By Charlotte Wooldridge | posted on March 20, 2020
THE wait is finally over as The Health Nut reopened its doors with a makeover and five new owners.
Albany locals Marie O’Connell, Birdie Hatter, Emma Polette, Rachel Pontin and Anne Sparrow have all put in as a collective of five women to keep the business alive.
Joint owner Anne Sparrow noted the value the store has brought to Albany over its time servicing the community.
“It’s been here for 30 years and has such a good rapport with the community, so when we saw it was about to close down we thought we have to keep it open,” she said.
“There are a lot of long-term customers and it’s become a bit of an institution here in Albany.”
Co-owner and Manager Emma Polette was impressed with the community response once word got out that the business was being saved.
“Our first post on Facebook had over 220 likes because people are just so excited that the shop was going to stay open,” she said.
“We’ve gotten lots of positive comments and shares and all of that sort of stuff.”
While the store will remain mostly the same, the women have made some cosmetic changes to the business to breathe new life into the space.
The idea to buy the business as a collective will continue the longevity of the store, which first opened in 1992.
“It’s a bit more tricky for one person to come in and buy it alone, so coming in with a collective is making it more viable,” Ms Sparrow said.
“We don’t all have to carry the load of one person doing all of the admin, we can all bring different skills to the table and be supportive of each other.”