Cone's in tip-top health on big anniversary

BY LOUIS MEDINA, Californian staff writer
lmedina@bakersfield.com | Thursday, Apr 30 2009 05:30 PM

Last Updated Friday, May 01 2009 11:56 AM

GO & DO

What: Cones Health Foods & Vitamins 30th anniversary celebration

When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday

Where: 8200 Stockdale Highway, Suite B-3 (at the Town & Country Village Shopping Center)

Information: 832-5669 or ConesHealthFoods.com

Images:

Felix Adamo

Felix Adamo / The Californian Standing among their inventory are Milt Woken, Trulaine Woken, and Laurie Manny who will be celebrating 30 years of family ownership of Cone's Health Foods.

Back in 1979 when the Woken family went into the health food business, all carbs were good carbs and if you wanted a Jamba Juice, you had to make it yourself.

While planning the celebration of her family's 30th anniversary of running Cones Health Foods, co-owner Trulaine Woken reminisced about consumer health food trends.

One of the biggest changes: The store now sells a lot of "foods that meet the needs of people with allergies."

Woken, her sister and co-owner Laurie Manny, and their staff are throwing a customer appreciation event Saturday with vendor booths, giveaways, special sales -- even live music.

Despite its recent move to the Town & Country Village Shopping Center on Stockdale Highway and other relocations, Cones has maintained a strong customer base, becoming a local institution.

Loyal, happy customers

Don Hall, owner of Don Hall Jewelers, started shopping at Cones when it opened under its first owner, Melvin Cone, in 1967.

Hall used an anecdote to explain why he and his wife remain loyal customers.

On Tuesday, he visited the store, made some small talk, paid and walked back to his car. Woken caught up with him as he was leaving.

"She comes knocking on my window and says, 'I found this $100 bill. Could it be yours? It was where you were standing.' It had fallen out of his pocket when he'd pulled out his wallet.

"They're not only knowledgeable but they're very honest and sincere," he said.

Sharon Banker said she first went to the store some 17 years ago, when it was located at Valley Plaza. Having moved here from Orange County, where she was "used to incredible resources as far as health food stores," Banker was immediately impressed with the knowledge and customer care offered by Cones' staff.

Banker, a southwest resident, is excited about the store's new location and its eco-friendly interiors.

"That's part of her integrity," Banker said of Woken. "Some people may not even be aware of that, but she's aware of that. She loves her work.

"I don't know of any other store in town that would have that kind of caring. So they are just a jewel as far as I'm concerned. They surpass my experiences with health food stores in Orange County."

A bit of local history

Woken's parents and another couple bought the store from Cone's estate in 1979 when he died, said Woken, who was in high school when she started working at Cones.

Later, after the Wokens' divorce and the buyout of the other couple, Woken and her mother, Trudy, ran the store. Manny joined the business in 1997, after doing accounting for television and motion picture production companies.

"We have a great natural division of labor because the financial part is second nature for me, which is what my mom handled," Manny said. Her mother died in 2003.