Whether you’re seeking a personal consultation about holistic wellness or just want a custom blend of tea leaves, look no further than Rites of Wellness, one of six businesses announced for the Brookfield Shops retail incubator program opening in June this year.
The apothecary’s owner and sole proprietor, Maywood resident Lea Afia Bempah, a certified clinical herbalist and member of the American Herbalist Guild, describes the store as a “one-stop shop for herbal or natural remedies” like herbs, balms, tinctures, teas and other natural goods. With a bachelor’s degree in biology and a focus on spiritual herbalism, Bempah said she brought the business to life as a way to “tap back into natural healing.”
“I was always on the path of wellness and care,” she told the Landmark. “I was going through my own illnesses, allergy stuff, digestive issues. I went to those apothecaries; they deeply supported me, and then I said, ‘OK, I know I have it in me to continue this and to learn more.’ I was really intrigued, and, easily, it became a passion of mine, and here we are.”
She started the business in 2017 in New York under the name Toussaint Tinctures, mainly focused on pop-up appearances and online sales. She moved back to Maywood in 2020 to take care of her mother, who contracted COVID-19, and brought the business with her.
While in Chicagoland, Bempah completed an apprenticeship in herbalism before rebranding to Rites of Wellness in 2022, which gave her the energy to promote her brand and do more pop-up appearances like in New York. She had a breakthrough in 2024 when she became a member of the Berwyn Shops retail incubator.
“That was my first brick-and-mortar space, and it was wonderful to have that,” she said. “I knew I needed it for my business, and people really loved having a place where they can actually come to, and not just see me at some pop-up and never know when they’ll see me again. It was better for me, too, to have a stationary space, because I want to offer products that are healthier, so [I’m] trying to stay away from too much plastic and be more into glass.”
She said having a dedicated space to operate out of allowed her to increase her offerings – more kinds of wares alongside new consultations and workshops – and eased the physical burden of carrying her goods to and from markets around the area.
“Inside of a brick-and-mortar space, I can make custom blends for people, and that’s one of the bigger things that people came to the Berwyn Shops to get last year: custom teas, custom baths, things like that. And I can’t do that at a pop-up,” she said.
She said the experience prepared her to have another physical location, as she had to get shared kitchen and cottage food licenses so she could sell ingestible products. She said she also learned through having her own store how to market her consulting services to customers who stopped in to buy goods and that she needs another person staffing the store alongside herself.
“I had to go through all of that last year with Berwyn, and I was, like, pulling my hair out because I had no idea what I was doing,” she said. “I knew at the beginning of this year that I was applying to this program, and I knew that there was a good chance that I would get in, so I started that [licensing] process in January.”
Bempah said she had her eye set on Brookfield due to its proximity to her hometown.
“Maywood is one town over from Brookfield, so for me, it is ideal to be in my neighboring community, where even people from Maywood can access this type of medicine,” she said. “It’s not out in this direction. You’re not going to find a — I want to say a ‘real’ apothecary — but like true, old-school, vintage type apothecaries where you will find all these different types of things in one space, it’s not really offered out this way.”
While she said she was nervous for her five-minute presentation before the selection jury of community members, her experience pitching Rites of Wellness to the jury in Berwyn helped prepare her.
“You could tell I was nervous the whole time, and then we had a question and answer [portion] after, and I think that that’s where they really got to connect with me and my brand and my passion, versus me just giving them my spiel,” she said.
The five-minute limit helped Bempah “zero in” on exactly what she wanted to say without worrying about filling extra space, she said.
When she got the call that she had been chosen as a vendor for Brookfield’s inaugural retail incubator program, she described her reaction as “a really deep exhale.”
“I know that this could really work here. I’m really confident that this could go over well. I want another space before I get ready to commit to a long-term lease,” she said. “I was very pleased. I was very excited and ready to get to work.”
So far, she said, she’s appreciated the level of organization and preparation that Brookfield staff have shown to the vendors as they prepare to open their shops in June. She said she’s looking forward to learning even more about the ins and outs of running a business and receiving advice directly from the community development department.
But ultimately, she has her eyes on the million-dollar question:
“I’m hoping to learn if Brookfield can be Rites of Wellness’s new home — if it makes sense for me to open up a storefront there that’d be my flagship store,” she said. “I have other things I want to do, too, under Rites of Wellness, but I want a stationed flagship apothecary, and I’m looking for a home for that.”
