Entertainment

This customer’s viral tweet saved a health store’s 35th anniversary celebrations

Sunrise Health Foods’ birthday was almost a disaster.
Sunrise Health Foods’ birthday was almost a disaster. Sunrise Health Foods’ birthday was almost a disaster.

A birthday without many guests can be a very sad occasion indeed, something Sunrise Health Foods in California had to suffer until one woman’s viral tweet got the party started.

The shop, which sells goods from essential oils to protein products, vitamins and tea to books, was celebrating its 35th birthday with owners Dr David High, a nutritionist, and Christina High, a nurse. But a very quiet start put a dampener on things.

That’s when Kayla Jackson-Ramirez arrived. The 23-year-old freelance make-up artist popped in to wish David and the store a happy birthday, only to find the party was struggling.

Kayla’s husband works in security for the shopping centre which houses the store, and told his wife that few people had attended the party.

“So I went over there, and by the time I got there he had already put all the cupcakes and stuff away,” Kayla told the Press Association.

“He was so happy that I got there and said: ‘Happy 35th Anniversary!’ he immediately went and got all the food so we could talk about the store and celebrate.”

Kayla said that she felt for David so took some pictures and posted to Twitter, and as the post went viral, business started to pick up.

“Honestly I don’t know how many people came in before hand, but once the tweet started trending about a handful of people came in and he started getting a bunch of phone calls telling him ‘congratulations’,” Kayla said.

“Every time he got off the phone his face just lit up, and in that moment I just felt so beyond happy to see how something so small could make a person so happy and change his entire day!”

And it sounds as though not only did Kayla’s support brighten up Sunrise Health Foods’ birthday, but that business has picked up in general since her tweet.

“(Kayla) was real nice to talk about our store,” David told the Press Association. “That was Wednesday, and Thursday we had some media coming in. It’s a little busier –

we’ve got three customers in the store now!”

Meanwhile Kayla’s message is simple: shop locally and support small business owners.

“They take so much pride in their stores,” she said. “They have so much knowledge on their products and will send you home with exactly what you need and a humble experience from the store.”