New Business Opens on Main Street
GALESBURG, Ill. — Since recreational marijuana became legal in Illinois in 2020, cannabis-related businesses have opened throughout the state — and Galesburg is no exception.
Everyday Life Wellness & Novelty Shop, located at 215 E. Main St., offers a variety of cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) products, including smokables, edibles, and wearables.
A Focus on Wellness
Store owner and Galesburg native Angela Custer said the shop aims to provide alternatives for wellness and pain relief. CBD, a non-intoxicating component of cannabis, is often used to treat anxiety, sleep disorders, and chronic pain.
More Than a Shop: A Space for Local Makers
Products for sale include gummies, oils, vapes, sodas and bath bombs. The store also features several local vendors who operate microbusinesses within the space.
Jennifer Wilson, one such vendor, sells houseplants and crafts. She began using CBD following a cancer diagnosis and stroke.
“I can’t have THC,” Wilson said. “But Angela helped me turn to CBD as a replacement for pain medicine. Since then, I’ve had tumors shrink and my kidney has returned to normal function.”
Another vendor is Custer’s daughter, Erika Sanders, who sells handmade wax melts and candles under the name Cozy Hour. She plans to expand the line to include baked goods.
Custer, 46, said she wants Everyday Life to be a family-friendly, welcoming space.
“I’m living my dream,” she said. “I never thought I would be able to sell anything cannabis-related in my lifetime.”
Before opening the store, Custer worked in a variety of jobs, including housekeeping, fast food, retail, and factory work. Now, she says she finally feels at home in her work environment.
Creating a Welcoming Space
“This is a comfortable space,” she said. “It’s good to know I can go to work at a place I like and don’t want to run home from as fast as I can at five o’clock.”
The shop occupies a building that once housed Kinney’s Shoe Store during Galesburg’s mid-20th-century retail era. Custer decorated the interior to reflect what she calls her “ooky, spooky, Halloween-365 personality,” complete with plastic skeletons in the window.
A small patio behind the store, partially shaded by ivy, offers customers a quiet space to relax.
While the business has faced challenges — especially when it comes to understanding customer preferences and working with distributors — Custer said the rewards outweigh the struggles.
“There is something for everyone here,” she said, “and it’s like nowhere else in Galesburg.”
