New Marietta pop culture shop opens after record business month for Ohio

New small businesses are usually a good sign for the economy and last month, Ohio saw a record number of new business filings.

A record 13,747 new entities filed to do business in the Buckeye state in March. Filing doesn't assure a business will open but state officials credit the increase to a friendly business environment.

A retro pop culture shop, the N'Oasis, opened its doors on Scammel street in Marietta earlier this month. The owners say everything came together at the right moment to open up their dream spot.

"There seems to be a rise in small businesses and, especially with the state of Ohio, they've reached out and helped us out quite a bit," co-owner Joe Carpenter said, "so it definitely seems like a good time for small businesses to take advantage."

Carpenter said he and his wife Amanda, along with her brother Ron, have always had a passion for pop culture. Their new shop offers arcade games, comics, trading cards, toys and more.

"We all had aspirations to own our own business and do something for ourselves," Carpenter said, "so this just seemed right up our ally…right now pop culture is very accepted and it's kind of the thing that kids are doing now."

Carpenter added that the atmosphere they've created in the shop gets to him every day he comes to work.

"I like the nostalgia," he added, "I like being able to walk in every day and relive my childhood."

Any business venture is a risk, but the owners said they feel they're filling a void missing here in Marietta and hope to be more than just a normal retail shop.

"We've actually had quite a few customers come in and tell us this is something that was needed in this town," Carpenter said. "It's definitely a risk. But we feel...the fact that we're in a college town and there isn't anything like this really around, we feel that it's going to be profitable."