Going organic seems to be the current trend that is lining grocery store shelves and health and beauty shops.
Now Oxford is getting in on the organic buzz as Oxford residents Troy and Laura Farwell and Lakeville resident John LoVasco are partnering to open Simple Organics, a wellness boutique that will feature all organic food, supplements and body care products and a wellness trainer.
Located at 115 S. Washington St., Simple Organics plans to offer customers a different experience from the moment they walk into the door.
‘We are not a traditional health food store; we call ourselves a wellness boutique,? Troy.
Farwell prides Simple Organics on the fact that everything in the store is 100 percent pure organic, meaning without any chemicals, fertilizers and it has to be harvested in a certain way.
‘The seed was organic, the processing was organic (and) they weren’t contaminated with anything else,? Troy said. ‘We are very particular, we don’t play the gimmicks. We want to make sure the products are truly organic all the way through, not just a little bit of water thrown in there with a little bit of lavender.?
Farwell, who has a background as a herbalist and a nutritionist, and has previously worked in the health food industry as a store owner and consultant, said he has a higher standard for his products.
‘When it comes to quality, I am such a pain when it comes to selecting a product that I will go back to the original source and find out who is manufacturing it, where they get it, where the seed comes from,? he said.
Simple Organics offers four areas of expertise for their customers.
The store offers a food co-op program, where for a membership fee, community members can purchase products at reduced prices than what would be found at bigger grocery store chains.
‘Anything that you can get, boxed, canned, frozen, everything besides fresh produce, they (customers) will have the opportunity to place a weekly order and pick-up their food,? Laura said.
Troy added that Simple Organics has the chance to create a sense of community and become a place where people could gather together and exchange extra items they purchased in the store.
In addition to the food co-op, supplements will be available for purchasing.
‘Every single product we buy off of what I know works best in a clinical setting and what works best for the customer at the best price,? John said.
He added that a lot of the products in the store are usually only sold to practitioners, medical doctors and herbalists, etc.
In addition to natural supplements, Simple Organics will also sell 150 products that they personally developed and formulated.
Simple Organics offers beauty care products. They offer skin care products that are 100 percent organic and biodynamic, lotions made from organic coconut oil along with other various products for body care.
Along with being organic, most of their body care products are about 90-95 percent vegan, according to Troy.
Another unique feature of Simply Organics is the wellness coaching Troy will do inside the store. People can come in and ask for advice.
In addition to in-store products, their website, www.simple-organics.net will have over 14,000 products available.
Simple Organics had it’s grand opening on Monday, Nov. 1. Normal store hours are Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The store is closed Sunday and Monday.
For more information, call (248) 236-0027.