Great Earth Vitamins opened its Torrance location in 1972, and came under new management in 1993. The chain sells a large selection of vitamins and nutritional supplements from over 200 franchises nationwide.
In this small location, one of only two non-restaurants in the shopping center at Hollywood and La Brea, the franchise's owner is a "vitamatician," the store's term to denote an expert in nutrition. Customers give him a number of personal characteristics, such as age, body size, activity level and diet, and he points them to the ideal nutritional supplements.