The Dawn of Golden Harvest: Our Humble Hippie Beginnings

 

Anita was sick of her child being ill all the time. A parade of doctors and a pile of medical bills had been unable to make her child better; in fact, her daughter was getting worse. Anita felt that the medical establishment had failed her family and decided the road to wellness must lie in a different direction. Anita began reading all she could and decided to pursue what was then considered quite radical in the late 1960’s; natural healing. Miraculously, her daughter Mindy, began to improve and Anita knew she was on the right path.

People who pursued natural healing in the late 1960’s were viewed as weird or eccentric; they were called "health nuts". But Anita never let the criticism and ridicule affect her; her daughter was living proof of the positive power of natural healing. Quite the pioneer of her time, Anita studied vitamins, herbs, essential oils and homeopathy, combining it with the knowledge from her medical background; friends and acquaintances came to her asking for assistance with their own medical mysteries or asking for her custom herbal teas or aromatherapy blends, and she was always happy to help. Healing was her mission and her passion and she told her daughter Mindy and her husband Jim, that some day she wanted to open her own health food store. One day an odd letter from an unknown psychic arrived; at the time it seemed to make no sense, but Anita kept it. It prophesied the opening of Golden Harvest Health Foods.

Golden Harvest was established in 1996. Mindy, who had been the manager of another health food store for several years, worked at Golden Harvest for two years before the family purchased it in 1999. At first Golden Harvest was just a standard health food store, stocking supplements, groceries, natural household cleaners and non-toxic personal care items like shampoo and toothpaste. But that didn't last long. The family strongly believed in the mind/body/spirit connection and felt that healing the whole self was not just organic foods, it was a lifestyle. "It only made sense that we offered goods and services to our customers that we employed in our own lives," Mindy said. The family began to add items to the store so their customers could create a peaceful and spiritual home environment; incense, crystals and stones, fountains, wind chimes, natural candles and music. They added meditation, Taichi, and Yoga, as well as bringing in various natural healers. They also began holding Health and Holistic Fairs where customers could get everything from a blood test to an intuitive reading. They held seminars to educate customers on various topics; "Knowledge is empowerment," the family stresses. "We want our customers to be educated and take an active role in their personal wellness."

Jim was always sending customers to get chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture or a massage to ease their symptoms. One day he turned to his daughter and said, "Mindy, this all needs to be under one roof." Jim’s dream was to have private offices for various healers, such as massage therapists, Reiki healers, a naturopath, etc. Jim even wanted an intuitive on hand and wished to have a full-fleged metaphysical shop within the store.

Jim didn't live long enough to see his dreams fulfilled, but his wife and daughter made his dream a reality. In 2005 Golden Harvest moved to its new expanded location and it was the largest, most complete health food store and holistic center in Northern Kane County. "Only Whole Foods was bigger," Mindy said. But it is not the size that matters, Golden Harvest was unique. It was unlike any other health food store anywhere. When people entered Golden Harvest they could get healthy foods, supplements, a Reiki healing, a massage, hypnotherapy, crystals, or even a ceremonial drum or natural stone jewelry. Yoga, Taichi, meditation groups, or dimensional consciousness were only a few of the available classes. Customers could consult with the staff about numerous health topics; everything from a gluten-free lifestyle to the hidden forms of MSG in foods." We offered a variety of various healing modalities; there was something here for everyone and all paths were honored and respected." Golden Harvest also gave hugs; " They're free," Mindy alwats said.

While Jim was alive he had always wanted to move his store to its final location. "He was adamant about one day having this space," Mindy says. After Jim passed the building became available. When Mindy and Anita walked through the building it seemed too good to be true; the size was perfect and there were private offices for all of the healers on staff. The walls were even painted in Jim’s favorite colors. Suddenly, Jim’s favorite song blasted over the speakers: "And we can build this dream together, standing strong forever, nothing's gonna stop us now." They knew Jim still wanted the building and he was going to work from the other side to make their dream a reality. They moved in on October 30, 2005.

Jim was everyone's sunshine and he never let a customer leave without a joke to make them smile. "He was notorious for his jokes and his ’Jim-isms,’; that is, his quirky, folksy sayings," says his daughter. "He felt laughter was the best medicine and he felt it was his duty in life to make everyone laugh." When Jim passed his wife and daughter couldn't bear to live without his radiant smile, so they took his photograph, superimposed it on their sun image and made "Sunny Jim" their store logo; Jim grinned from various locations all over the store and his smiling face was the first thing customers see from the parking lot. "He ’s still making people smile and still looking out for everyone."