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Lovey's Natural Foods Sets the Standard for Quality and Community! 

Host Jeffrey Burke highlights our “Retailer of the Month” and the importance of supporting independent health food stores by sharing insights from Marie Montemurro of Lovey's Natural Foods and Café in Wilmington, North Carolina. They discuss store management, community engagement, industry changes, and maintaining integrity and passion in the natural products industry. Learn how Marie and daughter Gabriella have turned a small neighborhood market into one of the Southeast’s most acclaimed natural food destinations. 

Marie Montemurro is a nationally respected independent natural products retailer, entrepreneur, and industry advocate who has dedicated more than three decades to advancing natural foods, wellness, and independent retail. As owner and operator of Lovey’s Natural Foods & Cafe, which she proudly operates alongside her daughter Gabriella, Marie has transformed a small neighborhood market into one of the Southeast’s most recognized independent natural food destinations, serving the Wilmington community for more than two decades.  

A fierce champion of independent retailers and local economies, Marie is known throughout the natural products industry for her unwavering commitment to “Eat Local, Shop Local, Support Local,” her passionate advocacy for independent brands, and her ability to build meaningful partnerships while negotiating fearlessly on behalf of her customers and business. Her leadership has earned widespread recognition, including multiple “Best of Wilmington” honors, two INFRA Bricks Awards, and numerous features in both industry and regional publications.  

Marie served nine years on the Board of Directors of SENPA, where she became a respected voice for independent retailers across the Southeast.
Whether she is mentoring fellow retailers, advocating for community causes, supporting local producers, or protecting the future of independent natural retail, Marie brings equal parts grit, wisdom, passion, and humor to everything she does. She is widely admired for her authenticity, loyalty, and legendary ability to punctuate even the most strategic business conversation with a creatively deployed four-letter expletive that somehow makes perfect sense.

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