BJ’s Health FOOD STORE^[1]

• Name	BJ’s Health FOOD STORE
  Gender	Male
  HIST	BizTalk: BJ's Health Food Store has new location but same passion for customer health From left, Barbra Jean Johnson and Pam Hall Samonia have both worked at BJ's Health Food Store, now located at 663 Bultman Drive, for decades. PHOTOS BY DEIRDRE CURRIN / THE SUMTER ITEM Posted Saturday, December 14, 2024 6:00 am BY DEIRDRE CURRIN deirdre@theitem.com There is a good chance that if you have driven to downtown Sumter, you have at some point passed the old BJ's Health Food Store building. Up until two weeks ago, you could have entered it and gotten suggestions from the knowledgeable staff, too. However, BJ's has left its historical building for the first time in about 50 years. "I had sort of mixed emotions [about moving locations] because I've been there so long in that same spot, but during the time of preparing to move, and then after moving, it couldn't be [any] better," long-time employee Barbra Jean Johnson said. The move may have been bittersweet, but it gave the business the chance to have a blank slate. "We love it. We're enjoying it," owner Pam Hall Samonia said about the new location. "We are meeting new people that never even knew that we existed because they don't go downtown, and we just like the location. But I guess after being somewhere after so many decades, this is all new to us and everything. So it's, it's exciting, and we look forward to the upcoming years and what we're going to accomplish together. We like it; it's a fresh start. It's a new chapter in our book together as we take this journey." Though Johnson and Samonia are not entirely sure, the business is thought to have been established in 1974, and Johnson started working there in 1980. By 1983, the business transferred ownership to Samonia's mother, Angie Hall. Since then, the business has thrived. The key to longevity? Samonia says it is faith in God. "It's been teamwork, believe me. Teamwork and Jehovah," Samonia said with a point upward while Johnson laughed. "You have to work together," Johnson added. BJ's specializes in natural items such as vitamins, supplements, organic nuts, natural juices, as well as vegetarian food and chocolate. "The main thing is we know why we sell our product. A lot of people can't say that, but we do know why. We're small, but we're large at heart," Samonia said. According to the two women, they have many customers who come back with testimonials of success. With their combined knowledge, Johnson and Samonia are able to make suggestions to customers about what might help their ailments best. First, they take note of any medications the customer may be on, and then they put their knowledge to use. Some common issues Samonia said they address are diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney failure. BJ's Health Food Store is located at 663 Bultman Drive and is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays. The store is closed on the weekend. BJ's was formerly at 103 W. Liberty St., and it is currently unknown what will happen with the old building. "We believe in what we do, and that's the bottom line," Samonia said.  [1]
  HIST	BizTalk: BJ's Health Food Store has new location but same passion for customer health From left, Barbra Jean Johnson and Pam Hall Samonia have both worked at BJ's Health Food Store, now located at 663 Bultman Drive, for decades. PHOTOS BY DEIRDRE CURRIN / THE SUMTER ITEM Posted Saturday, December 14, 2024 6:00 am BY DEIRDRE CURRIN deirdre@theitem.com There is a good chance that if you have driven to downtown Sumter, you have at some point passed the old BJ's Health Food Store building. Up until two weeks ago, you could have entered it and gotten suggestions from the knowledgeable staff, too. However, BJ's has left its historical building for the first time in about 50 years. "I had sort of mixed emotions [about moving locations] because I've been there so long in that same spot, but during the time of preparing to move, and then after moving, it couldn't be [any] better," long-time employee Barbra Jean Johnson said. The move may have been bittersweet, but it gave the business the chance to have a blank slate. "We love it. We're enjoying it," owner Pam Hall Samonia said about the new location. "We are meeting new people that never even knew that we existed because they don't go downtown, and we just like the location. But I guess after being somewhere after so many decades, this is all new to us and everything. So it's, it's exciting, and we look forward to the upcoming years and what we're going to accomplish together. We like it; it's a fresh start. It's a new chapter in our book together as we take this journey." Though Johnson and Samonia are not entirely sure, the business is thought to have been established in 1974, and Johnson started working there in 1980. By 1983, the business transferred ownership to Samonia's mother, Angie Hall. Since then, the business has thrived. The key to longevity? Samonia says it is faith in God. "It's been teamwork, believe me. Teamwork and Jehovah," Samonia said with a point upward while Johnson laughed. "You have to work together," Johnson added. BJ's specializes in natural items such as vitamins, supplements, organic nuts, natural juices, as well as vegetarian food and chocolate. "The main thing is we know why we sell our product. A lot of people can't say that, but we do know why. We're small, but we're large at heart," Samonia said. According to the two women, they have many customers who come back with testimonials of success. With their combined knowledge, Johnson and Samonia are able to make suggestions to customers about what might help their ailments best. First, they take note of any medications the customer may be on, and then they put their knowledge to use. Some common issues Samonia said they address are diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney failure. BJ's Health Food Store is located at 663 Bultman Drive and is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays. The store is closed on the weekend. BJ's was formerly at 103 W. Liberty St., and it is currently unknown what will happen with the old building. "We believe in what we do, and that's the bottom line," Samonia said.
  _UID	CCEA7CD69D814FE7B1F6A171ED6C627B4BAC
  _UID	CCEA7CD69D814FE7B1F6A171ED6C627B4BAC
  Person ID	I346499	Singleton and Related Families
  Last Modified	10 Jan 2025

  
  

  Family	Food Store HEALTH BJ’S
  _UID	075A120F21D346158F6AF2C024967941F0DA
  _UID	075A120F21D346158F6AF2C024967941F0DA
  Family ID	F231258	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	10 Jan 2025

  
  

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  [S32338] Biz Talk: BJ’s Health Food Store has new location but same passion for customer health.