Local shop wants to help people Live Naturally

ALBANY — On Ledo Road, nestled in a quaint shopping complex, stands Live Naturally Vitamins and Health Food Store. Owner Debbie Peavey will celebrate the store’s 10th anniversary this month.

Given the business’s longevity, it may come as a surprise that opening a shop was not originally a goal of Peavey’s.

“I never had a plan of a store,” she said. “We do detoxing foot baths here, and we do Meridian Stress Assessment testing here. And that’s all I planned to do from either my home or a little office. I was just going to do that for a couple of days a week.”

Even though the store is established now, getting started was an ordeal for Peavey. While changing locations, every other place was more and more expensive, so she worried about being able to afford the costs.

“I’m a believer; I believe in God, and He and I opened this business together,” she said. “He led me (to our current location).”

When Peavey settled on the shopping center on Ledo Road, the property manager decided that even though it cost three times as much as Peavey previously paid, he would not to charge her for a deposit.

“So we moved in, and it just kept growing. I kept getting more and more products, and soon it became a store,” Peavey said.

In addition to selling health products and vitamins, Live Naturally provides classes on various health-related topics for customers. Attendees can learn about essential oils, how to build their immune system, and even how to make healthy chocolate or different vitamins.

While the staff does not treat or diagnose clients, Peavey and an assistant are trained to use the MSA device, a non-invasive test that helps identify certain health problems.

“I would have my computer open, and (customers) would take these two probes out and hold those,” she explained. “And this little machine tells me anything in your body that’s out of balance … and it tells us natural products to help address those imbalances. Anything from hormones, food sensitivities, environmental sensitivities, liver problems, emotional stuff.

“It’s very person-sensitive. I can have three people here, and they all have a different liver problem or imbalance, but they would all three need different products to help with that issue.”

Because the scan is so in-depth, it takes an hour and a half to complete.

The shop is also equipped with a thermal imaging station, which takes a full-body scan and detects various abnormalities, and employs a part-time massage therapist.

Live Naturally is not the only place nearby that sells health products, but Peavey considers the staff’s relationship with customers what sets her business apart.

“What we try to focus on here is customer service, educating and helping the customer to understand different products and different imbalances or ailments,” she said. “You can’t get that just anywhere.”

Live Naturally Vitamins and Health Food Store is located at 2726 Ledo Road, Suite 4. Customers can call (229) 888-2466.