sister’s friend who makes goat soap from her own goat’s milk,” Shyver said. “I’ll also be purchasing handmade toys from smaller sellers right here in the United States on Instagram and Etsy.”
Shyver said one of her focuses for the natural parenting store will be to carry products that one can’t just go to Walmart and Target and find.
“I will provide customers with a curated selection,” she said. “If I don’t like it, it won’t be in the store. Even with cloth diapers; I will offer the same ones I used on my own children.”
The original idea for this store came when Shyver was pregnant with her son Cas in 2015. Her sister talked to her about reducing plastic in the home, understanding the multiple chemicals in plastic, and what it could be like using more glass instead, and making more safe choices. It was then she decided to use disposable diapers to reduce waste and begin making conscious decisions about natural parenting.
“Since then, I have had several friends who said they wanted me to help them try disposable diapers or go more natural,” Shyver said. “I know I have made a small difference already and I hope to make a larger impact on the community.”
Nāturaleigh will also have a place for moms to breastfeed or pump without a purchase required. She will offer a Baby Wearers of Western KY lending library where people can check out and try different carriers. Although she’s been working with this group for over a year, this allows her the opportunity to work during open store hours rather than travel to meet families individually each time.
Eventually, Shyver would like to become a breastmilk bank and a cloth diaper bank for those in need. She said starting a new business is exciting because she has always been business-minded, and always wanted to be an entrepreneur.
“If my husband were here, this would probably have been the biggest celebration of our lives,” Shyver said. “Grand Opening is Nov. 4 on my late husband’s birthday.”
