Wellness store, Cornucopia, opens in Holyoke

Cornucopia, a wellness store and community staple equipped with tea, herbs, spices, vitamins and organic food as well as body care products, recently moved to a new 3,000 square-foot building on Dwight Street in Holyoke.

Co-owners Nathaniel Clifford and Jade Jump said they worked with the Massachusetts Food Trust to get a grant through their program and obtain a loan from the Franklin County Community Development Corporation. Jump says they also sold their inventory at the Northampton location to subsidize the move. The total cost was about $260,000, she said.

“We were in a diluted market specifically for just fresh veggies, produce, and also organic non-processed food. So to come to Holyoke, get this much larger space, this much more affordable space, and more affordable overhead was somewhat of a no-brainer for us,” Clifford said.

They said they wanted to be in a more open, centralized location as opposed to the corner store in the basement of Thornes Marketplace in Northampton. Cornucopia resided there for 40 years garnering a variety of customers who said they relied on the store for quality health and wellness products.

“Over the past like 3 or 4 years, we saw a lot more people coming from Springfield, West Springfield, Ludlow, Chicopee and Holyoke to the store in Northampton,” Clifford said. “They were really coming for the bulk medicinal herbs and wanting to have that option to make their own remedy at home.”

The pair said as they observed this demographic shift, when it came to renew their lease, they sought to explore options in Hampden county.

Jump said they’re also working to provide organic products at an affordable price for residents.

"I think people are surprised if they've never come in at how affordable our products are. We really pride ourselves in that we're not trying to gouge people's wallets in an already challenging time,” Jump said. “ People have come in that are residents around here that have to travel far distances to get to the food and the supplements and the herbs that they want to. And they've come in and are just happy that we're here."

The store offers 5% off discounts for EBT card holders and seniors. They also have a free loyalty program which earns shoppers 1% back on all purchases and 2% back on specific label supplements and food products.

Clifford noted there was some pushback from people who heard they were moving to Holyoke, specifically around the city's economic status. The U.S. census reports the city has a poverty rate of 27%.

Clifford said he was appalled at these comments.

"You're working with a stereotype that's really old and maybe was never really accurate about Holyoke because I've never had a bad experience in Holyoke,” Clifford said. “We were just excited to bring it here and get open and try to see what it was like to create a store from scratch and try to bring that Northampton flair, but also really become whatever this immediate community needs us to be too."

Clifford and Jump say they love the authenticity of the city and have enjoyed serving the customers who’ve come in since they opened.

“On Sunday, I was here working with one other coworker and just every single person that came in had the best energy and was so encouraging and was excited about the store being here,” Jump said. “It was just a really uplifting day.”

They said they’re excited to unveil new projects soon.