Independent stores built this industry.
I found that out when I took a job as a Sports Nutritionist at a family-owned independent health food store in Lansing, Illinois back in 1997. I'll always remember my first day on the job. I was waiting for my training to start in the break room and there was a birthday cake on the table. It was for a lovely cashier I met that day named Jackie. I was sitting at the table in the break room when she came in, rustled my hair, and introduced herself. All these years later, I'm afraid I don't have any hair left for her to rustle, but I'm happy to say that lovely cashier is now my wife.
I never expected that job to turn into a career, but I experienced the same thing that a lot of others in our industry discover. While working at that store, I began to have a positive impact on my local community. That was a complete surprise. After being at the store for a few months, I learned a wealth of information about natural foods, and supplements, and bodycare (finding out about the junk they're allowed to put into conventional bodycare products was a SHOCKER!), and I was loving the opportunity to share it with our customers. But then something unexpected happened: Customers started coming back to the store and thanking me.
And that's when this industry got its hooks in me. I never expected it, and certainly never saw it coming, but all of the sudden I discovered what makes this industry so unique.
It's the opportunity to help others.
That's the reason independent health food stores got their start. It's the reason this industry grew from small mom and pop shops educating their local community about the importance of Organic foods to the billion-dollar behemoth it's become.
My career led me down some unexpected paths. I've been a broker, a national sales manager, a merchandiser, a marketing director, and even a writer, but through it all I've held onto that feeling I had at Sunrise Health Foods in Lansing, Illinois back in 1997 when the first customer came back to the store and thanked me for helping them feel better.
It's what makes independent stores special.
I know the chain stores are important. But throughout my career my heart was with the indies. Always has been, and always will be. And that's why I started Naturally Nested.
While the rest of the industry chases the giant chain stores, I prefer to hang out with the indies who started it all. I want to be where the buyers are walking the floors, talking to customers, discovering new trends, and making a difference in the lives of the people in their community.
At Naturally Nested, we focus solely on the indies. It's where my career began, and it's where it's going to end.
Aaron Wise
Co-Founder & CEO, Naturally Nested