Simone Ruetz left and Jeffrey Coyell stand behind the cash register at the health food store outside of Haliburton. Jeffrey and Kelly Coyell owners of the Haliburton Bulk Food Store recently purchased Marty's Health Food Store where Ruetz is the manager. The two stores will operate in their current locations until the end of the summer when the products from Marty's will be moved into the bulk food store location at 30 York St. The businesses will come together under the name: Haliburton Supplements and Bulk Food Store. /JENN WATT Staff

Haliburton Supplements and Bulk Food Store brings two businesses together

The consolidation of Marty’s Health Food Store and the Haliburton Bulk Food Store will bring together two similar businesses in one convenient location without changing what either of them offers.

Haliburton Bulk Food Store owners Jeffrey and Kelly Coyell bought the longstanding health food store in May and intend to continue carrying the products customers enjoy.

For now the two businesses will operate in their usual locations: the health food store on Highway 118 near Harburn Road and the bulk food store at 30 York St. in Haliburton.

In August the two will come together at 30 York St. with the health food and supplements moving to the bulk food store. The two businesses together will become Haliburton Supplements and Bulk Food Store.

“It’s business as usual” Jeffrey Coyell said in an interview last week. “People say are you going to carry my teas in here? Are you going to carry my probiotics? Are you going to carry my supplements? Yes. Everything is status quo. If anything we anticipate on expanding further.”

Coyell said they’ve wanted to expand for years now and they approached Marty’s Health Food Store owners Marty and Rolf Gryciuk at just the right time.

“I approached Rolf and Marty and they were looking at selling. I’m not certain for how long but I came in at the right time and they both wanted to retire and move on to a simpler life. They’d been at this for 28 years in various places” he said.

The fibre and knitting supplies were not part of the sale.

The health food store’s manager Simone Ruetz will continue in her role. She job shadowed Rolph during her nine months with Marty’s and learned about much of the business during that time. Now the Coyells will be learning from her.

“It’s going to be educational and I hope customers will educate me and over time I’ll be able to return the favour” Jeffrey said.

The Coyells were living in Toronto before they made the decision in 2012 to move to Haliburton drawn to the area because Kelly’s family cottaged in West Guilford.

They’ve enjoyed running the bulk food store but recently felt the desire to do something more.

“You need growth” Coyell said. “The opportunity presented itse lf and I jumped on it.”

Putting both locations together on York Street will make shopping more convenient for customers and will provide access to those who don’t drive or who find it difficult to find a ride outside of the downtown. Plus Coyell said the two businesses share a high percentage of their clientele already.

“Eighty-five per cent of people who walk through this door [at the health food store] I know them by name because they show up in my [bulk food] store. They’re regulars” he said.

Coyell said he’s looking forward to learning about new products and meeting new customers.

“I’m passionate about people meeting people” he said. “… It’s not your typical grocery store. It’s intimate. People have a chance to chat. … It makes the day interesting. I know it sounds crazy but I’m very passionate about it.”

Phone numbers for the two locations remain the same. Contact the health food/supplement store at 705-457-3216; and the bulk food store at 705-457-1456. The combined business’s website is www.haliburtonsupplementsandbulkfoods.com.