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Customers flock to Astoria health food store

By Peter Sorkin

His customers, who often line up outside the store at 30-11 Broadway for a chance to sample the fresh juice mixes at the juice bar, agree.

“This is the only place around here where you can get this,” said one woman as she sipped her banana, strawberry and orange mix. “And I walk here from six blocks away.”

“I'm the only one in Astoria that carries a selection of organic fruits and vegetables this large,” said Patel, who lives in Elmhurst. “This neighborhood has been great. It's close to a subway and I credit 50 percent of my success to this neighborhood.” He attributed the other half of his success to hard work.

Patel, an affable man who greets customers by name with a wide smile and a pat on the back, formerly worked as a nutrition and food service provider at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan. It was there, he said that he was able to study the effects that a healthy diet had on patients who had been suffering from eating disorders and other ailments. Now he is able to use his knowledge to run a successful business that has seen profits grow over 900 percent in the past two years.

“I figured a health food business would be the perfect fit,” Patel said. “Now we have a loyal clientele who come for our fresh juices and quality natural and organic foods.”

The market, which is stocked with certified organic and all natural foods, also has a juice bar in the front of the store that looks out onto Broadway. The juice bar is stocked with organic pineapples, bananas, apples, oranges, kiwis, and cranberries. Patel also extols the virtues of his wheat grass drink he says can cure anything from an upset stomach to a headache, and can also force toxins from the body.

Broadway Natural also sells an array of products, including organic baby food, pasta, yogurt, rice, bread and cereal, as well as cat food and dog food for those who are health-conscious about what their pets eat.

Patel, a native of Gujuarat in western India who immigrated to the United States 20 years ago, said he has always been interested in running a business. He said he wanted to sell food that was free of additives and pesticides because too many groceries rely on chemicals to preserve their food.

“I want to promote health,” Patel said. “It's a good lifestyle to stick to.”

Patel said he also has plans to open a second store in Astoria on Ditmars Boulevard and 31st Street in February that will incorporate a vegetarian kitchen and a homeopathic, therapeutic center.

“It will be twice as big as this store,” Patel said.

In the future, Patel also wants to go into the stock market and trade his business publicly.

“Listen, if a coffee company like Starbucks can do it, why can't a health food store?” Patel asked. “People already drink too much coffee anyway.”

Broadway Natural, at 30-11 Broadway in Astoria, is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday. For more information call 894-9017.