Greenpoint has lost another longtime business with the closing of family-owned Natural Vitamins at 671 Manhattan Avenue.
For 50 years, this vitamin and supplement shop has sold vitamins, herbs, homeopathic remedies and more at competitive prices with a special focus on the bodybuilding community. Current owner Sergi Zavala (son of Ecuadorian immigrant founders Irma and Antonio Zavala) posted in August about the impending closure, but the store remained open for several months before finally closing. It closed last week.
Natural Vitamins is a result of the couple’s commitment and Antonio’s commitment to nutrition and iridology, an alternative medical technique that focuses on the characteristics of the iris as a determinant of health and well-being, according to a 2011 bio published by the store. This was a sign of both growing interest. The business bounced back and forth between his two previous spaces, one in Nassau and the other right next door at 669 Manhattan Avenue (now the Eurochemist Pharmacy) before settling at 671 Manhattan Avenue. So the Zavalas continued to carve out a space for natural vitamins. In a holistic wellness space.
The shop also fosters close ties to the bodybuilding world, sponsoring professional bodybuilders and hosting events and exhibitions with members of the International Bodybuilding Federation and the Fitness Professional League. did. After taking over his business, Serge Zabala continued to strengthen the business’ connection with bodybuilding and appropriate supplements and vitamins, while also advancing research in holistic medicine.
But Natural Vitamins wasn’t just about bodybuilding. They also include Baya Bar, Madabolic Brooklyn, the former UFC FIT Greenpoint gym (which permanently closed in May of this year), pop-ups and demos, and more.
Plus BKLYN, a boutique specializing in used and vintage plus-size clothing and accessories currently located at 490 Metropolitan Avenue, has taken over the lease, but an opening date has not been announced. According to a shop post written by founder Alexis Hope Clase, the space has been secured, but they are experiencing permitting difficulties, causing further financial hardship, and have set up a GoFundMe to help with expansion costs. It is said that they shared
It’s always sad to lose a local, long-standing business, but we can at least rejoice in the fact that it won’t be replaced by Chase Bank or somehow more condos.
