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By JUSTIN PEEPER
In July 1979, Jerry Rauch and his wife Kathy decided to take a step of faith by turning their home’s front room into a store so they could make their dream of owning a business and helping others into a reality.
The young couple, who had one daughter at the time and another child on the way, invested $5,000 into some fixtures and products to open a natural health and continuing wellness store.
“At the time, we thought if we couldn’t sell (our product), we could always eat it,” Rauch said.
Three months later, in October 1979, the store was doing well enough that Jerry decided to quit his full-time job in the retail sector so that he and his wife could focus on running their new business together.
Almost 30 years later, that business — A Harvest of Health Nutrition & Wellness Center — is still going strong in Wells County. The company has grown from two employees to nine, the staff has more than 100 years of combined knowledge and experience, and Rauch will soon celebrate 30 years in business.
Seven months ago, the business relocated to a “new” home on North Main Street, a structure that is on the National Historic Registry.
“We felt a strong sense of destiny to start the business, but we have just taken every day as a step of faith,” Jerry said. “We really didn’t know what the Lord had planned for us but he has surprised us in many ways and many times.”
Today, the Bluffton business continues to offer natural-health products and continuing-wellness education and training to more than 1,400 customers a month. It also offers a plethora of health services.
Between 65 percent to 75 percent of annual sales are to customers who call Wells County home, while their other clients come from surrounding counties and states for natural health care products and services.
“Our objective is to provide each customer/client with the best, most effective natural products and services available for achieving and maintaining better, healthier living,” Rauch said. “We take seriously the task of advocating a proactive versus a reactive approach to health, and we stress personal responsibility for natural health care.”
While Rauch acknowledges the need for accessional traditional medical attention, he also believes that modern medicine and natural health care can co-exist and will continue to do so.
“We believe that modern medicine can play an important role in disease management,” he said. “We also believe we have an important role in health management. Our particular paradigm and approach is more proactive and focuses on underlying health support. It’s what some may call the high road to wellness.
“Modern medicine diagnoses disease and prescribes specific medicines or other determined treatments. True natural health practitioners like ourselves promote wellness through proper lifestyle, diet, attitude, etc.”
Company History
Rauch, a Bluffton native, had a growing interest in natural health care as he was growing up. After getting married, his wife, also a Bluffton native, became interested as well.
They began asking questions and developing contacts, and in July 1979 decided to open a store in the front room of their home at 228 West Washington St. (where the library parking lot is located today).
At the time, the business was known as Old-fashioned Goodness, Natural Food Store.
Kathy operated the business for the first three months, but Jerry soon joined her full time in October.
Within two years, a problem emerged: the 225 square-foot front-room business was no longer big enough.
Rauch decided to move to a bigger facility in the Villa North Mini-Mall at 915 North Main St. The new 740 square-foot store also received a new name: Harvest Health Food Shoppe.
In 1995, Rauch incorporated the business, and in 1997, he moved to the front of the mall into a larger facility of almost 2,000 square feet.
In 2001, Rauch acquired a small wholesale company that distributed a product called Liv Greenz™, which contributed to the expansion of mail-order services.
Then, in 2002, Rauch acquired more space to accommodate a need for extra storage and expanded professional health and consultation services.
New ‘Home’
Most recently, in November 2007, Rauch relocated the business to a 2,500 square-foot renovated home at 760 North Main St.
The latest move to a bigger facility has allowed the business to expand its services. While the company’s retail aspect has grown over the years, Rauch wanted to focus more on the services aspect to see more growth.
“It was the part of the business that we wanted to see grow,” he said. “It offers a more comprehensive approach to wellness. We thought we could better serve our clients by moving.”
Their new location is a home on the west side of Main Street that was built in 1891. The Queen Anne architecture home is on the National Historic Register and is located in the Villa North Historic District.
The house was built by Lent A. Williamson, the father of Wells County’s famous scientist Bruce Williamson. Ironically, Bruce Williamson’s daughter, Mary, was actually Kathy Rauch’s Spanish teacher at Adams Central High School.
It’s only been seven months since the move, but Rauch has fallen in love with the store’s new location.
“We love the feel of the old home,” Rauch said. “It kind of spoke more about who we were and who we are. The nostalgic ambience evokes feelings of long ago when life was slower, foods were healthier and friends were treated like family.”
Rauch actually bought the home about four years ago and in that time has given the structure a complete makeover while maintaining its original characteristics.
He gutted the upstairs, put in new flooring throughout, removed much of the paneling and installed new plumbing, fixtures and wiring. Some of the original woodwork, however, is still present throughout the handsome home.
He also decorated the business with inspirational wall art that captures customers’ eyes.
“We have had almost unanimous support, encouragement and feedback from our customers,” he said. “We wanted people to have a sense of coming home, a step back to when life was simpler. We are loving it so far.”
In the coming months, Rauch is planning on widening the drive and expanding the parking lot, as well as completing more restoration work to the exterior of the house. He hopes to celebrate a grand reopening in September.
Services Provided
Today, nine people work at A Harvest of Health Nutrition & Wellness Center, primarily Rauch’s family.
In addition to Rauch and his wife, his sister, mother-in-law, three children and three family friends operate the business.
Rauch, his wife Kathy and their daughter Rachel, are doctors of naturopathy. Naturopathy is a system of treatment that emphasizes the use of natural agents and physical means. The staff also includes two employees who have a master’s of herbology, and two biological terrain assessment technicians.
In addition to selling natural-health products, services provided include body systems analysis, quantitative fluid analysis, professional health consultations, saliva and blood tests, far-infrared sauna sessions, detoxification foot spas, metabolic rate measurements, zero gravity human touch massage chair sessions and nutritional support.
The business also does educational training seminars and meetings to inform the community of current or cutting-edge health topics.
In the future, Rauch hopes to offer more services to the community. He is now trying to establish some corporate work site wellness programs throughout the community.
“We are always looking for creative ways to help improve the overall health and well-being of our community,” he said. “Our long-range goal is to be the most respected resource for delivering accurate natural health education and effective wellness products and services in our ‘sandbox’ and beyond over the next 25 years.”
He also hopes to expand the company’s Web site (www.aharvestofhealth.com) and make it easier to use.
The business is open Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
As for the future, Rauch plans to continue to run his business by the philosophy that has guided it for almost three decades.
“There is a universal law called the Law of Sowing and Reaping, whereby the actions you choose determine the consequences you obtain. Therefore it is our belief that the seeds of health you choose to sow regarding personal health care ... help determine the kind of health you will harvest.”
jdpeeper2@hotmail.com