Local Vitamin Shop Reinvents Itself

Since he opened his first store in 1978, Eric R. Santiago's business has evolved from a health food store into an Internet business into a retailer of high end vitamins and supplements.

It happened much out of necessity. When Wild by Nature opened an East Setauket location during the mid 1990s and threatened the success of his Village Natural Foods, Santiago first fought back with an advertising and letter-writing campaign against the big chain store – then decided to adapt.

"We were doing very, very well. We were profitable, had a great store," Santiago said of Village Natural Foods. "When I realized that Wild by Nature was going to put us out of business, I started an Internet company selling vitamins. It worked very well. We had a second renaissance, and got very busy."

Santiago sold his Internet business in 2009 and that same year opened Innovative Nutrition in East Setauket, where he sells a wide array of high-end vitamins and nutritional supplements, probiotics, healthy beverages, body care products, books, and more. The store even has an old-fashioned apothecary in the back.

Sales have doubled since he opened about a year ago.

"We still have a long ways to go, but in a bad economy, to get the kind of increases we've gotten, I'm very satisfied," Santiago said.

He attributes the growth not only to his previous customers' loyalties but also to the quality of the brands he's selling.

"A lot of customers are coming in because they remember the service they got from us in the past," said Santiago, who works with doctors to select the store's inventory. "They know that I have a very good knowledge of nutrition. We've got these brands that nobody else has."

Many of the products he carries fall into the category of naturopathic care, as opposed to allopathic medicine (or traditional medicine).

"Naturopathic medicine is preventative medicine so you don't get to the point where you need critical care," Santiago said.

For instance, he sells curcumin, which has recently become known as a natural remedy for certain types of pain and inflammation, and saw palmetto, which helps maintain prostate health in men.

Santiago's business is rooted in quality of life, something he says people in Three Village are concerned about.

"They're educated," he said. "They've got some pretty nice lives and the idea of life extension is pretty important to them. People who are enjoying themselves want to extend it."