Anniversaries are great reminders of how far we have come and oftentimes are the promise of how much further we can go. When that anniversary celebrates the culmination of more than a generation of service in the satisfaction of others, then that anniversary is truly meaningful, and is well worth celebrating. When a business survives for a generation, it means that it will most certainly influence the next generation, and this family business does exactly that. The two young managers you often meet at Vital Health Foods are Ras Imande’s children, Shyane, and Jabu, who represent the next generation of new customers, ensuring that Vital Health continues to serve us for generations to come.
Vital Health Foods in celebrating yet another milestone for providing its customers with the finest nutrients, herbs, vitamins, and supplements for healthy living, with the friendliest and most informative service available for your health and well-being. Walk into this store any day of the week, and you will experience an atmosphere of wellness from the salad bar to the checkout counter.
When a business survives and thrives for 35 years, it is doing something right, Ras Imande founder and owner along with his family, invested in his vision for his community despite the odds; the so-called experts and naysayers at that time believed that health foods, and healthy living would not be popular in communities of color. What they did not understand was that no matter who you are, if anyone is offered healthy options, quality products at reasonable prices, along with exceptional service, they will remain happy and loyal consumers.
Clive Williams spoke to Bro. Imande who operates the oldest Black owned health food store in St. Albans, Jamaica, New York.
Clive Williams (Clive): What impact do you think Vital Health Foods has had on the community in the last 35 years? And what even made you conceive of the idea of providing such a service?
Bro. Imande: After becoming a resident of the St. Albans community in the early 1990’s, I realized that some of the healthy nutritional choices I needed was not available at that time; one of my main needs was for outlets that sell herbs, vitamins, nutritional tonics, as well as healthy food choices; nuts, healthy snacks and drinks. I was interested in foods that prolong life rather than shorten life, and because I was already involved as a part-owner of a vegetarian restaurant in Brooklyn, as a business owner I figured it shouldn’t be too hard to find a way to provide, at the very least, some of the services that were missing. So, after doing a demographic review of the St. Albans and neighboring towns, I decided on the idea of establishing a health food store, and the search for a location began. It didn’t take long for me to notice that ground was being cleared for the construction of a mall at the corner of 196 Street, and Linden Boulevard, so I immediately inquired about getting a store. The response was immediately encouraging, I was advised to choose a store space, and after some deliberation, I made the commitment to do just that. I might have been either the first or second tenant in the building in April of 1991.
Clive: Tell us a little about your roots Bro. Imande.
Bro. Imande: My Mom is from Tobago, and my Dad is from Barbados, but Dad’s boyhood days were spent in Trinidad, which for him was home from an early age, and I grew up in Trinidad as well. My Dad’s parents were Jamaican and Cuban, so I enjoy the privilege of great Caribbean cultures in my lifeline.
Clive: Did you make a conscious effort to involve your children in the business?
Bro.Imande: Well as you can imagine, being then a father of small children, my first daughter had to commute with me, and would ultimately end up at the store; then eventually the younger ones following her would also end up at the store. They all expressed an interest in being involved in one way or another, and this grew into an active interest and engagement on their part. So today they all play active roles in Vital Health. Looking back to my youthful years in Trinidad, both the Indian and Indo-Caribbean communities who were in business were assisted by their children, who were taught to run and eventually inherit their businesses. It shouldn’t be any different from what we ought to be doing – preparing our kids to assume ownership.
Clive: What would you say is your most challenging/ toughest time in your life and business?
Bro Imande: Well, it didn’t take long for me to experience difficulty; four months after opening Vital Health a young man attempted to rob me at the store, an incident in which I was shot and seriously wounded.
Clive: How did you deal with that?
Bro. Imande: That incident, and experience only made me stronger and more determined to fulfill the mission I have been sent to fulfill, until then nothing can deter me from doing what I do in the community. I am grateful that physically I can still manage to do many of the things I need to do and continue to roll with the punches that come with life.
Clive: On the other hand, what has been your most fulfilling experience?
Bro. Imande: It is how well and how much the community has embraced us, made us feel needed and appreciated, and we embrace them and appreciate them right back! A part of my vision when we started was to be able to offer parking to my customers, and that is the main reason that this location was chosen. So, to see 35 years later that my vision is now a reality, it gives me a great feeling and joy that my customers still enjoy a degree of comfort, they don’t have to worry about running in and out to avoid paying more for a ticket than they spend with Vital.
Clive: Bro. Imande you have established a foundation of service in this community, and miles beyond the perimeter of Southeast Queens, within which Vital has become a household name. Yet you continue to advertise your business; what do you know that so many other business owners don’t?
Bro. Imande: That’s really a good question, the simple answer is there are people who live just a few blocks away who when they finally come in, they say, “we have been here, and we never knew this business was here.” It is necessary to advertise because people move in and people move out; communities are constantly changing so we have to make sure the message is reaching the new influx at all times. What is important too is where you advertise because the message should represent the brand responsibly and be compatible with the needs of the community.
We believe that advertising is everything for our brand because it informs our prospective customers about our products and services so they can make wise choices.
Clive: How are you able to retain your staff for so long, and is there a message for your customers you want to share?
Bro. Imande: We try to find people who love what they do, and we try to do right by them; we may not be able to pay top dollar for our employees; however, we share a common goal to offer great service to customers, and we ourselves are obligated to fulfill their needs. This attitude was reinforced during Covid when we had to be fully committed to the wellbeing of each other, as well as our customers.
We give thanks and praise to our customers, for their support and encouragement; I recall when we just opened it was our customers who helped us to identify and order the products that they needed. So, to this day customers will offer suggestions on what we need to stock so their needs can be met; we love and appreciate our customers as part of our team who are celebrating these 35 years of Building a Healthier and Happier community.