As Nancy describes it “Our prices are consistently below those available at Whole Foods.” The devotion Nancy, Steve and their well-trained staff have for their customers is obvious, and the time I was able to spend in their store after our interview revealed that their customers feel the exact same way about them! And they even serve as a drop off and pick up location for local CSAs! In addition to these wonderful improvements, Harmony Farms recently joined the Independent Natural Food Retailer Association for the access it gives them to lower pricing and the Longs pass along these savings to their customers. With more room between the many aisles, a newly expanded gluten free section, a newly installed resource section where customers can access books and magazines to conduct research, and a break room where customers can attend events put on by local producers and health practitioners, the feedback on the new expansion and store layout has been overwhelmingly positive. The extra space has allowed the Longs to create a great shopping experience! Renovations to join the existing store to the newly acquired space began in the fall of 2019 and was completed in a few short months. Over the years their desire to keep current with the latest and best offerings in the natural foods and supplements world and to create a healthy, one-stop-shop experience for their customers created a big need to expand! When the 1800 square foot space next door became available last year, they worked out an arrangement to lease it. You’ll also find organically grown coffees, artisanal chocolates, local honey, organic wine and beer, and all kinds of foods and supplements from small local startups like Norm’s Farms as well as well-known national brands. Harmony Farms has a great local produce and meats section where you can find organically raised veggies, grass fed beef, organically raised bison, ostrich, chicken, turkey and pork, to name a few. The Longs are committed to sourcing as many products as they can from local vendors. They have also worked hard to stay current with the latest product offerings in the health and wellness space and to do the necessary research to ensure that every product they bring into Harmony Farms meets their rigorous standards. As the owners of Harmony Farms for the past 15 years, Steve, Nancy and their well-educated staff have provided countless hours of free advice and education to their many customers. They married in late 2004 and to their delight, Harmony Farms became available for purchase in 2005. They discovered that they shared a true passion for healing and that they had very similar dreams and aspirations, including the dream of owning their own health food store where they could do more than just retail. His studies culminated in his earning the title of Usui Reiki Master Healer. In the mid-1990s Steve studied Reiki because of his interest in energetic and metaphysical healing. Steve’s journey in the natural health and fitness world began many years ago too. Steve and Nancy met in 2001 and began dating while they were both studying Reiki. The current owners, Steve and Nancy Long, will celebrate 15 years of ownership on May 2 of this year and it has been their careful stewardship of the store, fantastic customer service, and amazing personal educations in health and wellness that has made them so valuable to their community. Over the ensuing years the store expanded its foot print several times and changed ownership a couple times, too. location in 1984, where it has been for over 36 years. The store moved from Chapel Hill to Raleigh in 1976 and then opened the Creedmore Rd. The history of Harmony Farms began over 45 years ago when the first Harmony Farms store was opened in Chapel Hill, NC in 1974. Harmony Farms, located in Raleigh, North Carolina, is one of those independently owned stores that made a huge difference to Norm’s Farms in our early days because of their large customer base and because of the great customer service they provide to every person who walks through their doors. Our blog series entitled Norm’s Farms Elderberry Ambassadors celebrates the small, independently owned health food stores and practitioners that gave Norm’s Farms its start.
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