Club L&M Nutrition is a small shop owned and operated by a powerful Latina immigrant, Laura Castillo. This small-but-mighty spot is located on 151 W Wyoming Ave. in the Feltonville neighborhood of Philadelphia. They offer a variety of healthy foods, like smoothies and energizing teas, and healthy versions of some favorite comfort foods, such as doughnuts, waffles, and much more. Today, Laura’s business is flourishing, but that was not always the case since her path to entrepreneurship wasn’t smooth. It came with lots of ups and downs, but Laura’s grit and determination have placed her where she is today.
When Laura was just a young girl, she decided to go after the American dream by leaving it all behind in Honduras and immigrating to the United States. At a very young age and all by herself, she packed her bags and set forth to her new adventure. Laura arrived at a family member’s house in Massachusetts and immediately began looking for work. Since Laura was undocumented, she didn’t have many options to choose from. The job that she found was very demanding, so Laura had no time to go to school. She was never able to get her high school diploma, but against all odds she was able to learn English and better herself.
As time went by Laura got married and had kids. She worked regular jobs and lived a moderate life. Her life changed in the year 2012, when she moved to Philadelphia and met Herbalife. At the time she weighed over 200lbs and had multiple health issues, such as asthma. That is when she decided to take a step towards bettering her health and started using Herbalife’s products. Not only did she lose a significant amount of weight through Herbalife, but she also found a community and fellowship of other ladies working together towards the same goal. This was what inspired Laura to start Club L&M Nutrition.
On May 11th, 2016, Laura opened the doors of Club L&M Nutrition. All she had at the time was a small table, 3 chairs, and a blender. To sustain the business Laura worked alongside other Herbalife representatives for a long time. She eventually decided to take this venture on her own, but to do so she worked her second job at night and tended to her shop during the day.
Even though the pandemic had devastating effects on businesses, Club L&M experienced a change for the better. In 2021, Laura decided to remodel the interior of the shop and expanded her menu. This caused Laura’s clientele to go up, allowing her business to be her primary source of income. She managed the Club all by herself and occasionally her son would help her. Her son was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, but Laura did not let this setback affect her business. Instead, she decided to offer him a part-time position as he was eager to learn. Laura’s story has a happy ending; all of her hard work paid off. Club L&M Nutrition has been funded by The Merchants Fund; this year she received a grant for $10,000. Laura says she had never received financial relief from local of city agencies for her business until now, not even during the pandemic. The grant will be used to pay bills, buy more equipment, invest in marketing materials, and make repairs.
