Abby's Prepared to Take On Whole Foods

When Whole Foods Market the opening of a new store in Northdale, Abby Sayler, the owner of independent health food store Abby’s Health and Nutrition, was unfazed.

Health food megastore Whole Foods has talked about opening a location nearby for years, Sayler said, so the news was unsurprising. Abby’s has established a presence on North Dale Mabry with the Carrollwood community, carrying vitamins, supplements and organic and natural produce. Whole Foods is a natural and organic grocery store with more than 300 stores.

Sayler says she’s accustomed to competition from Carrollwood stores like nearby Nutrition S’Mart, an organic food and vitamin store with six locations, and Vitamin Discount Center, another vitamin store on North Dale Mabry. Her clientele consists mainly of educated professionals who take responsibility for their health, she says, and many have been loyal customers since the store opened in 1997.

Having a Whole Foods nearby may attract some of her customers, Sayler speculates. But overall, she’s not worried.

“A downsize actually allows us to give more attention to each customer,” she said. “We’re very different from a corporate store that’s responsible to their stockholders rather than each individual that walks into the store … our mission is to help each and every customer.”

Sayler says Abby’s has an advantage over large stores like Whole Foods in its ability to respond quickly to customer demands. If customers ask her for a new product, she can put it on her shelves within a matter of days. Competitors like Whole Foods can’t provide that kind of instant service, she says.

Abby’s also serves as a resource for nutritional information and guidance. Sayler is a nutrition expert herself and regularly gives customers free one-hour nutritional consultations.

Abby’s is proud to offer education on nutrition from a number of professionals; at least once or twice monthly, experts on topics from raw food preparation to menopause to hydration come to Abby’s to give lectures, workshops or even cooking classes on their points of expertise.

“When you sell vitamins you have to find an educated, knowledgeable staff, and I’ve been very blessed in finding that,” Sayler said. “[Customers] will hang around because I’ve helped people over the years get better.”

While many local businesses have faltered in the face of a shaky economy, Abby’s has actually seen an increase in business over the past few years. Sayler says she believes customers are worried about the future of health care and they’ve been inspired to take responsibility for their health, using her store as a major resource.

“People are really worried, and with that worry they’re coming in to take care of themselves to keep themselves healthy,” Sayler said. “For me it’s been wonderful because I’m an educator, and the more people who want information, the more I can deliver.”

In response to a Whole Foods in the area, Sayler says Abby’s will continue doing what they do best: giving customers what they want. As per customers’ request, the store will work to carry more sugar-free and gluten-free product and sell more organic produce from local farms.

“I’m very happy with what’s going on with the store and I’m prepared to downsize if I need to,” Sayler said. “I think because of our uniqueness and because our customers have been shopping here a long time, even if they do shop for groceries [elsewhere] they’ll still be shopping for vitamins in our store.”