When Allan Beil opened the Healthy Pursuit Wellness Center in early October, shelves in the Middlefield store contained the best varieties of organic and natural herbs, teas, supplements and vitamins he could find.
When Allan Beil opened the Healthy Pursuit Wellness Center in early October, shelves in the Middlefield store contained the best varieties of organic and natural herbs, teas, supplements and vitamins he could find.
After 16 years on the road selling vitamins and supplements to health food stores, Beil believes he has a prime assortment for area residents and the largest selection of organic bulk herbs in Northeast Ohio.
He wants to make his knowledge pay off for people seeking a better nutritional and physical existence for themselves and their pets.
Beil has a business vision that encompasses much more than selling bottles of capsules, a few healthy groceries and measures of leaves and flowers.
“We want to do it all here,” he said, gesturing around the bright, light storefront across North State Street from the village fire and police stations.
“When people come in here, I want them to think of health and education,” Beil said.
The storefront at the end of a plaza of small businesses and offices is a lot bigger than it looks.
Beil has set up shop in a 4,500-square-foot space, including several rooms in the rear that are already drawing some business.
The large community room would be an ideal space for guest speakers on various health topics, healthy-food cooking classes and even movie night, he said.
Chiropractor Dr. Anthony Jones and licensed massage therapist Becky Peterson will treat patients in an office behind the retail store.
Beil also has hopes of expanding the wellness center to include reiki healing, which is good for balance, he said.
“We want to bring in lots of different healing methods,” Beil said. “It’s all about education.”
A quick tour of the shelves reveal Boiron’s herbal hair color gel, homeopathic medicines and chemical-free cleaning products.
There is a growing market for organic pet food, he said, adding cans of Happy Hips duck and sweet potato stew dog food are stacked in a separate section at the front of the store.
Venison and salmon stew is also available. Vitamins and supplements for dogs help keep canine joints healthy, said Rebecca Toth, Beils’s assistant.
Toth said her Welsh corgi, Edgar, has benefited from Rescue Remedy stress tablets and they plan to expand their offerings for animals.
Although he has put in a lot of hours getting the center up and running, Beil said it has been worth it, at least in part because it got him off the road selling products he now has in place.
More importantly, he wants to make a healthy impact in the area and for people to begin to understand what wellness is all about, Beil said.
“We want to change their lives,” he added.
