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CHARS booksAmor*
WMoreiand Avenue HI
Atlanta.Ca.MM7 52*030*
FREE CONTACT LENSES
Charles Haver, L.M.T.
Therapeutic Massage
LITTLE FIVE POINTS
(404) 524-8221
By appointment only
Sevenanda Serves Potpourri
of Natural Goodness
Whether you are trying to quit smoking or
give your favorite pet the healthiest diet, you'll
find the natural way to do it in Little 5 Point's
grocery store par excellence-Sevananda.
Bom as a service by the religious cult Ananda
Marga in 1973, Sevanda even today remains
true to its Sanskrit name which means
"service in bliss."
Sevananda incorporated itself and became
a community cooperative in 1979, when the
Georgia Supreme Court ruled that Ananda
Marga had to sell the store to the community
rather than just closing it. Since then,
Sevananda has strived to operate as a business
intimately responsive to the needs of the
politically and socially progressive
communities in Atlanta.
Sevananda defines itself as a cooperative,
meaning that all of the members are in effect
shareholders, and directly control the
visionary path of the store through the elected
officers and in annual meetings. The benefits
of membership in Sevananda go beyond the
politically correct, however, and reach deep
down into your pocketbook. Ranging from
$10 for a single person to $25 for a family of
three or more, membership entitles you to a
10% discount. Spending only $10 a month
would ensure that a single membership was
more than recouped. The application for
membership is relatively simple, and the
family memberships are "self-defined." You
and your lover are just as welcome as Johnny
According to Andrew Goldstein, a
nutritionist and immediate past president, up
to 40 people take advantage of the working
member program, which gives the member
an additional 10% off in exchange for three
hours of work per week. (A hint to the reader,
sources say that membership prices may be
going up in the very near future.)
Best of all, Sevananda is a fun and safe
place to shop. Said Goldstein, "We try to
make it a place that is as much as the
individual members and shoppers can make
it." Lesbian/gay couples stroll through the
produce aisles, commingling with
skateboarders looking for the cold bottled
natural juices and mineral waters, and latter-
day hippies and yogis searching for
spiritually rejuvenating herbs.
"What I hear the most, is that people like
the energy in Sevananda. They feel good."
said Goldstein. "What I like are the organic
foods-thc produce and the grains. And I
enjoy talking with other people in the (Little
5 Points) community. It's like being in a
huge community kitchen, you're intersecting
and meeting with people who are doing their
shopping. Sevananda is still small enough so
that it doesn't overwhelm you."
For the curious and the serious, perhaps
the most memorable aisles in Sevananda hold
the selections of dried herbs and teas.
According to Goldstein, it is believed to be
the largest selection in the Southeast With
names like Buckthorn Bark, Bone-set, and
Devil's Claw Powder that are rcminescent of
the halcyon days of the Foxfire books,
shoppers cannot help but remember their
A Feminist
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Litttle 5 Points
484 D. Moreland Ave.
523-3937
PHOTO BY PAMELA J. COLE
grandparent's talcs when the closest doctor
was often the adjacent field or wooded
slope. If you are trying to give up smoking,
Sevananda carries ginseng and honcyrose
cigarettes to give you the sensation of
smoking while suffering through the
nicotine withdrawals.
For those who disdain the time-honored
traditions of herbal poultices, infusions and
teas, there is still the selection of non-
medicinal teas and potpourri. From the
lanky Lapsang Souchang to the ever-
popular Red Zinger, Sevananda's selections
will drive you into a buying frenzy. Most
interesting to me was Mental Clari-Tea,
which went down like butter and inspired
this article. Of the selection of potpourri,
perhaps the most appealing was the one
aptly titled Fairies-n-Flowers.
Sevananda is a wonderland for those who
like to shop, and most specifically those
who like to shop for food and cooking gear.
The aisles are full of the exotic and the
commonplace, with one central
impcrative-il must be natural, and it must be
good for you. Best of all, it tastes good.
-Chris Duncan
j The Little 5 Points section covers
| the news, events and people of
\ this community, gay or straight -
| always different, always special
•Crystals •Minerals
•Fantasy •Crystal Jewelry
•Tibetan Bells •Oil Candles
•Wind Chimes
1168 Euclid Ave.
in Little 5 Points
Atlanta, Ga. 30307
(404)522-4605
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