Jacksonville, FL — A Jacksonville health food store will be closing its doors after 23 years in business.
The owner and founder of Native Sun Natural Food Markets made the announcement today on Facebook, saying the dramatic increase of specialty grocers in the Jacksonville-area has led to the stores 'crowding each other'.
Aaron Gottlieb says their well just wasn't deep enough to keep them going, but says they're proud of the impact they've been able to have.
"Native Sun's team had a hand in cleaning up the food you can now buy on all grocery shelves. We worked closely with manufacturers to challenge their ingredient integrity and had a direct hand in helping to ensure that not just Jacksonville, but everyone, had access to brands that met their ingredient expectations. We have also helped to support the local community by being part of many local food companies' launch and growth," says Gottlieb in a statement.
Native Sun currently has three locations: one in Mandarin, one in Baymeadows, and one in Jacksonville Beach.
An exact date for the closure hasn't been publicly announced.
FULL STATEMENT FROM OWNER/FOUNDER OF NATIVE SUN: