Vitamin store keeps owner in good health

     By Tina Allen
     View staff writer
      When Don Charley decided to open a health food store in 1993, he never imagined it would saturate the Las Vegas market.
      In just seven years, J & J Health Foods have been popping up throughout the valley. In fact, there are four stores in Las Vegas, one in Arizona and three more in Las Vegas in the planning stages.
      "This has grown beyond my wildest dreams," said Charley, who oversees the chain with his wife, Lisa. "I just couldn't believe it, actually. We always thought we would have just one little store and run that for as long as we possibly could. It's been very good for us and our employees. We couldn't have done it without our employees."
      The stores specialize in sports nutrition, vitamins, herbs and minerals. The shelves are stocked with everything imaginable, from protein powders and iron to sarsaparilla tea bags and milk thistle. There is even a line of health food for dogs and cats, as well as books on health subjects.
      District manager, Alanna Fowler, said most of the items are discounted at least 20 percent every day. Some of the more popular brands like EAS supplements have a 30-percent discount.
      Fowler said employees at all the stores are highly trained to answer questions about exercise and diet. Many have health-related degrees and some are personal trainers. Fowler is currently earning her master's degree in natural health from Clayton College.
      "People are really into preventative medicine these days -- fix it now so it doesn't break later," Fowler said.
      "We are finding that people are coming into the store asking for more advice on what they can do to help with cholesterol, for example. People are a lot more interested in the natural way of things vs. running to the doctor for a little sniffle or a cold."
      Charley, 40, is not new to the sales industry, nor the Las Vegas market.
      The 1978 graduate of Valley High School opened his first business, Charley's Pizza, in 1985. He later went on to purchase a video store called Video Madness, which he sold before opening the health food store. Out of high school, he worked in management for Pepsi Cola.
      He said since opening J & J Health Foods, the clientele has changed over the years.
      "It's not a segmented market, it's a wide market," he said. "At one point it seemed to be very segmented. We either had pretty much hard-core body builders or a few of the original '60s-type health people. Now it's just amazing the people who walk in here.
      In addition, the company operates two Web sites -- www.getbigger.com and www.getleaner.com. -- where customers can purchase items via mail order.
      Charley said sales for the mail order business have increased by more than 40 percent over last year's sales.
      The Las Vegas stores are at the following locations: 3776 E. Flamingo Road, open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily; 7501 W. Lake Mead Blvd. Suite 107, open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays; 9310 S. Eastern Ave., Suite 115, open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays; and 7985 W. Sahara Ave., Suite 101, open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.