Finding your niche in life is something that can take years, explains this mother of three and local store owner.

As Nancy Cushman heads into her 10th year in business at Seasons Gift Shop in Norwich, she explains although it is a different career path than she originally imagined, she can’t imagine being anywhere else.

The oldest of ten children, Nancy grew up in Medina in western New York. “It’s a big family, but we are very close-knit, and we have a lot of fun,” she said. Cushman explains being the oldest, she of course was the first to go off to college.

Nancy went to Alfred University to study sociology and soon thereafter, met the man she would marry. Jim Cushman and Nancy were married while still attending college, and following graduation, the couple moved to Ohio so Jim could attend law school.

As a child, Jim would spend summers and vacations at his grandparents’ home in Plymouth. The couple knew they wanted to come back to upstate New York and decided to take a look around the Norwich area. “All the other lawyers and the bar were great,” said Nancy.