Junas' Natural Foods marks 90th anniversary

May 8—HAZLETON — A customer at Junas' Natural Foods asked owner Bob Junas where she could find an herbal supplement for some pain she was experiencing.

"I can't remember the name," she said. "I think it starts with a 'T'."

"Turmeric?" Junas asked.

"Yes, that's it. I need that in a capsule along with some Vitamin D," she said.

Junas walked through aisles of his 928 Peace St. store and plucked the bottles from neatly lined shelves. After ringing them up, he packaged them in a crisp paper bag and carried the order to the woman's car.

It was a scenario that likely played out thousands upon thousands of times at Junas' Natural Foods, which celebrates its 90th anniversary this year.

"With thanks to God, we are still here," Bob said of the mom and pop store.

Junas' grandfather, Michael Wargo, started the business in the mid-1920s as a neighborhood grocery. After he was killed in 1928 at his full-time mining job, his wife, Anna, did her best to run the store.

When it became too much for her, she asked her son-in-law, the late Paul "Pat" Junas, to give up his barbershop in Lansford and take over the store. He did so in April 1931 in the heart of the Great Depression.

"Here's one of the first advertisements," Bob Junas said, pointing to a grand opening poster for Junas' Cash Store.

The notice promised visitors free souvenirs, food samples and cups of "Bosco" hot coffee, along with sales on items like Rinso, Gold Cross milk and Skat and Mione soap.

Junas' Cash Store would later become Junas' Market, and for a time, it was affiliated with the Economy Food Store chain.

Bob Junas said the business always offered natural foods, grains, spices and herbs but the addition of vitamins and preservative-free foods in the 1950s started to make it distinct.

By that time, Paul Junas and his wife, Elizabeth, had started a family. All but one of their five children was born in the home above the store.

Some of Bob Junas' earliest memories are of the store.

"I'd go out and pick coal out of the ashes. We had a coal stove. That was one of the things you did," he said.

He and his siblings helped with the chores that go hand in hand with running a business.

Paul Junas noticed that as supermarkets grew in number and more people began owning cars, mom and pop grocery stores were being squeezed out of existence.

He changed the store's name to Junas' Natural Foods and carved out a niche he could serve — providing whole foods, vitamins and herbs to those seeking natural lifestyles. Junas remembered how his parents always had an interest in natural remedies and healthy foods — and even named him after a homeopathic doctor they knew.

Although Bob Junas and his siblings worked at the store while growing up, their post-college years took them elsewhere. Bob served in the U.S. Army as a medic and drill sergeant, and had jobs in advertising, broadcasting and public relations.

He earned a master's degree and became head of the Advertising Sequence at the Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Later, he taught at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Virginia Commonwealth University. He also taught part-time at Bloomsburg University and Penn State Hazleton.

Bob Junas had been home a few days prior to his father's 81st birthday, and recalled telling his father that he'd someday like to retire from teaching to take over the store.

It would happen much sooner. Paul Junas died a few days after his visit in 1982.

Almost immediately, Bob decided to give up his professorship at Virginia Commonwealth University to return to Hazleton to care for his mother and continue his father's dream of making the store the best natural foods store in the area.

"When he died in 1982, my mother was left alone here, I said, 'That's it.' I came back," he said. "And here I am."

He is often asked if he regrets leaving academia. His answer is a strong "no."

"Many customers continue to thank me for being here. Fact is that there would be no reason for me to be here if it weren't for the many faithful customers who come back again and again," he explained. "So, I thank them for giving me the opportunity to serve them. I think God has placed me here for that purpose. I am sincerely happy to provide a service that makes a difference in their lives."

Since succeeding his dad as proprietor, he has made substantial renovations to the store and upgraded his freezer and cooler equipment. He also greatly expanded the merchandise he stocks, particularly products with organic and gluten-free ingredients.

He keeps up with the latest natural products on the market. He's seen trends, too, the most recent being CBD.

For the most part, he has run the entire operation by himself for the last 39 years. Days start early and nights last long. There are shelves to stock, orders to place, calls to make.

"Thank God," he said, "I've never been out sick."

He noted that he continues his father's policy of never stocking irradiated foods or synthetic vitamins. Supplements are free of artificial additives, colorings and preservatives.

He admitted that over the last year — likely because of the pandemic — it's been difficult to obtain many items. Manufacturers have gone out of business or discontinued some products. Other times, he's faced with back orders.

But because the store has survived difficult times, he's confident it will continue despite the pandemic.

In addition to the store celebrating its 90th year this month, Bob Junas will celebrate his 79th birthday Sunday.

Contact the writer: jwhalen@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3592.