CAMDEN — Venita Robertson took over Nature's Choice at 87 Elm St. in Camden in September. Nature's Choice has been Camden's health food store for 31 years, 20 years in its current location. Former owners Howard and Martha Etter owned and operated the store for its entire history. Martha passed away this past spring and Robertson was able to purchase it.

Nature’s Choice Grand Opening Celebration, Dec. 2, 3 and 4, with free drinks and samples.

"It was going to be sold or closed, and I kind of found out about it in the 11th hour,” said Robertson. "Everything just kind of fell into place and now I have a store."

Robertson said she will try to restock the tried and true items that people are accustomed to purchasing there.

"I want to rebuild the supplement section so there is a great vitamin variety," she said. "Great snacks, a grocery section, personal care and a health and beauty section.”

In keeping with the past, the store is all-natural.

"The items tend toward organic," she said. "The store is not 100 percent organic, but it's like nontoxic personal care, nontoxic household items."

One can't step into the store and not notice the large red tent in a corner.

"I made the tent two years ago and the space fit perfectly so I had to put it in there," she said. "It's for R&R and educational purposes, but there is a Red Tent Movement about and I worked with a woman who kind of spear heading it in the U.S."

The Red Tent Temple Movement is all about women and celebrating women for being women.

"It's about the cycles that a woman goes through in her life," she said. "It's about making it a normal part of life, because over the years it's something we should talk about, but we haven't. It's about not making it under the table or undercover."

Robertson was originally from Belfast, but lived most of her adult life away from Maine, the last 10 years in Washington State.

"It's three years now I'm back in the area," she said. "And I have lived in Camden before."

Robertson said retail is a new animal to her; her background is in elder and hospice care.

"I've had a passionate interest in nutrition and health since I was a teenager." She said. "I became a vegetarian at 15, much to the raising of my family's eyebrows. I have a health care background. I've studied and trained and have holistic modalities. I can help. People come in when they feel a cold coming on and want to know what they can do about it naturally."

Robertson said it's about treating ourselves before we get too sick.

"This is a blast and I really love this," she said. "I appreciate all the support. The community loves having this store here. I have to thank the previous owners for that. I'm still grinding peanut butter just like Howard did. It's totally fresh peanut butter. And I'm going forward from here with everything I mentioned."

Nature’s Choice will be open seven days a week through the holidays, from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m.

When you enter the store, you'll notice red hearts lining the walls. They are from an artist who calls herself Robinsunne. She is creating 1,001 hearts and Robertson has some hanging in the store. She said Robinsunne is up to around 350 hearts right now.