Spotlight: The Health Shoppe, Your Local Independent Grocer

The Health Shoppe is a family-owned, health-conscious, grocery store with a focus on its customers eating well, living well, and staying well. Located at their newly renovated store at 1378 Yonge St., they’re continuing their 25+ years in business as this area’s quintessential, independently owned healthy eating store. The Yonge + St. Clair intersection already boasts 3 major grocery chains within short walking distance – including Sobey’s, Loblaws, and Longos’ – The Health Shoppe helps complete that picture in carrying the specialty health items that you’d want to find in a boutique setting. Best of all, it’s a short walk from the St. Clair Subway station. The store remains elusive on social media, so you’ll have to see for yourself what’s currently stocked and shelved.

With The Health Shoppe, don’t let its categorization as a “boutique store” fool you into thinking that it’s a small store. A visit to its well-stocked aisles paints a different picture. State of the art refrigerators line the grocery section, boasting everything from today’s pick of kombucha, to Canadian-made organic, gluten free, plant based soups. Or, turn the corner and find a great selection of ground herbs and spices organized into help-yourself jars. If you want to find a guilt-free snack, you’ll get it here too. Of course, to get to this section you’ll have to use a small passageway that’s tucked away near the entrance, which might not be what you’d initially expect when strolling past the storefront. 

At the front of the store you’ll find rows of supplements, incense, essential oils, eco-friendly cleaning supplies and the list goes on. Yes, there are lots of great finds you can take home to stock your shelves and cabinets and best of all when you shop here you get that special, hand-selected feeling of curating your home supply of feel-good buys.

We asked the owner, Andrea Szomor if she’d have any health tips she’d like to share with the public – she politely declined, preferring to speak about the products her store carries to avoid any accidental misinterpretation of any advice she could offer. From her selection of products – and a great example of the selection available in-store – is an immune boosting supplement that’s made primarily of mushrooms: a blend of shiitake, red reishi, cordyceps, coriolus, maitake and agaricus. It’s all gluten-free, vegan, and non-gmo. Of course, consult with a health care professional to see if this is something that’s appropriate for you. Products like this one line the shelves inside and the variety is endless items. 

When the health precautions were announced earlier this year in response to COVID-19, the Health Shoppe remained one of the only neighbourhood stores in operation thanks to grocery establishments being considered an essential service. They’ve stayed strong, and are now contributing to diligent health measures in the form of hand-crafted face masks. One of the team members has taken to creating these herself, using designs and fabrics to capture a “nerd-chic” mask including Star Trek designs, and other fan favourite pop culture references. They’re affordable and re-useable retailing around $8.95.

 

A Photographic Tour of the Health Shoppe

It’s easy to miss the gems hidden in plain sight at the Health Shoppe, due to the large variety of goods and store layout. So we’re here to highlight the store’s various sections so you can more easily find what you’re looking for.

 

The new Health Shoppe location features its own grocery section, hidden to the right of the main entrance. The way The Health Shoppe team has compartmentalized its multiple categories of goods makes for some easy shopping.

You’ll find a selection of all your go-to grocery needs to support a healthy, green lifestyle. The shelves feature goods you may not find at your traditional big box grocery, which makes browsing their aisles a treat. Their diversity of selection makes it feel like a gem in the Yonge + St. Clair neighbourhood.

Their cleaning supplies are focused on eco-friendly goods, with a wide variety of cleaning items to meet your household and every day needs.

You can stock up on supplements and other immune system boosting goods, with numerous shelves and goods that will help you feel great and stay healthy. Talk to the staff about the supplements you’re looking for, and for assistance navigating their supplement section.

With the recent COVID-19 health measures, the team at The Health Shoppe have taken it into their own hands to create custom face masks which are for sale at their storefront. These masks feature double-sided designs with pop culture references and other chic designs.

The Health Shoppe is holistic in its approach to a healthier lifestyle, featuring items that focus on self-care and relaxation as well. Don’t forget to visit their sections dedicated to aromatherapy and household wellness that lean towards lifestyle goods.

Essential oils are on full display by the checkout line, where the sheer variety will keep you busy as you look for your ideal mix of products.

Be sure to take a peek at their refrigerated items, which include a great selection of organic, gluten-free and non-GMO items throughout.

If you’ve never been to the original Health Shoppe’s location, their new location and setup is perfect to explore and makes it a must-visit shopping destination that’s essential to your next Yonge + St. Clair visit.

To find The Health Shoppe, go to 1378 Yonge St. Or you can visit their website to learn more: http://healthshoppetoronto.com/