Date: Fri 03-Apr-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: SUZANN

Quick Words:

business-Earth's-Pantry

Full Text:

Doing Business In Partnership With The Earth

(with cut)

BY SUZANNA NYBERG

When Earth's Pantry opened last November at 630 Main Street in Monroe it

helped to bring more natural, chemical-free products to the area. The food

market sells organic groceries, more than 100 varieties of herbal and organic

teas, vitamin supplements, environmentally-safe cleaning products, and both

natural baby and pet products.

Although the store is not completely vegetarian because vitamins have animal

additives, Earth's Pantry does not carry meat products. Instead it offers

meat-free and dairy-free alternatives, such as pizza with soy cheese or

dairy-free yogurt, which are also essential to those with allergies.

Owner Lorraine Williams already wants to expand the selection.

"It's important to have natural alternatives that won't affect people's

health," she said.

Ms Williams, who holds a master's degree in holistic nutrition from the

Clayton College of Natural Health in Alabama, maintains that herbal tinctures

can help the demeanor of jealous pets or restless children. She says that raw

honey has more nutrients, such as bee pollen and propolis, than processed

brands. She also encourages people to wash their clothes with non-chlorine

bleach because chlorine pollutes the environment.

"I enjoy helping people improve their lives in a natural way," she said,

noting that attitudes toward natural remedies are changing as people become

disillusioned with traditional medicine. Many of her products, such as St

John's Wort, an herbal remedy used to alleviate depression, and echinacea,

another natural remedy that boosts the immune system, have moved from the

fringe to the mainstream due to the concern about the toxic side effects of

traditional medicines.

Ms Williams predicts that prices for natural foods will continue to decrease

as the demand rises.

She also said that as more farmers are turning to organic methods, prices will

drop. "Organic farming is labor intensive," she said. "Since farmers can

neither spray nor fertilize, they must do everything by hand."

Although demographic studies indicate that women in their 40s with children

frequently patronize natural food stores, Ms Williams reports that a wide

variety of people, including body builders and vegans, people who do not

consume animal products, have shopped with her.

A Holistic View

Ms Williams' training encourages her to look at a person as a whole to make

that person well again. Instead of treating symptoms that often cover up

ailments as in traditional medicine, she takes into account related factors,

such as stress and diet. "Holistic nutritionists don't just talk to someone

for two minutes and then write a prescription," she said.

While she is able to point the novice to natural foods in the right direction,

she maintains that allopathic, or traditional doctors, still have an important

role to fulfill. "Allopathic doctors are necessary for traumatic illnesses or

car accidents," she said. "Naturopathic physicians can prevent or supplement

the work of the allopathic doctor."

A resident of Ansonia, Williams enjoys biking and hiking. She has been a

vegetarian for six years, making the change both for health and ethical

reasons, and has found it to be a healthier lifestyle.

She has found opening her first business a challenge. "It took five hours to

unload the opening order from the truck. Then it had to be priced and

stocked," she said. Her niece, Amanda Fenton of Ansonia, helps make the job

easier.

Seminars & Lectures

In addition to retail sales, Earth's Pantry offers free monthly seminars on

natural health and natural healing. A naturopathic physician and natural

healer address alternative strategies for health, such as natural approaches

to arthritis and headaches as well as aromatherapy and reike, the transfer of

energy through the laying on of hands. A free lecture on reike will be Monday,

April 6, at 7 pm. For more information, call 203/452-8039.

Earth's Pantry is open Monday to Saturday, 10 am-7 pm; Sunday, noon-5 pm.