COLONA, Illinois – The new $1 million, two-story, 6,000-square-foot Midwest Massage Therapy & Wellness Center that opened recently at 101 Stonebridge Blvd. represents a major investment of money, time and energy by owner Julie Fecht.
Colona Mayor Don Ropp, who worked with Ms. Fecht to secure $177,000 in tax increment financing (TIF) funding to help make the project happen, also hopes the center will spark additional development in this community of 5,300 along the Green River in Henry County.
Mr. Ropp and Henry County Development Director Jim Kelly were among the center’s champions and they said they are pleased that Ms. Fecht opted to bring her business here after outgrowing two other locations in nearby Geneseo.
The community also joined in celebrating the addition during a June 22 ribbon-cutting at the center, which is across U.S. Highway 6 from the Lavender Crest Winery. That location was important in her decision to locate there, Ms. Fecht said.
“I’m all for Iowa business but Illinois business has been hit so hard because of the big difference between politics and rules with COVID … and I want to promote and live in Illinois so when we found this location, I was like ‘Oh, only 15 to 20 minutes from most towns in Iowa,’” she said.
She credited Mr. Ropp, the Colona City Council, Mr. Kelly and the Henry County Board for helping make possible her dream of a new building. The county board partnered with BankORION and the U.S. Small Business Administration to fund the project through the county’s Rural Revolving Loan Fund Program.
Ms. Fecht said she also has been impressed with what Colona leaders have been doing to grow businesses over the past few years. That includes investing some $6 million in new projects, much of it since Mr. Ropp became mayor in April 2023.
“It’s been good for everybody,” Ms. Fecht said. “We need small businesses in Illinois.”
Other new Colona developments include the Glazed Donuts & Coffee Shop at 512 Green Park Ave. next to and owned by Maria’s Pizza. An old car wash has been torn down to make way for future projects and a new liquor store was renovated and opened. A Shell station destroyed during an Election Day 2023 tornado also has been rebuilt.
And the city is working to create a new TIF on Illinois Route 84 to redevelop older areas of the city. “We’re open for business,” the mayor told the QCBJ.
So is Midwest Massage Therapy & Wellness Center which, Mr. Ropp said, is a good fit for its location in front of a housing development. He also hopes Ms. Fecht’s investment will “be a spark” for future development of four nearby acres of commercial property.
That land is “available and maybe we can get some other businesses there” to complement the mixed-used, condo-style housing and single-family homes in Stonebridge Crossing, Mr. Ropp said.
In addition to helping spur development in Colona, Mr. Kelly said Ms. Fecht’s center also will draw new customers from the Quad Cities region.
Ms. Fecht is already planning to grow her new location, which offers membership options, red light therapy, a salt room, weight loss programs, massage therapy and more. She’s also working to attract health care professionals to rent space in her building and plans to seek the necessary certification to open her own massage therapy school there. A second building also is possible.
Long time in the making
The new building itself was a long time in the making as Ms. Fecht worked to first put financing together so that she could get the building built and opened. It was 192 days from groundbreaking to completion alone, she said.
Throughout the planning and build, the project also grew and so did costs. It was originally budgeted to be $770,000, but climbed to more than $1 million, and Ms. Fecht said she found herself “writing checks for more money than I’ve ever seen at one time.”
Even as she neared the finish line, she told the QCBJ during a tour, “I still panic once a week.”
Helping make the project more manageable were the builders at Indian Bluff Supply of Sherrard, Illinois, and she thanked the company’s father-son team of Lonnie and Raleigh Daves for doing “an excellent job.”
She also benefited from the help of her fiance Mike Herrick, a City of Moline firefighter and a handyman, who was building the center’s salt-room wall when the QCBJ reporter toured the building.
The facility also has a kitchen for staff use and a refrigerator large enough to allow the center to serve as a pickup location for the weight loss program and other clients who order from Healthy 2 Wholesome Meals.
These days, the business and its staff – whose range in age across multiple decades – is focusing on growing its dedicated customer base through its services.
“We find that massage is one of the fastest ways to heal the four bodies: mental, emotional, spiritual and physical,” she said. And she has trained her Midwest Massage Therapy staff members, to treat every massage as though it is the only one they will do all month.
“I always tell people that the first massage you do is profound because it (impacts) whether or not you get another one,” Ms. Fecht said, adding that “massages should not hurt. They should always feel restorative.”
The light and salt therapy offered at the wellness center also are important for healing, she said.
The center’s multiple light therapy beds are individually customized for each client and their visits are spaced out to help them “keep charging that battery,” she added.
As for salt, Ms. Fecht said, it helps the body with oxygenation, fights inflammation and allows the body to speed up healing.
In addition, Ms. Fecht paid special attention to how the spaces look and feel – from the white and gold marble look floors to the minimalist treatment rooms.
“It was very important for me that when people walked in that they already felt at home that they felt comfortable,” Ms. Fecht said. She also doesn’t like clutter, which she believes “makes you feel more congested.”
That’s why she opted for white finishes and minimal furnishing and decorations. She especially didn’t want massage spaces to look like bedrooms.
“So many boutique places fill up the space so that it looks nice. But can’t you create the space so that it just is nice, so that you can relax?” she asked.
To find out more about the center, visit www.midwestlongevitycenter.com.
At-A-Glance:
Midwest Massage Therapy & Wellness Center
- Location: New $1 million-plus location at 101 Stonebridge Blvd., Colona, Illinois.
- Offerings include: Massages, Spa Menu, Red Light Therapy, Halotherapy (Salt Room), Weight Loss Program.
- Membership packages: Start at $175.
- Owner Jennifer Fecht’s qualifications: Include Reiki Master and teacher; certified in Upper Lower Body Myokinesthetic System, Myofascial Release; a Holistic Manual Lymph Drainage Specialist; a Master Life Coach; a Certified Law of Attraction Coach; a Certified Natural Weight Loss Coach. She also created a new Detox Massage and is pursuing her doctorate degree In naturopathy.
