New Spice Shop Adds Personal Touch

Why would a successful online entrepreneur open a brick and mortar location in downtown Highland Park?

For Love That Spice owner Marlena Jayatilake who opened her new store today in downtown Highland Park after nine months of operating online, the answer is simple. She wants to interact with her customers.

“I get a chance to reach out and talk to people,” Jayatilake said. “You’re not able to do that on a computer.” She and her staff were doing exactly that with the customers who arrived on day one at 474 Central Avenue. She gave suggestions on what spice to use with what food.

“I’ve tried every spice myself,” Jayatilake said. “If I don’t like it I’m not going to give it to you.”

Jayatilake offers customers more than something to enhance the food they eat. She has made a study of the health benefits of different spices. “Ginger lowers your cholesterol,” she said. “If you take half a teaspoon of cinnamon it regulates your blood sugar.”

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