Head south on Highway 1 in St. Augustine, not far from the hustle and bustle of the Historic District, and you’ll spot a green logo with a cartoon carrot marking the location of Diane’s Natural Market.
If you remember it as a small, natural grocery store with a similar name on the island side of St. Augustine from a few decades ago, you’re thinking about the right place.
Over 30 years ago, Diane’s was a tiny market selling local foods. Today, it’s changed ownership and location, though it’s only continued to expand the unique offerings of organic grocery items and holistic health and beauty products.
“It’s like walking into your family’s house where you can get everything you need,” said April Monaco, the wellness manager at Diane’s Natural Market.
The market is unlike any of its kind, providing a natural-based approach to health and wellness centered around the spirit of healthy living in the Northeast Florida community.
Beyond an impressive selection of organic grocery items such as Food For Life’s Ezekiel 4:9 bread and California Farms’ Organic Almond Milk, Diane’s Natural Market stocks an impressive selection of vitamins and supplements from acclaimed brands.
The shelves are filled with bottles of Garden of Life and Nature’s Way supplements/vitamins, but the market also carries its own line from a private label manufacturer.
If you’re looking through those many vitamins and supplements but you’re not quite sure what you need, there will be an experienced employee in the department ready to offer assistance.
“If you go to a CVS or a Walmart or even a Publix to get over-the-counter vitamins and supplements, you don’t always have somebody to talk to,” said Monaco. “We always have somebody knowledgeable or with a degree on-staff so you can ask whatever questions you need.”
Diane’s Natural Market is unique in that each product that comes through the door has been carefully vetted by experts to ensure that there are no harmful ingredients or additives, whether that product is for skincare or a new kind of frozen pizza.
“Sometimes there’s something we want to bring in, but we can’t because there’s something in there that we know isn’t healthy for the people in our community,” Monaco said.
The market works with local vendors to supply a holistic selection of body care products such as soaps, shampoos, and skincare. Jax Organix and Grass Fed Skin are just a few of their popular community-based products.
Makeup-wise, the store is proud to carry the Mineral Fusion brand and will soon be home to Gabriel Cosmetics.
“Supplying good ingredients and feeding good people is our kind of thing,” Monaco said.
After Diane’s moved landside, it switched ownership a few times until it ended up in the hands of Andrew and Coleen Noel. In the past 3.5 years, the new owners have continued to grow the business and help it reach its full potential for providing care to the Northeast Florida community.
Diane’s Natural Market is more than just a community grocery store, it’s a hub for health-conscious living, a place where personalized wellness meets trusted, natural products.
