{"id":430419,"date":"2025-09-17T05:11:21","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T05:11:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/430419\/"},"modified":"2025-09-17T05:11:21","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T05:11:21","slug":"this-journey-has-been-delightful-the-man-waving-goodbye-to-his-wood-street-health-shop-after-three-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/430419\/","title":{"rendered":"‘This journey has been delightful’: The man waving goodbye to his Wood Street health shop after three decades"},"content":{"rendered":"

A retiring entrepreneur is to close his much loved Wood Street health food shop after more than three decades of service<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Leila Davaud<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Robert Clark has run Second Nature since 1990, Credit: Penny Dampier<\/p>\n

Sheltered beneath majestic chestnut trees, Second Nature Wholefoods feels more like a home than a shop. Its listed 18th Century weather-boarded walls give it a timeless charm, while music escapes through the open door. From the window, a man wearing a black bowler hat bobs to the rhythm.<\/p>\n

That man is Robert \u201cBob\u201d Clark, who for the past 35 years has poured his energy into Second Nature, and speaking to him, it\u2019s clear his enthusiasm is as infectious as ever. \u201cWhat happens when you love your business is that it makes closing this place even harder,\u201d he says with a smile.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, 27th September, Second Nature will sadly shut its doors as Bob retires. The shop\u2019s future remains uncertain, but he looks back with no regrets: \u201cIf I were to describe this journey, I\u2019d say it\u2019s been delightful.\u201d<\/p>\n

It all began 35 years ago, after Bob was forced to rethink his relationship with food for health reasons in his family. \u201cI was already growing my vegetables in my garden and allotment plot, but I had to take it one step further in my research. Who would have thought it would lead to this?\u201d<\/p>\n

The wholefood and health shop first opened in Wood Street Indoor Market in 1990. \u201cWe mainly delivered our produce back then, so it was very practical. But when this place became available, we moved in and I\u2019ve been here since 1993.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Second Nature is housed in the oldest wooden building in Wood Street, Credit: Penny Dampier<\/p>\n

Growing up in the neighborhood, Bob always felt a special affection for the building. \u201cAs a kid, I used to peep through the mailbox to look inside. It was a butcher and slaughterhouse then, and I was trying to catch a glimpse of the animals in the back room.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few years later, a young Robert trained as a butcher himself. His career path eventually shifted and he found his way back to where it all began. And if passion made it possible to create this health haven, what truly sustained it was the community of regular shoppers who simply adore it.<\/p>\n

Wood Street local and repairman Ray Yates will be sure to miss the shop when it\u2019s gone. He says: \u201cI\u2019ve been going to the shop for 24 years and I\u2019ve done minor repairs and maintenance on the building too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSecond Nature is a community asset, adding character and uniqueness to the area. It\u2019s the oldest wooden building in the area \u2013 and it\u2019s where I go for organic carbs and natural cleaning products. Bob, Jenny and Val have served us a gem in Wood Street that must keep sailing on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Dried fruits on display at Second Nature, Credit: Penny Dampier<\/p>\n

Another regular, Penny Dampier, shares her \u201clove\u201d for Second Nature: \u201cI\u2019ve been a regular customer for well over 15 years now, and will certainly miss it if no one can be found to take it over once Bob retires \u2013 plus it\u2019s the only place I can seem to get hold of hemp milk!\u201d<\/p>\n

Bob is deeply aware of the loss Second Nature\u2019s departure will have on the area: \u201cI was surrounded by people who believed in human contact, in fellowship and I\u2019ll be forever grateful to them. They are what made this adventure worthwhile. I am very touched by their reaction to me leaving. It\u2019s heartwarming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, as Bob steps down to focus on more artistic hobbies and his poetry, the question remains: is there nobody who can take Second Nature on? <\/p>\n

He says: \u201cI wish I could find someone to take over with fresh eyes and a modern mind to fulfill its potential. Someone who shares our values. I\u2019d be sad to see the shop go, but I understand it\u2019s hard work. Still, this building deserves to keep serving its community. It\u2019s symbolic, it\u2019s the oldest shop on Wood Street.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Additional reporting by Marco Marcelline<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re interested in taking over the shop or building, contact Bob Clark at [email\u00a0protected]<\/a> or pop by Second Nature Wholefoods at 78 Wood Street, E17 3HX before 27th September<\/strong><\/p>\n

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More Information about donations<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A retiring entrepreneur is to close his much loved Wood Street health food shop after more than three…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":430420,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7757],"tags":[748,393,126,4884,257,246,16,15,146552],"class_list":{"0":"post-430419","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-london","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-features","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-london","13":"tag-shopping","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-wood-street"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115217923471295305","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=430419"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430419\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/430420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=430419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=430419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=430419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}