After an 18-year career as administrator with IBM, in 1975 Evelyn Gibson began her service-oriented business. She wanted to tell everyone the incredibly improved economy and nutrition that she had discovered for her large family with a grain mill and Bosch bread maker and processor. She helped thousands of people live healthier, happier and more productive lives by demonstrating, educating, and inspiring customers to replace their health-erosive lifestyles with a health-enhancing one.
Loyal customers came in droves to Gibson’s Healthful Living stores in Riverside and San Bernardino for 23 years. Evelyn showed how simple it is to use proper nutrition and innovative kitchen appliances to foster renewed health without spending long hours in the kitchen. You saw her 3 times a week giving classes, passionate about the importance of families being together for mealtime She was at medical conventions too with bread makers, mills, juicers, and featuring healthful five-minute meals with Zojirushi cookers.
Norm's Parkinson's disease was diagnosed in 1992, precipitated by toxic chemical exposure years ago as a machinist. Her own successful fight against cancer 1984-1989 gave Evelyn knowledge and compassion for those suffering serious illness. But as her husband's Parkinson’s disease progressed it was evident that time with him should take priority over the health food store. Sadly they closed the doors and moved to Ohio near their caregiver daughter.
Then what happened......
Immediately Norm improved mentally, emotionally and physically from a vegetative state in March 1998. Our new Chi Machine began providing him the incredible healing power of oxygen. All he had to do was lie down with his ankles on the Chi Machine to provide 10,000 paces--the equivalent of 90 minutes of brisk walking. Chi means “air” or “breath” and is pronounced “chee”. My husband had needed what is very key to slowing advancement of Parkinson’s disease. Within two months he resumed driving our van to undertake shipping, banking, and shopping.No longer needing our daughter’s help in Ohio, we returned to Riverside CA in June 1998 to assist my aged parents. Back at our Riverside Parkinson’s support group, many were inspired to purchase Chi Machines upon seeing the change in Norm. Nine exceptionally good years followed. The ERE, HotHouse™, and SOQI Chi Spa added extra pampering. While these devices did not eliminate the disease, we are blessed with the quality of life which they are supplying. Today at age 80, Norm still feels the energy increase "like recharging his battery" to help his Parkinson’s challenges.
How else could I conduct my full life, caring for my aged mother, my husband and three international students? Each day my 99-year-old mother puts herself on her Chi Machine and says, “Don’t disturb me until I’m finished!” Visitors are amazed at Mama’s agility and clear mind. So I share the fabulous FDA-registered medical devices without leaving my home! Then our Slimming Spa parties surprise everyone with immediate loss of inches. Attendees are measured and realize that they can experience this at home.
The front door swings continually bringing people to discover these beneficial devices. They arrive intentionally because someone sent them, or for other reasons--it matters not. Everyone needs what we have. Visitors, workmen, guests, caregivers, students and salesmen are invited to experience 5 minutes of luxury on my SOQI Spa. They return for the healing comfort of these pampering sessions or to purchase their own equipment.
Reward beyond words comes from knowing that my business is genuinely and dramatically helping others. I am grateful for the strong friendships formed with my customers and I am ready and hoping to meet you too.
A brief newspaper article
A business from ‘God’s compound’By Ruth Austen
Press-Enterprise Staff Writer
It’s 7 p.m. Thursday, Evelyn Gibson is lilting into one of her free weekly bread making classes. She lilts into everything with a wholesome enthusiasm. One person told her she could sell fur coats to polar bears. But Gibson says she’s really only trying to sell good nutrition – and counter-sized wheat mills so families can grind their own wheat. To do this the mother of eight children recently quit a high-paying job, one she had held for more than 18 years, as an executive secretary.
“I feel like a missionary,” she bubbles. “It has been so wonderful for me, I just had to tell everyone about it.” It’s not flip to call her “the wheat lady of Riverside.”
“It” was the discovery that she could have the time to make bread for her family and still have a career.
For years, she says, she kept a booklet on breads and would look at all the wonderful things that can be made at home. But bread making takes time…
“And if I can’t do something in 10 minutes, then forget it.”
But last August, she visited an aunt in Modesto, and found that, with two pieces of equipment, she could grind her own wheat berries, and have fresh bread in an hour and 15 minutes.
She shortly acquired her own Magic Mill and Bosch mixer. (It has a special bread kneading attachment) which she now sells at her store at 3771 Tenth St. in Riverside along with 50-pound bags of wheat. She says she ran around giving away hot loaves of bread, she was so proud of herself.
Evelyn Gibson is still giving away bread, on a much larger scale. People wander into her store and want to know where her bread is, that friends have told them about it.
But getting into the business venture meant some rough sailing for a bit. Her husband, Norm was most skeptical about the whole idea. She started selling the equipment on a home demonstration basis. “I never sold fewer than two sets a week.” She sold her product preaching convenience and economy. With store-bough bread close to $1 a loaf in some cases, baking the same type of honey whole wheat bread at home, says Norm, costs approximately 19 cents a loaf. This price he says, is based on retail cost of ingredients.
It wasn’t until several months later that research came her way that convinced her of the superior nutritional value of the process. Now she’s selling wheat and mills and mixers in her very own store. Her husband is finally convinced. He estimates he helps out with the business anywhere from 10 to 20 hours a week besides holding a full-time job with the state.
Evelyn Gibson says many question the financial feasibility of selling people on the idea of grinding their own wheat. “But the return to traditional ways of feeding a family is a tremendous movement. Just look at the way health food stores are thriving.” She has no doubt that hers is a sound business venture.
All day long she demonstrates bread making in her shop and on Thursday evenings she holds classes. The classes are usually packed. And samples of bread are constantly on the move. “After work, a lot of the people in the area leave their offices and come in for their sample.” She says.
She demonstrates from the full array of items she is now selling, including a food dehydrator, which according to a sign on her wall, is making canning and freezing obsolete.
All the recipes and methods of cooking and preserving food she teaches are aimed mostly at the convenience of the busy homemaker – the woman who wants to be a good homemaker but who wants, or needs, to work.
During last Thursday’s class, the 20 people attending sampled pizza, bread, ice cream, fruit leather, and cinnamon rolls. Everything but the fruit leather was made during the two-hour session.
“My seven-year-old and 12-year-old bake this bread even when I’m not home, “ she says in her Sunday School teacher voice. “I think that’s just wonderful. I was over 40 before I baked my first loaf of bread.”
And she goes on, “Did you know that wheat contains everything you need from protein to all the vitamins and minerals?
“The only thing it doesn’t have is Vitamin C. But,” she pauses dramatically, “if you sprout it, that little sprout contains a higher quantity of Vitamin C than ever citrus, rose hips and acerola. “Isn’t that wonderful?”
Evelyn Gibson extolls wheat and extolls it. Her religious convictions creep into her talk frequently.
“The wheat berry is almost indestructible. You can freeze it and it will grow.” She reminds the group that the 5,000-year-old bushels of wheat found in King Tut’s tomb in the 1920s were the grandfather of the famous Idaho wheat. “It’s as if it was made for us. The Bible calls it the staff of life. “I call it God’s compound.”
Evelyn Gibson, 5909 Intervale Dr, Riverside CA 92506, (951) 683-6844