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Akin's Natural Foods Caters to Customers With Special Needs

Posted on: Tuesday, 26 July 2005, 21:00 CDT

Jul. 23--Oklahoma City resident Ginger Freeman claims Akin's Health Food Market helped save her life.

"I started shopping there seven years ago when I was trying to recover from fibermyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome," Freeman said.

Freeman went on a drastic diet -- drinking 13 glasses of carrot juice a day, cutting out all sugar, salt and oil, and eating only organic food.

"I had to shop at Akin's because they were the only ones who had that many organics," she said.

Freeman also cut out hair dye, deodorant and makeup.

She got so detoxed, she could hardly bear going out in public. But within six months she was symptom free, she said.

Freeman, 49, still loves Akin's.

"I like to shop there because they have a fresh juice bar. They have great soups. I love their deli (all at the store on N 63 and May)."

Akin's Nutrition Director Mary Ann O'Dell said many of the stores' customers are like Freeman.

"We get a lot of people with special dietary needs, or people come in the store with a list of medicines they're on, and they don't know why their taking them," she said.

O'Dell said the staff is put through a rigorous two- to three-month training program to help such shoppers.

Akin's is not the only health food store in Oklahoma. After many ebbs and flows, the market is growing again. The retailer is celebrating its 70th year in business this year, making it one of the oldest and longest lasting health food companies in the state.

O'Dell, 38, and her siblings grew up in Akin's.

Her father, Jim Hinkefent, went to work for the store in 1961, a year after the original owner, Bernice Akins, sold the business to Oklahoma investors Chester Cadieux and Burt Holmes.

In 1975, Hinkefent bought the business for himself.

When Hinkefent -- now in his 70s -- retired five years ago, he sold the business to Nebraska-based The Healthy Edge Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of AMCON Distributing Co.

O'Dell, her brother Eric Hinkefent and sister Sally Sudol still work for the chain, however.

In her lifetime, O'Dell said she has seen the health food and organic markets explode.

She said she and her sister used to play a game in the store to see which one could find the grossest product, such as the old white blocks of tofu.

Now the store carries much more appealing products, she said.

Freeman agreed. "When my granddaughter is coming, I buy organic cereal, soy corn dogs and pizza. They even have healthy candy, and she doesn't even have a clue," she said.

O'Dell said better distribution of health food to the Midwest has also increased the demand in the market.

Freeman's only complaint is the higher price she pays for healthier products.

"The prices are high, but you don't have to buy drugs and antibiotics. I used to have about $4,000 a year in uninsured pharmacy bills, so I figure I've got that much to spend," she laughed.

O'Dell said price is a common complaint in the business, but Akins combats that by offering rotating specials every week on hundreds of items.

"My response is you can pay a small amount to stay healthy now, or pay thousands later in hospital bills for a degenerative disease," she said.

Freeman also said the health food store offers free seminars and demonstrations, plus it carries free magazines that include coupons and recipes.

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Source: The Daily Oklahoman

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