Brandon Guillory was tired of traveling outside of St. Charles Parish to shop for his health and nutrition needs. So were his close friends. They decided to do something about it.
Hence the birth of Muscle Barn, a new independent health and nutrition store located at 12225 Highway 90 in Luling next to Anytime Fitness, which sells vitamins and supplements, among other things, to fit the needs of the health consumer.The store opened Sept. 11, and Guillory said he and his staff are “excited to the max” about the endeavor.
“I know for myself, Brook (Dufrene) and Daniel (Matson), we have a close relationship. We look for the same things and we’ve had to travel to New Orleans, to Metairie to get the (nutritional) things we need. Here, we have a gym next door to us. We haven’t had a store in the parish that sells these products.,” Guillory said. “I’d have to order online and it takes a week, I’m charged shipping. I think there was a need for it.”
Dufrene, the store manager, echoed those thoughts.
“There’s a big influx of people going out of town,” he said. “All that money going out of parish… we want to provide an outlet to keep things local and support everything here. Maybe stop people from driving to Metairie and dropping everything in Jefferson Parish. We’ve needed something like this for 15 years. It’s exciting to be part of it, really.”Guillory, who also owns ”Repair Dat,” a fix-it store also in Luling, said the background of his staff, as well as his own, provides a big lift to the store’s potential.
“Brook went to school for biochemistry and owned a medical oxygen manufacturer in Alabama for seven years,” Guillory said. “He’s certified as a personal trainer. Daniel played college baseball, he knows how to keep himself in great condition. Dominique (White) competes in NPC (National Physique Committee) events. I’ve had my own athletic background, and I’ve been in the retail business for 10 years.
“I definitely think we’re in for good things, here, and I think the people in this store have a lot to offer in bringing healthy food and healthy choices to our community.”
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