Life is good at Anna's health foods: nutritional supplements claim shelf space at Anchorage shop.

• Author: Blumer, Marilyn
• Position: HEALTH & MEDICINE

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Anna's Health Foods, a small business on Hyder and 15th Avenue in Anchorage (where the Fairview neighborhood and downtown meet), has been a familiar location for many customers since the store opened on Valentine's Day 1994. The store, owned by Anna and Ivan Bucinsky, has remained in the same location for 14 years. It boasts a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, juices, oils, seeds, nuts, homeopathic products, beauty products and more.

"Everyday is a good day when you wake up healthy," Anna says.

She has a clear complexion and a ready smile, and one would never guess her age. She served raspberry tea while we spoke, while her husband took care of the books in the back office.

The Bucinskys have lived in Alaska since 1974, when Ivan, a violin-maker, bought a violin shop and Anna served as bookkeeper. Now, they have reversed roles and their son, Peter, runs the violin shop.

"When I walk into Anna's, it's like another world," one of Anna's customers said. "Anna's Health Foods store is like a health wizard's laboratory, packed with the finest and most focused organically based solutions for nearly every health issue. The intensity of the full shelves of products, the quality of research that obviously went into the choices, and the knowledgeable staff are reassuring to someone looking for non-pharmaceutical help for an ailment or disorder. My visits seem to end with new discoveries of extracts and essences that get right to the heart of my complaint. It seems a magical place, but because Anna is trained and competent, there is no magic...