BY JOSH DAVISNorth Country This Week

CANTON– Visitors to Nature’s Storehouse can soon look forward to dining in, with plans in the works to add a cafe, seating, and roughly double the overall space of the Main Street business.  

Documents from architectural firm LaBella Associates state that the expansion will add more than 2,000 square feet to the health food store’s total area, incorporating the storefront previously occupied by North Country Housing Council at 19 Main Street. 

In May, the village of Canton was awarded $4.5 million in state Restore NY funds, $497,000 of which was earmarked for the Nature’s Storehouse expansion. 

Nature’s Storehouse purchased the adjacent interior building space from the Housing Council with plans to raise the floor of the office space and convert it into a small café with a kitchen, seating area, and extended grocery mercantile space. While Nature’s Storehouse has long been associated with their healthier grocery and food items, prepared foods have always been limited to takeout and self-serve selections.  

The project will also modify the facade of the building, widening the glass panels facing Main Street and adding a double door. 

The Restore NY press release announcing the $497,000 grant award for the Nature’s Storehouse construction said that the expansion would take place “while renovating upper-story residential units,” though there is no mention of residential space in the current plan. 

The project was also cleared of potential adverse environmental impact through a Type II State Environmental Quality Review resolution passed by the village. LaBella Associates recommended classifying the renovation as a Type II action exempt from environmental review due to its relatively limited scope. 

Because the construction will alter the facade of a building within Canton’s official Historic District, a representative from the state Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation may need to sign off on the work proposed.