By Mary Owen
Believing fitness partners with health, the owners of Where to Start Fitness have opened their own health store in Stayton.
“Several years ago, I attended a class at Silverton Natural Health,” said Tirzah Hawkins, who owns the businesses with her husband, Daniel.
“The natural health practitioner there was so knowledgeable and passionate about health that I wanted to know more.”
The practitioner recommended the Trinity School of Natural Health to Hawkins, who began her studies there in November 2012. After completing her Nutritional Consulting Certificate at the beginning of 2015, she started seeing clients at Where to Start Fitness.
“I realized shortly thereafter that the gym was not going to be big enough to accommodate all of my aspirations,” Hawkins said.
In May 2015, the couple talked to the owner about purchasing Vital Health in downtown Stayton.
“I spent the summer learning how to operate the store,” Hawkins said. “On Nov. 3, we signed the closing papers.”
Now open, Where to Start Natural Health offers health supplements, homeopathic remedies, sport supplements, meal replacements, healthy snack options, healthy cooking ingredients, natural foods and sweeteners, sprouting supplies, and health and beauty products.
“We have a wide selection of supplements,” Hawkins said. “If we don’t have what you need, we will try to find it.
“In the new year, we are excited to be adding nutritional consulting, natural health classes, and healthy eating support groups,” Hawkins added.
To date, customer response to the couple’s acquisition of the health store has been positive, Hawkins said.
“People are excited that this store is going to stay in the community and are looking forward to attending the variety of classes and other services that we will offer,” she said.
Where to Start Fitness members have the added benefit of getting discounts on the natural health classes and will receive other special offers through the gym’s Facebook page and newsletter, she added.
“All our customers will frequently find good sales,” she said. “While we are currently open for business, we look forward to a grand opening in January. The name will remain the same for a little while as we slowly transition it over to Where to Start Natural Health.”
Hawkins invites people to stop in to view the “great gift ideas for the holidays, including custom-made baskets and stocking stuffer ideas for everyone.”
Where to Start Natural Health is at 238 N. Third St., just one block over and south of Where to Start Fitness at 370 N. Second St. A tab to sign up for its e-newsletter is on its Facebook page, WtSNatural Health
For more information, call Hawkins at 503-767-4094.
