A Ramsgate health food store that has served the public for 46 years will close next month.
Harvest Health Foods in Queen Street was first opened by Neal and Fleur Price in 1978 and has been a staple of the town ever since offering everything from local honey and wholefood organic drinks to dairy free, organic, gluten and soya free products.
Fleur, 65, has been running the shop since 2017 due to Neal suffering a spinal cord injury but she says footfall has dropped since covid and the cost of living struggle.
The Acol mum-of-two said: “The town has become very quiet and there’s not as many visitors as we used to have. Banks, Wilkos and others have closed and since covid things have just got quieter and quieter.
“We opened from 10am to 2pm during covid as an essential food business but that was the beginning of the end. More people were buying vitamins and supplements online.
“We have regular customers who are gutted that we are going but it was inevitable. It’s a shame but if you are not getting customers through the door, you can’t do it.”
Fleur says the lease is due to finish and the last day of trade at Harvest Health Foods will be September 14.
“The town has become very quiet and there’s not as many visitors as we used to have”
Is this true? I thought it was always busy, clean, and basically paradise on earth?
That’s a shame, but understandable in the current retail climate.. I hope you enjoy a happy retirement!
I suspect the Health Food Shop will soon be replaced with an outlet providing unhealthy foods and will do a roaring trade . . .
Exactly, John.
Actually I think the cost of foods/goods are cheaperonline that’s why ,it’s so much cheaper to buy there and direct from the wholesaler ,sometimes as much as over half shop prices ,the shops have a lot of overheads to pay like the council 😆
I believe businesses are closing because it’s cheaper to buy goods online. The ‘ personal ‘ element of shopping has long gone, plus the business tax makes it very difficult for the independent shop owners.
Another casualty to online shopping. It’s so sad to see our towns falling .I used to love going to town you could see so many people it took longer to chat to people than it did to actually shop everyone was sociable in them days now knowone needs to or bothers to .such a shame good luck .
I’m so sorry to hear this news. The thing about Harvest has been the wealth of knowledge Neil and Fleur have. That is certainly not something you can buy on line. The energy and commitment of these two, especially since Neil’s accident, has been a real asset to the town. I will miss Harvest greatly.
Best of luck to you both.
Harvest closing will be a real loss to Ramsgate but when I pass by or go in there’s never been many customers.
Harvest have been very valuable, unlike on-line, you know Harvest only stocked quality products which they could tell you about, they could also get information to help you buy the right thing for your need. You could also order things which, on-line, you’d take ages to find.
I wish them a very happy retirement and want to express a massive thankyou for all your efforts. Harvest was a business but also a community asset.
Sadly, most of the Ramsgate Loopites tend to prefer un-health foods (and then complain that the NHS needs more funding!).
Another case of video killed the radio star-people complain about shops closing down, yet they order everything online. The generation who were their customer base are probably mostly now deceased or infirm & the modern generation have been brainwashed into living on these awful, vapid smartphone thingies.
We order everything online cause it’s cheaper and we’re smarter consumers in a permanent cost of living crisis. £2.50 for my supplements online. £15 in the health food shop. You do the math.
Sorry to hear that this business has decided their best venture is to go away or do it online. How do those local arty shop fronts create revenue with items on display = 6 months rent for a single mum with child ? Just saying its another good central location for our mp to have an office so locals can make an appointment like a mp’s surgery use to be. Just saying i need to always just saying.
I was asked today, who is our local member of parliament. could only reply it aint a local(could be wrong thou, opinion open) but parachute poly form ackney. H
So sorry another shop front has decided to offski it. Friday Market doing well.
It’s early days yet, but so far she’s made Craig MacKinlay seem like a local. I’m glad I didn’t have to help choose the MP for East Thanet.
As others have said,the “Great Unwashed” of Ramsgate do not want health foods.It is an anathema to them.Replace with a good old nail bar,tanning shop or another dregs’ ridden establishment.A canabis café would be very welcome, I’m sure.
Just think of the tax revenue a legalised weed cafe would bring in. They made so much tax revenue in us states, everything else got extra funding.
i have been off line for a few days , but peter , doris and a few others seem to have nailed it , great comments and some fine observations of this septic isle.
Why don’t you go offline again, and stop making your untrue, exaggerated comments insulting the area we live in.
Interesting that whenever a half-descent business closes in Ramsgate you never say you went there. Let’s hope Wetherspoons don’t close!
I’m just about to open a business making “Closing down” “ everything must go” signs I’ve already got 350 orders. One man’s closing is another man’s opening.
It’s cheaper to buy health foods and supplements online. I tried buying supplements in there that cost me £2.50 online. £15 in that shop.