Life is good.

The message that Jake’s on Main embodies. Owner Amy Senter says the phrase is not saying life is easy or perfect but it is saying that life is what you make of it. Begin to say it and you might start to believe it. Start to look for the superpowers within people and learn to be open-minded, to be open to people, and have the courage to try things.

Life may not feel or look good now, but there is more to life than this pandemic. This pandemic caused a rollercoaster of emotions within people around the world. Right here on St. Charles Main Street, Senter decided to trample those emotions to bring positivity to anyone who steps inside her store.

“People can get overwhelmed by negativity,” said Senter. “And by stepping into my store, I hope to bring those people a moment of positivity.”

Jake’s on Main sells Life is Good apparel, mugs, candles, Natural Life products, and much more. A fresh and exciting business enjoyed by a variety of people. The brand is unique because 10% of Life is good products profits go to kids in need that goes through the Life is Good Foundation and Natural Life’s Fearless line helps children with anxiety issues.  Once COVID-19 caused the closure of the business on Mar. 20, Senter’s faithful customers rushed to help.

“I had one lady who showed up probably once a week for eight weeks and I said, ‘Why are you back again?’” said Senter. “She goes, ‘Because, I told my husband I was going to shop here every week until you open back up because I don’t want to lose your store.’”

Senter lost sales, but during the closure she gained income by staying countless hours in the store by herself, offering curbside pickup, porch deliveries and campaigning on Facebook. Through Facebook, she worked on advertising products, going live and posting pictures captioned “seeing the beauty” to motivate customers. Senter also created a hero pack for people that nominated nurses or doctors through Facebook. She put together products from her store and mailed or delivered the hero pack to them.

“It’s amazed me the continued feedback I get from people saying, ‘You’re really connecting with me’,” said Senter. “I get people all the time saying, ‘I look forward to this post every day.’”

When St. Charles County allowed for businesses to open back up, Jake’s on Main did on May 1. Immediately, Senter required precautions to be taken in the store for employees and customers. The precautions include a plexiglass shield on the counter, increasing sanitation, and a sign stating the requirement of masks in the store. Not all customers appreciated the mask policy.

“A lot of people would comply and be okay with wearing a mask but there was a handful of people would get really mad and yell you just lost a bunch of business,” said Jake’s on Main employee Hannah Whitehead .

The pandemic still continues and Jake’s on Main continues to build as a business to bring positivity to their customers. Senter believes if people look at life through the superpowers of life is good the people will be more content. The superpowers are authenticity, optimism, fun, creativity, openness, courage, compassion, love, simplicity and gratitude.

“My hope would be either myself or someone else really dedicate time to getting those social medias going and helping expand,” said Jake’s on Main employee Emily Senter. “I think it [Jakes on Main and the superpowers] would be a brand and a message that a lot of young people would really enjoy.”