Storing tips for healthy living

By Shane Whisler

Special to the News-Mirror

Eterna Health Food Store is the first step toward a vision.

Mansfield's own health food store is a big venture, but the owners see it as a first step to an entire wellness center.

A wellness center with massage therapy, acupuncture, alternative medicine, healthy cafe and more is the vision of partners Susanne Simmons Engelbert and Kay Ray, who opened Eterna in April.

The pair's drive to improve people's lives trumped any concerns about opening a retail store during slow economic times.

"We are not here to sell (customers) just anything," Ray said. "We want to them to have the right thing."

"If we don't know or have it, we'll find out," Engelbert added.

"We want our inventory to be customer driven," Ray said.

Engelbert observes that the difficult economy may actually help their business.

"People are tired of spending money on health care that isn't working for them," she said. "They are now taking their health into their own hands."

Bobby Henderson of Alvarado discovered Eterna last summer when he was headed to another Mansfield store to get a prescription filled. Before then, he usually drove to Arlington for health food needs.

"I got ill and needed herbal medicine and vitamins," Henderson said. "It is enjoyable just to talk to them. They are very knowledgeable."

Ray and Engelbert often build on each other's sentences, sharing their passion to educate. The quick-witted exchanges in the store underscores their love for their work and their friendship.

"I'd never do this with anybody but her," Engelbert said of Ray who welcomed her family to the neighborhood five years ago.

"Same here," Ray said.

Ray, who moved to Mansfield 12 years ago, is married with a teenage son. She is a former emergency medical technician. Now she is a registered massage therapist as well as a life coach and international speaker.

Engelbert and her husband have six kids, ranging in age from 14 to 27, and several species of pets. She formerly worked in a wellness center and is a certified nutritionist. She is also an instructor in the Korean martial art of Kuk Sool Won.

The store carries a variety of specialty foods, nutritional supplements, probiotics, essential oils, body care items, cleaning products and homeopathic remedies. They also sell hand-crafted items, including jewelry from local artist Lori Williams.

Customers can seek remedies and nutrition counseling in addition to the numerous products.

"They were so excited," said Donna Ciarkowski, who frequently shops at Eterna although she's "not a big health food nut."

"I'm kind of a granola freak," she admitted and added that she prefers their variety of granola over brands carried by large grocery stores.

"They carry a lot of locally made things and support the community," she said. "They are both very health conscious and they're in very good shape."

There may be no short cut to good health, but Ray and Engelbert will sit down with a customer who needs help finding a healthy path or a remedy for an ailments. They have a resource center in the store where customers can research how to improve their health.

The Eterna owners are compiling a remedy book based on their own ideas and tips from customers that they research before adding to the book. Tips include which household cleaning solutions or methods to use for particular problems.

"We're here for community service," Ray said.

Engelbert added that sometimes customers leave their store empty handed except for the name and number of a physician they recommended.

"We want to be a liaison between us and the right physician," Ray said.

Part of their community service and environmental stewardship is to offer rewards to customers who donate sacks that can be reused as shopping bags and give food donations that support a local food pantry. They are also available to speak in the community about nutrition and good health practices.

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