Front Royal, Virginia had everything: clean air, beautiful mountains, the Appalachian Trail, the Shenandoah River, and peace and quiet... it was a nature lovers dream. The only thing it did not have at the time was a place where granola and tofu could be easily acquired and a vegetarian could eat without having to travel far from home. In 1980, Better Thymes opened it’s doors and started offering
healthy foods to the public. Owner, Denise de la Montaigne started out on South Royal Avenue in Front Royal in a tiny 500 square foot space. The positive response to the store was overwhelming and in just three short years Better Thymes moved to a new location double the size of the old. This location, the first floor of a house, was only a half of a block down the street from the original but the difference in exposure, setting, parking and atmosphere was monumental. The store continued to thrive over the next seven years with new products, categories and whole sections being added all the time. The store now had a staff of three and they were kept busy Monday through Saturday helping customers. In 1990 Better Thymes doubled its size once more and moved to the Royal Plaza Shopping Center. Now offering an even wider variety of natural foods and supplements the success of the store continued. Granola and tofu were not just for “health nuts” and vegetarians anymore. Healthier foods were becoming a common household staple and the demand for more variety raged on. Meeting these demands, Denise expanded once more in 1998 to it’s current, largest location. Better Thymes now occupies 2,400 square foot of space with an inventory that could easily spread out in a store three times that size. Every square inch of space is utilized so that more and more product can be kept in stock. Keeping sight of the old and introducing new products every week has helped keep Better Thymes a progressive, successful store. From a tiny business with one employee to the thriving corporation it is now with employees ranging in the double digits and sales at an all time high, the success of the store remains strong and the selling of granola and tofu lives on.
