Elliott’s Fine Nutrition location in Folsom to close after shooting death of co-owner
Elliott’s Fine Nutrition in Folsom will cease operations on Saturday, according to multiple store representatives.
Judy Major, the store’s manager, said that the store will not be open to the public past Jan. 28. Until then, everything in the store is 40% off.
The store is closing because of the death of Charles Starzynski, who was shot and killed during a daylight robbery in East Sacramento last October. The Citrus Heights store closed in November, Major said, while the Rocklin location closed approximately five years ago.
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The Bee previously reported that Starzynski, the former program director at Capital Public Radio, was a business partner with wife, Karsan Elliott, owner of Elliott’s Fine Nutrition stores in Folsom and Citrus Heights, which grew out of the pioneering store Elliott’s Natural Foods on El Camino Avenue near Watt Avenue. Major said Elliott’s Natural Foods is part of the Elliott’s family but has different owners than the Folsom location. It will remain open.
Major said Starzynski ran all of the store’s affairs. After he died, his niece was going to take over, but there were issues with the lease and rental space that Major said she would not comment on due to ongoing legal proceedings.
“They can’t legally sell the name Elliott’s to someone that’s not in the family according to whatever their contract was,” Major said. “That was so long ago.”
According to a statement on the store’s website, the sudden loss of Starzynski has been too much for the family to overcome.
“We are devastated by his loss,” the statement said. “We apologize deeply for this disruption in service, for this huge change. We know it impacts your life in smaller and larger ways.”
Major said she has been with the company for 17 years.
“We really are kind of like family here,” she said. “We all know each other. We all do things outside of work together, and we have a really good customer base (and) are friends with a lot of the customers.”
The Elliott’s Fine Nutrition statement said Elliott’s Natural Foods will work to optimize its online shopping presence in order to make shopping more convenient for customers.
