Infit Nutrition celebrates grand opening in Glendale

BY BENJAMIN FANG

Glendale’s newest health and nutrition-focused store celebrated its official grand opening over the weekend. Infit Nutrition, located at 69-44 Cooper Avenue, offers a variety of products to help customers live a healthy lifestyle, whether their goal is to lose weight, gain weight or boost their energy.

Among the options on the menu are low-calorie, low-sugar and high-protein smoothies, teas, bowls and other specialty drinks and snacks. Owner Jonathan Acosta, who opened Infit Nutrition in January, said the smoothies taste like ice cream and their teas taste like juice, but are all healthy.

e said they put aloe in many of their products because it helps clean out the digestive system and burn fat.

“We want people to have healthier options,” he said. Acosta said since changing his own diet, he has lost more than 100 pounds. “I feel amazing,” he added. “I want people to feel the same.”

Acosta, who lives in Flushing, spent nine months looking for possible locations for his health-focused business, but couldn’t find many affordable options. His aunt, a Glendale resident, suggested that he look in the neighborhood.

When he found the corner store that would become Infit Nutrition’s future home, Acosta said he liked the area because it looked like a calm space where people would gather. He also saw that there was no nearby competition to what his new store would offer.

“I want to create that family environment where people can come, sit down and have a conversation,” he said.

The process to open the new storefront was “a little tedious” and time-consuming, Acosta said, which included figuring out the permit process and how to comply with government regulations. Though it only took him a few months to open, Acosta said he had the advantage of collecting the information before really starting the process.

“If I didn’t look this up months before I planned on opening, I wouldn’t be open today,” he said. “It was definitely a battle, but I was persistent and wanted to do it.”

Acosta also had the help of dedicated friends, some of whom came after work or worked overnight to help him renovate, decorate and prepare for the store’s opening. He also enlisted the help of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, which he joined last March after hearing about the organization from his friend.

Acosta said the chamber gave him a lot of guidance on support systems, filing taxes and finding elected officials to attend the grand opening.

“They walked me through everything,” he said. Infit Nutrition already has a robust social media presence, including more than 1,180 followers on Instagram. Acosta said 93 percent of customers who walk in say they’ve seen the new business on Facebook or Instagram. “Social media has been major,” he said.

The Glendale store owner said he also plans to use social media platforms as a space to solicit feedback and suggestions from customers. That way, he said, customers will feel their voices are heard. Acosta said he intends to make Infit Nutrition more of a community space, hosting monthly events. They’ve already planned a sip-and-paint night on February 28.

“We want the community to come in, bond and get to know who we are,” he said. “We want to be the middleman to connect people.” Though the business just opened, Infit Nutrition hopes to be a mainstay in Glendale for years to come. “We’re here to stay,” Acosta added.

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