But after coming off a more lackluster summer than usual, Barbella is worried about the state of her small business. What began as an organic food store 35 years ago has had to change its tack several times to stay competitive in a market flooded by large nutrition and grocery store chains.

Barbella likes the model she's working with now, where she can personally communicate with her customers about their health problems, but says she worries that the closing of Minton's Lumber and Supply means her independent store is doomed.

"In 1994, the Whole Foods opened, and we really had to change things," Barbella says. "We don't try to compete on their same level, and they call us when they have a customer with a more individual allergy. But people trust us, and that's what Minton's had."

Barbella's father-in-law, Tony Barbella, founded the shop back in 1969, but at that time, it was called Cupertino Natural Foods. Along those lines, the store carried organic produce and had a self-serve deli. "There were no health food stores in the area at that time," she says. "The closest one was probably in Palo Alto."

The store initially opened in its current space at 10265 S. De Anza Blvd., but found that business was too brisk for the small space. In 1972, Tony moved Cupertino Natural Foods to a spot two doors down that had twice the square footage.

"You always had to have two people working in there because the space was just so big," Barbella says.

Market forces affected the store early on despite its relatively small size—forays into carrying bottled water and Birkenstocks failed when other outlets bested the local nutrition store with more specific products.

But the original purpose of the store wasn't threatened until the early 1990s, when Whole Foods Market opened on Stevens Creek Boulevard. Barbella, who had just taken over for her father-in-law, decided to narrow the store's offerings to niche diets, including diabetic and wheat/gluten-free. She removed the health food offerings that popularized the store in the first place, and she now carries food just for specific diets.

"I have people coming here from Fremont and Walnut Creek and stocking up because they can't find these things anywhere else," she says. Barbella, a former nurse, will also speak to customers about the latest health trend or what combination of vitamins will work best for their condition.

Her employees have put in many years with Cupertino Nutrition or other local health stores, so she's confident in their ability to guide customers to what works. She also downsized the store, moving back to its original location last year, which is much more manageable, and she changed the store's name to better fit with its new focus. "It's just what I want right now," Barbella says.

The change allows her time to pursue her favorite past time—horseback riding with her two children. But she sometimes finds she can't leave the work at the office.

"I'll be horseback riding somewhere like Capitola and strike up conversations about their joints," she says. "Even though I know they won't be coming to my store, I talk to them about what they can do."

Speaking with customers about their health problems breeds a different kind of relationship, but this preference for personal attention over a huge amount of inventory makes Barbella nervous, especially with Minton's recent closure. But after a bad summer industry-wide, business is starting to pick up again.

To help other small businesses get on their feet, Barbella has been volunteering her know-how with SCORE, which stands for Service Corps of Retired Executives. Her father-in-law works with the group now in his own retirement, sharing business tips with newbie entrepreneurs.

And Cupertino Nutrition continues to make its place by shifting its offerings. With the lo-carb trend going mainstream and continuous competition elsewhere, Barbella is choosing to go in a different direction once again—by offering bulk supplements for pets for the first time.

Whether or not it's a harbinger of things to come remains to be seen.