When taking a step into J+B Wellness, anyone who walks in can feel the kind and positive atmosphere the shop radiates. A key health and wellness store in the community, J+B Wellness tries to provide a helpful path to a healthier life through the food that they sell.

 “Our main focus is selling healthy food options for the St. Charles area,” co-founder Jacob McDermott said. “Currently we sell smoothie bowls, smoothies, sandwiches, pressed juices and healthy treat options.”

 J+B Wellness was opened in September of this year by Britanny McDermott and her husband Jacob, however they began to create the business in December of 2021. The two found a place for their health and wellness store in the city of Cottleville and took to creating the store to live up to their hopes. The couple used their own first initials to inspire the company name.

“We went to Nashville last June and we found a cafe that we loved [and] we wondered if they would franchise, but they didn’t,” Brittany said. “We joked that we should really open up a place in St. Charles and we ended up doing just that.”

Some may recognize the McDermott name if they attended Henderson Elementary School. Brittany was a fourth grade teacher at Henderson for five years before switching jobs to open her business. Her dream of opening up a shop like J+B Wellness took hold last March when she and Jacob were selling smoothie bowls before even opening up the shop.

“Brittany is an amazing person, she comes in once in a while and helps us all with what she has planned and how she wants the company to be improved,” employee Taylor Schmitt said.

Jacob, on the other hand, had never had a dream of opening up a business until meeting Brittany. He took over the numbers side of the business because of his past in finance. Even though they have their specialties in different parts of the business, they still work together fantastically according to their employees.

 “He’s a very good person to help get us on our toes and he’s able to help if something goes wrong,” Schmitt said. “He’s always the head person to take charge if there’s a rush coming.” 

Within the next year, J+B Wellness hopes to expand to another location with the possibility of three to five locations opening within the next few years. Having more of their shops around the community that serve healthy foods would be very exciting to the owners.

 “The next shop would hopefully be by Lindenwood, my husband and I both went there so it would be great to partner with them,” Brittany said.