A new wellness business will soon set up shop on Milwaukee’s Near West Side after winning the sixth Rev-Up MKE pitch competition.
CeLani Skin & Wellness will provide healing and holistic services. The business, founded by local entrepreneur
Brittney Rodriguez, will be a place to access wellness methods that promote mental and physical health and address the mental health disparities in the community. This will be the first spa and wellness center of its kind in the Near West Side. An exact location has yet to be determined.
As the winner of Rev-Up MKE, Rodriguez was awarded $10,000 from
Town Bank to start her storefront, $25,000 of in-kind services, and advertising from
Near West Side Partners, which helps organize the competition every year.
“Small businesses make up our neighborhood of neighborhoods, and we are excited to welcome a holistic, woman-focused, and woman-run spa to our community," said
Lindsey St. Arnold Bell, NWSP executive director.
The runner-up for this year’s competition was
Ambrosia Café, a restaurant specializing in classic American brunch food. The business was awarded $4,000 in startup funds.
“Over the last few years, members of our Town Bank team have had the pleasure of hearing dozens of excellent business pitches from Rev-Up MKE finalists,” said
Marylou Schirpke, senior vice president, Wintrust Commercial Banking at Town Bank. “This year’s finalists kicked it up a notch and I know my fellow judges and I are incredibly optimistic about the future of the Near West Side business community.”
