5 Star Nutrition, a retailer focusing on health and wellness products, is preparing to open a Springfield location at 2476 Wabash in Sherwood Plaza. The company has more than 80 locations nationwide, primarily on the east coast and throughout the Midwest, including a store in Peoria and one in Champaign that opened last year.
Based out of Austin, Texas, the four owners of the company originally met in college. David Olit, one of the owners, said, “We mainly like to open up in towns that are 150,000-200,000 in population, not huge cities. In a smaller town, with our level of customer service, the word of mouth and advertising travels pretty quickly.”
5 Star Nutrition offers products and supplements including sports nutrition, weight loss and vitamins. Each location has an InBody machine that provides body composition analysis, allowing customers to track body fat and lean muscle mass.
“We’re not a normal supplement store where you just come in and buy something from someone behind the counter. Our staff is highly trained, whether that means they were previously personal trainers or have a degree in nutrition; they live the lifestyle,” said Olit. “We do one-on-one consultations with each person on their specific goals, diet and workout, what they currently take. Then we can put together a meal plan for them and supplement recommendations based on their goals.”
Olit explained that one of the sales associates from the Champaign location is being promote to serve as general manager of the Springfield store, which he hopes to have open soon. “We signed the lease back in December, so we’re ready to go, just waiting on the 30 day notice from the landlord,” he said. The space needed extensive remodeling and the entire shopping center is in the midst of a complete overhaul.
Last fall, Springfield Business Journal reported on the major renovations underway at Sherwood Plaza and $20 million investment by the owner, Seritage Growth Properties.
5 Star Nutrition’s new location will be just a few doors down from Orangetheory Fitness, another new tenant in the center, and Olit said he’s already had conversations with their general manager. “Our managers and staff try to create relationships with every gym in a community. In Champaign, we’ve partnered with 17 gyms and seven Crossfit programs. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship where we keep guest passes at our front register so that our customers can try out these places. Then once or twice a month, we’ll take a demo table to a gym during their busy hours and hand out samples to their members,” explained Olit.
“We’re excited to be part of the community,” said Olit. “We try to get as involved as possible.”
