Nature's Nook Children's Toys & Books

Our Mission:

Welcome to Nature's Nook Children's Toys and Books, your ultimate destination for imaginative play, artistic exploration, and endless enjoyment in Minot, North Dakota. As the premier toy store in the area, we carefully curate a diverse selection of toys, books, and engaging activities that foster your child's development. At Nature's Nook, we believe in the power of play to nurture young minds. Our thoughtfully stocked store features a wide range of toys and books that inspire creativity, ignite curiosity, and promote learning. From dolls and action figures to captivating puzzles and craft kits, our collection caters to a variety of interests and age ranges.

In addition to our dedication to play, we have expanded our offerings to embrace artistic exploration. Discover our dedicated section for art supplies, where you'll find vibrant paints, brushes, canvases, and sketchbooks to nurture your child's artistic flair and imagination. Immerse your child in our engaging art camps during the summer, where they can explore hands-on projects and crafts, discovering various mediums such as watercolors, acrylic paintings, and oil pastels under the guidance of experienced instructors. Throughout the school year, our after-school arts and crafts programs cater to different age groups, from pre-K to family art sessions, further nurturing their creativity.

We also proudly host art classes for adults called Sip and Paint, offering a fun and relaxing environment for all skill levels. Unleash your inner artist and create your masterpiece using acrylic paints while enjoying the company of fellow art enthusiasts. Some sessions may even include beverages and delicious bites to enhance the experience. As a locally-owned business, we are deeply committed to our community. Your support is invaluable to us, and we are honored to be a part of your child's magical journey of play, discovery, and artistic expression.

Visit Nature's Nook Children's Toys and Books today and experience the joy of play, imagination, and artistic exploration. We look forward to welcoming you and your family to our nurturing environment.

Our Toy Story:

Our toy store has a rather unique beginning. Owning an independent, locally owned, and operated toy store wasn’t necessarily where we saw ourselves during our “when I grow up years” - but I am so grateful that life has brought us this opportunity and being able to serve our community. We started small - very, very small. This is how our space received its name: Nature’s Nook Children’s Boutique.

We opened in 2015 in Bottineau, ND inside of a quilt shop with 300sq ft of floor space. A few months later, we wanted to add books to our selections and we acquired another 500 sqft of space in the backroom for this expansion. We entered another season of life, a retirement for Dave, which led us to consolidate our lives to Minot, ND, and be able to open up our storefront in a brand new building in a space designed for our growing business! Thanks to this move, we were able to add additional display space as well as a space for kids to be creative!

Being creative was a large part of my (Deb’s) childhood and has played a large role in the different offerings available at Nature’s Nook Children’s Toys & Books. On Mother’s Day in 2016, Nature’s Nook Children’s Toys & Books had its Grand Opening in Minot, ND. Initially, the store was run by both of us, Dave & Deb, while setting up in the new location. Today, you’ll mostly see Deb’s face, along with a few of our other wonderful employees. Dave handles more of the backend responsibilities - however, you may see him during the big event weeks in Minot when the other employees are running pop-ups or birthday parties.

In 2021, the store celebrated its 5th anniversary in Minot. We were happy to provide access to virtual classes as well as different non-screen & electronic free toys during that uncertain time amid a Global Pandemic. We love being a part of the community as the local, independent, ASTRA toy store. The mission to Unplug & Play has been embraced by our community and we love being able to provide play options that you won’t find in the big box stores. Also offering a safe space for kids and families where messy play is embraced and encouraged has provided such a fulfillment for us as local store owners. We are also so appreciative of our supportive, and understanding community, who help support us and have allowed us to grow over these past few years.

The Art Story:

Why create with us? Deb was raised by a professional artist, Magdalena Burger, who used an array of materials for her artwork: pen and ink, watercolors, oils, and even acrylic paint. With an entire art studio at her disposal, Deb was encouraged to create and design! Her mother taught her how to sketch, paint, do handcrafts, and sew. Playing outside, climbing trees, finger painting, swimming, and being free to run wild in her environment fostered a love of creating within Deb. Thanks to this exposure, Deb has been able to learn many fantastic creative techniques that she shares with her students who take classes with her at Nature’s Nook Children’s Toys & Books.

In addition to her art-influenced childhood, Deb was also a teacher in California for 10 years while raising her children, which has allowed her to bring her experience from these years into her classes at the store. In addition to having an undergraduate degree in psychology focusing on child development, Deb’s graduate degree was from seminary, and has a Masters in Divinity, so she is a fully ordained minister with the Presbyterian Church USA.

Raised by a professional artist, became a teacher, and later a minister Deb is passionate about family and children. Deb is one of the most unique and well-rounded art instructors in the area. Come and get messy with Nature’s Nook Children’s Toys & Books during their next class!

Oh, and we didn't even mention our wonderful balloon art.