Downtown Salem's Shops Grew Into Bigger Rooms This Year
October 29, 2026
October 29, 2026
"The look of it, the feel of it, it's the same, but it's bigger and more." That is how Tricia Ross described the new home of nature+nurture to WFMJ while her shop was still closed for the move.
"Bigger and more" fits most of downtown Salem in 2026. The year's biggest storefront news came from businesses moving into larger rooms, more than from new names. A two-story antique market moved up from a smaller shop in Columbiana. A bookstore moved down East State Street into a space with a classroom. Behind the largest move is a building on South Broadway that public grant money helped put back in working order. If you're planning holiday shopping close to home this year, the map has changed since last December.
The block at 145-165 S. Broadway Ave. once housed the Lion and Lamb bookstore. According to the Salem News, the building is owned by Teldar Real Estate. This year it got a new roof, electrical and plumbing work to bring it up to code, and accessibility upgrades under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
That work was partly paid for by a $250,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Development's Target of Opportunity Program and the Community Development Block Grant program. The Columbiana County Port Authority administered the grant. The contract went to Dennison Management Group, whose lone bid came in at $389,721. That puts the grant at about two-thirds of the construction bid. The rest of the cost fell to the private side of the partnership.
The Business Journal reported that the Port Authority and the Sustainable Opportunity Development Center called it the county's first grant-funded downtown revitalization project of its kind. The press release quoted by the Salem News called the project "a model for future revitalization efforts and continued investment throughout Salem's downtown district."
Roofs, wiring, and accessible entrances are invisible from the sidewalk, but they decide whether a large old storefront can hold a business at all. That explains how the next tenant could fill the building.
The Broadway Exchange now fills 165 S. Broadway Ave. Owner Taylor Harvey previously ran Magnolia & Co on Main Street in Columbiana. WFMJ reported that the Salem store spans two stories and has more than 30 vendor booths. WFMJ put the floor space at 7,000 square feet, and the store's own site lists 8,000. Either figure is a big jump from a Main Street storefront.
The ribbon cutting was on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 9:30 a.m., followed by a day of celebration with a treasure hunt through the store, giveaways, and vendor specials.
A shop with 30 or more vendor booths works differently from a single-owner boutique. Each booth is its own small business, so the stock turns over as vendors restock. Two visits a few weeks apart can feel like two different stores. The Exchange's posted hours also run later than most of downtown:
It is one of the few downtown stops open on a weekday evening or a Sunday afternoon.
nature+nurture went through the same kind of upgrade at the other end of downtown, but the owner stayed in Salem. The shop closed in February to move "just down the street," WFMJ reported, and the new address is 553 E. State St. Ross told the station the bigger space would add furniture, more handicrafts, and a classroom paid for with a grant.
The doors are open now. The shop's homepage says it "has officially begun welcoming visitors" at the new address and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It also says more of the bookstore and the classroom are "yet to come to life." The events page lists possible programs for that classroom: nature journaling, writing workshops, handicrafts, author visits, book clubs, and gatherings. For now, the shop describes its calendar as quiet.
"I just want to thank Salem. I wouldn't be able to open without everybody's support, so it definitely feels like a community event." Tricia Ross, speaking to WFMJ at the fourth nature+nurture Makers Market
That market lined downtown streets with makers for its fourth year while the shop was still between addresses. The event outlasted the closure, so the shop's following was still there when it reopened.
Food is the one area where this year's openings went smaller. Two places opened in June, a little ahead of the shops above, and both serve quick, focused lunches.
Delight on Broadway, 119 S. Broadway. Greg Hoffman and his wife opened this bagel shop on June 15, and WKBN reported that the bagels come straight from New York. Gluten-free and keto bagels are also on the menu. Hoffman described the method to the station: sandwiches are toasted, assembled with meat and cheese, then steamed, so the cheese melts without losing "the crunch of the toasted." WFMJ reported that it is carryout only and doesn't take tips, with opening hours of Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Those are the hours it opened with, so check with the shop before you go.
Kravitz Deli, 127 Penn Ave. WYTV reported on June 4 that inspections were finished and the Salem location could welcome customers. The deli's Salem page currently lists Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Neither place needs much room. The large rebuilt storefronts went to retail, and the newest food on these blocks comes in carryout portions.
The hours above barely overlap. All four businesses are open Wednesday through Saturday, but they close at different times, and the earliest closing comes first. A Saturday route that catches everything:
Sunday leaves only the Exchange, from noon to 4 p.m. On Monday, Delight on Broadway is the only one of the four with listed hours.
These storefronts will look different by the end of the season. The Salem Area Chamber of Commerce runs a Holiday Window Decorating Contest. Businesses must have their windows decorated by Dec. 1, and winners will be announced Monday, Dec. 7, at noon. Businesses that want to be considered for voting have to contact the Chamber by Nov. 9.
Here's what's on the calendar between now and then:
Salem is part of a county-wide trend. In March 2026, the Salem News reported a Columbiana County Port Authority count of 29 new businesses across seven walkable downtowns, including Salem's. The same count found at least 131 street-level spaces with room for more. The Broadway project is the first rebuild of its kind in the county, and with that many open storefronts, it may not be the last.
I've worked these blocks for more than twenty years, and it's good to see shops moving into bigger rooms here. If you own an older downtown building, or you're thinking about a home within walking distance of Broadway and State, I'm glad to talk through what this year's changes could mean for you. Valerie Park is always happy to hear from you. Let's Connect.
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