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Natural Health Store

This morning, after swinging my kettlebells at SMart studios I popped around the corner to the Natural Health Store on George Street to meet Annette and Brian. This lovely couple have been running the independent health shop for the last five years, having opened September the 1st 2011.



Annette Tuckey is Banbury born and bred, but had been absent from the community from 1979 until she returned in 2011 to fulfil her ambition to run her own well-being store. Before we even began the interview proper this passionate self-confessed chatterbox launched into an impassioned assessment of the shopping situation in Banbury. Today is a free parking day in all the local council car parks, in conjunction with small business Saturday. Her take on this, informed by the regular customers she chats with, was that paying for parking was only one hurdle shoppers face. The major issue is the spread of shops. If you wish to shop in Next, Currys, and smaller local shops, you have to drive to Banbury Gateway, Banbury Cross Retail Park, and town. Not hugely practical and a definite drawback for the smaller shops, such as her own.


It is therefore testament to the efforts of Annette and Brian that they have survived in the face of a major recession, expanding out of town shopping, and the budgetary limitations of independent trading.


Why, I asked, did they start this particular business? Brian was quick to chip in with “because we’re mad”, which was not wholly contradicted by Annette. She did however elaborate a little, adding it was her dream and passion. For many years before the leap, she was in banking, but was becoming increasingly fed up with the decreasing ethics of the industry. The push for sales above all else was not want she wanted. She needed to engage with her customers, find out what they required and offer them what was best for their personal requirements.


Knowing Annette now, I find it hard to reconcile her as anything other than the friendly, talkative face of a local health shop. From my perspective she is in her natural environment, doing exactly what she wants. This shows in her easy going relaxed attitude, and how she engages with her customers. Just after my interview had started, a regular popped in, and it was less like being in a shop, than being in the company of two friendly neighbours catching up on the week’s events.


Serendipitously, just as I was asking if Annette is able to give advice to her customers, one popped in and asked about a very specific product for her dreadlocks. As it turned out the store did not stock it, but Annette, with her former Boots employee head on, knew what the product was and suggested the lady try Savers or Superdrug. It was a scene reminiscent of one of my favourite seasonal movies, Miracle on 34th Street, where a man claiming to be the real Santa is given the job of Santa in Macy’s and starts suggesting customers can get other products from rival shops. This ‘customer comes first’ policy, in the movie, generates huge goodwill with customers, as it is contrary to the hard-sell concept. This certainly translates to the real-world because it would seem the Natural Health Store owes its continued existence to good quality word of mouth.


In the early days they tried advertising in newspapers, offering 20% discount vouchers. But this resulted in only one customer actually bringing the voucher in, not a raging success. They also tried using the radio service at Spiceball Leisure Centre, and although it garnered a little more response, it certainly wasn’t enough to justify the cost. In the end it was down to Annette to join local community groups and dive into some serious networking. Ultimately hard graft, and undoubtedly her personable aura, got her the footfall she needed. From there it has been mainly word of mouth that has built up their loyal and ever growing customer base. Although Annette rarely has the time for all the evening talks, she is still an integral part of the Banbury Old Town Association, which works hard to promote the town and the independent shops that lie at its heart.


It is the personal touch that Annette is able to offer that is at the heart of what the store represents. You get the in-depth knowledge that comes with actually talking to the owners of a shop. You get the friendly banter that takes the experience beyond customer service, and can actually progress to an actual friendship. You get the flexibility to place an order for anything you want that they don’t currently have stocked.


These two aren’t here because it’s a wage, a way of making-do, this is their life. In the five years they have been open they have been open six days a week, 9.30am to 5.00pm. They have no employees to cover and it was only this year that they closed on a day other than a Sunday or Bank Holiday for the first time. This was an excusable decision considering it was for a son’s wedding in Spain, and even then they only closed for five days, and gave all their regular customers plenty of warning.

You may be wondering what it is you will find in her store? The name Natural Health Store does leave it open to a variety of possibilities, and variety is definitely the keyword here. Inside is an Aladdin’s Cave of health and nutrition products. The front of the store is dedicated to supplements; tablets, creams, vitamins, minerals, things with names I’ve never heard before, a true cornucopia!


Annette explained that one of her favourite brands is Viridian, who are based not so far away in Daventry. She explained they supply top quality supplements, are an ethical business, and even offer a 25p per bottle recycling trade-in. Another best-seller, and one that Annette could not recommend too much was called Allicin Max. This is a pure garlic product which offers a wealth of health benefits far too long to list here. I was told it was evenly used famously on Countryfile to save dying trees in a national heritage site! She also highlighted Pukka, well known for their teas, also do fabulous, very pure supplements.


Delve deeper into the store and you’ll find the food section, chock full of wheat and gluten free this that and the other, oats, tamari, nut butters, pulses, beans, sauces, teas, oils, cereals, snacks, and more. If you can imagine it, you’ll find it there, if you can’t, it’s probably there too! Whether you are eating clean, on a restricted diet, exercising, dieting, or just want some healthy alternative you’ll undoubtedly find it here. These days coconut oil is the big seller, something I personally use and can advocate in all my own cooking!


Turn the corner and now you’re in the body care section where you will find personal grooming products made from natural organic ingredients, ethically sourced, and carbon neutral. Shampoo, body wash, face cream, lotions and potions for every part of your body! There’s also shopping bags, cleaning products, and well, pretty much everything you would need from a supermarket, but squeezed into a shop the size of the average living room!


Behind the counter, I spotted some Himalayan Salt Lamps. I had to ask if these were simply decorative or if they also had some health benefits. The answer should have been obvious, because everything in the store is designed to be beneficial, and these were no different. Brian was declared the salt lamp expert and explained they are natural de-ionisers, cleaning the air in the room, which is beneficial to all, being good for skin and in particular to those with breathing ailments, such as asthma, something I have suffered from in the past. The fact that they emit a pleasingly relaxing glow is simply an aesthetic bonus. These were their big sellers and I could see why. Quirky yet practical, with actual health benefits to boot, what’s not to love?


Annette showed me the brochures the shop holds that she always offers to customers, to keep them informed and up to date. She was very keen to explain they are constantly keeping on top of the current research, aiming to offer the most cutting edge natural remedies and advice.


You’d think all of the above would be enough for one little shop, but there are actually therapy rooms above the shop that various practitioners use. Amongst the therapists you can choose from is a Bowen Technique Therapist, an allergy tester, an aromatherapist and bach flower practitioner, who is also a cancer specialist registered nurse.


You really can go to the Natural Health Store and deal with any aspect of your health and well-being, all that’s needed is for them to join forces with SMart Health and Fitness and that would cover the activity aspect too!


As always, I asked how they would describe their business in one sentence. As always with this question there was a brief “ooh” and a pause, before the answer came to the fore: “We try and promote health and wellbeing” says Annette. “The natural way”, Brian adds. “The alternative NHS”, comes one last comment from Annette.


Annette and Brian offer something unique in this day and age, a touch of the personal within a retail environment.


Commercialised businesses have employees, who no fault of their own, have little chance to put a personal stamp to the work that they do. Often it is a means to an end, and you are in something more akin to a production line, where we rush, they rush, and we go our separate ways. Somehow they have managed to retain an old-fashioned way of retailing, where they care who you are, what you needs are, and take the time to offer you what you need. Annette in particular reflected a real nostalgia for the way life used to be during our conversation, and she has managed to represent the older ideals in her own inimitable style, on her terms, in a little shop that is there to serve the customer and nothing else. When answering what she loved about her job, it was the customers, the people of her community, and that ability to give them what they want.


What does the future hold? They would like to move, perhaps, one day, but only if the perfect place becomes available. For now, just over five years in, it is clear that they are happy with their decision and are going to be ready and waiting for patrons old and new for many more years to come.






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