An Interview with Gaia Health Store
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Welcome to the next of our Interview Series
Here I'll be speaking to the hero's, champions & ambassadors in all things, health, fitness & holistic wellness.
Today we'll be hearing from the very first customer Catalyse ever had. Gaia health store will always hold a special place in the heart of Catalyse for being the first to believe that the brand had something the public would want to try.
Not only that, but this store share so many common values with us, most importantly, how we can jointly help make the world a better place through what we buy & consumer. So let's jump in!
Hello Emma & Andre, now I’ve had the pleasure of knowing & shopping at Gaia Health Store since we both started our businesses, but for anyone that doesn’t know, please could you give an overview of the wonderful variety of products you have in store?
We are proud to say we are the only independent health store in Southampton, stocking a wide range of health and wellbeing products. Ranging from cleaning and whole food refills, vitamins, healthy snacks and drinks (including Catalyse) as well as some Wellbeing products like crystals. We have a small selection of fruit and veg in store and an extensive list which can be ordered in each week for customer. We also run a variety of workshops in our space downstairs from the shop also.
It’s interesting, the amount of places specialising in more natural ingredients & holistic solutions to wellness has really grown vs shops offering medicines & pharmaceuticals, or products full of artificial nasties. Why do you think more people are turning to products such as these?
We think especially after covid, which completely changed the world, that a lot of people had time to pause and reflect on their life and in particular their health. With the difficulty in the UK of seeing your GP and the NHS stretched people are now seeing that they can make small lifestyle changes and experience significant changes to their health. Our shop allows people to take some autonomy over their body and choices they make.
Absolutely, our bodies are like houses in a way, only as strong as the materials & foundations that go into building it. Like in the Catalyse range which features Reishi Mushroom, Mushrooms really are having their moment. What’s your opinion on the nootropic & adaptogen market? And which is the most popular in your store?
Functional food as we like to call it is a trend but its here to stay because it isn't a fad and really works. We have found food that can also act as medicine like mushrooms and adaptogens are causing people to have better quality of life and alleviating chronic pain and illness. The most popular but far in our shop is Lion's Mane which is great for cognitive health, anxiety and sleep.
As well as these there is more focus now on natural healing, predominantly Reiki, crystal healing, sage smudging and other more natural solutions. Which would you say are the most popular & powerful?
We always advocate that that every individual is their own healer and own medicine and knows what's best if they really tap into their intuition. However many people are just starting out and need some help, so something like Rahanni Energy Healing which is a hands on healing practice like Reiki is really popular at the moment, of which Emma is also trained in. It works on a physical, emotional and spiritual level and whatever needs to be 'worked on' in that individual then that is where the energy healing goes to. There has been phenomenal feedback from clients in that they feel enhanced mental clarity, sleep better, have less pain etc and the list goes on.
I know first hand the totally different experience you get from shopping at places like Gaia vs high street chains. With a co-op or tesco express on every street & Amazon next day delivery, it’s harder for people to shop local, yet the value of supporting local, indie businesses like us is so significant. What would you say to people about the benefit of supporting local vs convenience high street stores?
The benefits of coming to our store over a chain is that you are not just a till transaction but a human. We offer a bespoke service, so if you need something delivered we can do this, or if there is something not on our shelves that you need we can order it in. We are not medically trained but we can offer advice and support on the products and services we offer which we have gathered information about from personal experience or what has benefited other customers.
Finally, I know you offer local delivery, where can people browse & buy some of the fab products at Gaia health store?
Our bricks and mortar store is 22 Carlton Place, Southampton, SO15 2DY.
You can purchase and browse our products via our website:
You can also see more information on products and services via our social media channels
Facebook/TilTok/Instagram
You can order fruit and veg via our website or on our Facebook page on the pinned Post to see the up to date list of what can be purchased every week.
That's brilliant, thank you so much Emma & Andre, it's been a pleasure & looking forward to continuing the holistic health & wellness adventure with you both!