VR: Can you please share with our readers some of your insights about the retail marketplace for natural products, especially as relate to independent health-food stores?

Southard: I feel that our independent natural product retailers have long-established their place in the natural products industry. DSHEA allowed so many of us to engage the communities we serve as a platform to “get involved” which saved our supplements.

You will not see Whole Foods or the big-box chains ever take a stand in the way our mom-and-pop businesses did. We are the legacy and therefore our experience, dedication, and willingness to do what it takes lives and breathes in every one of us.

COVID helped independents as we were deemed essential to people’s well-being. We gained customers who may have never stepped into our businesses but, by doing what we do, these customers are now added to our customer base and opened a new door to keep our businesses thriving.

This is how Independents are different.

We care and get to know our customers on a personal basis and, as recent studies have shown, people are tired of being sold a line of goods on the internet, with no one to be held accountable (the “bad players”) for ensuring that the information and marketing are responsible and credible.

In my store we have not changed what we offer in the way of categories, we do carry a little bit of everything that proves itself to be good sellers. We do seasonal items and we run reports to be sure our shelves are being stocked with what sells. We have cut our fresh foods because, in our area, our local farmers market and mainstream groceries have picked up more organics and are more affordable to our customers. Our frozen department is much smaller.

We support local every chance we get after closely looking at ingredients. People in our community have come to trust that strategy therefore they do not worry about items on our shelves because we have proved to them that we do our homework before a product is placed in our inventory.

Supplements have always been the largest focus for us and we are considered the most well-stocked, reliable on-shelf inventory of products. In addition, our pricing is competitive and usually better than other competitors in our area, including the bigger players. We are a good steward of our discounts and promotions as we pass them on. We joined INFRA over a decade ago and I truly believe that the negotiated deals they provide their membership have been a way we have kept a competitive edge. It has also saved staff many hours of negotiating deals with vendors.

I feel every store does their social media differently and, so, there is no right or wrong way. You know your market and what they respond to. What works in one area may not in others. We focus on our Loyalty Program.

Not to say we do not engage in social media, we do, but we have always concentrated our strongest efforts on the in-store experience. It’s about getting people in the store but keeping them in the store and having generational customers returning is all about their experience with you as well as a gauge of success.

This is our 31st year and much of that comes from the community involvement we have always engaged in from speaking to service groups, schools, and our city initiatives. We do health fairs of all kinds and donate regularly to about anyone who asks. We also support local missions with food.

Trade shows are in my opinion one of the best bangs for your buck, they have always been one of the most important places for me to be to enhance my business.

My first trade show and favorite is the SOHO EXPO in Orlando. It is also the longest-running show in the industry. Beyond the discounts you receive (which only were given if you attended, a practice that would solve the ROI for everyone!) and the networking that happens on every aisle, education was always my first reason to go. I can honestly say that I learned how to be the best retailer I could be through the fellowship with the educators and other retailers. I felt it gave me a family with the same issues and concerns as well as helped me with solutions. The relationships I have built all started at the show.

We are in the relationship business and, so, if you only rely on what you are sent from a company, hear from a phone call from inside sales or a rep — all of which are good — you do miss the ability to build YOUR support system and the critical relationships to your business! No one understands what you are facing or needing better than your fellow retailers and we need each other to not only keep our stores relevant but also thriving, as we have always done.

I am a member of SENPA, a 53-year-old non-profit organization of retailers, manufacturers, vendors, brokers, and nutritional counselors. After attending the show for many years I wanted to be a stronger part of the association that helped me build my business and joined the Board of Directors. I have served as education chair for five years and currently, it has been my honor to serve as president for the last four years. I could have never imagined how serving your peers has affected my life. My business has become an extension of a greater purpose and we both have gained invaluable tools for life and the things that all business owners come up against. I have a support system that I can trust and rely on.

I also have been a member of INFRA for over a decade. I feel INFRA has deeply furthered my understanding of things to enhance my business operations as well as given me many mentors that have shaped the retailer I have become. It is a beautiful community of like-minded people that gather all over the country for share groups. We also attend a yearly conference that is like a family reunion. The members range from single stores to multiple locations and, together, we have great buying power because of our numbers.

These two organizations, SENPA and INFRA, support and grow our ability to remain relevant in the ever-changing times within which we operate. I know personally these organizations support my business interests, and inform me of things I need to know promptly. I also depend on the network that surrounds me, my staff as well as my business.

I think one of the challenges that we face is in the area of advocacy. We need to get back to the grassroots of networking and educating to cultivate government partners. Nationally and in our states. You are seeing the attention of government agencies trying to negatively impact our industry.

We need someone on the Hill in our corner and representing our interests. This is not a sit back and see what’s going to happen time. Write, call, and visit your representatives because you have a large number of their voters in your stores every day! Use that platform. It is unimaginable that our retail locations, the gathering spots of people seeking a healthier way of life, be threatened. We live and work here in the USA for the freedom and right to forge a successful path in the industry.

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