Where does one get the best garlic seasonings, coffees, bubble teas, candies and chocolates in St. Charles County? It’s all at Ellbee’s General Store and Gathering Spot in downtown Wentzville.
Opened in 2016, Ellbee’s General Store offers nostalgia of an old-time merchandise store with a taste of genuine, old-fashioned customer service.
The penny countertop and bottle cap bar display the sentimentality and creativity of Ellbee’s, where shoppers find hundreds of sodas and can do soda shots on Thursdays. Visitors also may enjoy creative lattes, chias, hot chocolates, frappes, 25 flavors of fresh-made ice cream and breakfast sandwiches made with Ellbee's Garlic.
The Ellbee’s name was created using a combination of the first letters of owners Linda and Brent Styer’s names. Ell for Linda and Bee for Brent.
After a lifelong career of salon ownership and working as a stylist, Linda says she laid down her scissors, and Brent, a painter, his paintbrush, and the two created Ellbee's Garlic Seasoning in 1996. They took their recipes around the country in 2008, doing home shows, craft fairs and markets.
The Styers manufacture their garlic and herbs in Truesdale, Missouri. With eight flavors from which to choose, meals go from good to gourmet one teaspoon at a time. That’s why their motto is: Ellbee's Garlic "It is the best buzz your food will ever have!"
The Gathering Spot expansion next door opened in 2023, complete with outdoor seating, an interactive sidewalk that leads visitors to three delightful shops, and Ellbee's Food Truck, with a new menu each day, all prepared with Ellbee's Garlic.
“It really is a dream come true, seeing the beautiful space it’s become,” Linda says. “I love seeing people enjoying it.”
Ellbee’s hosts “Maker's Markets,” wherein local crafters and vendors set up in the Gathering Spot on the third Thursdays of each month, April through November, partnering with local schools for fundraising. Ellbee’s also hosts downtown events with neighboring small businesses. Ellbee’s Plant Swaps, Sip and Savors, Chili and Chowder cookoffs, Ice-cream Socials, Movies on the Wall, Live Reindeer with Santa visits, and Tree Lighting ceremonies are just a few of those events.
Linda says her dad, Mel Plackemeier, was a small-business person, and she often finds herself quoting him. “He always said, ‘The success of small business is new customers coming in every day.’”
Ellbee’s is a true destination location for visitors who fancy stepping back in time.
But what’s in store for the future? Ironically, it’s what Linda and Brent’s grandson, Landon, has on his heart that will shape the future of Ellbee’s.
Landon Steinmann started at Ellbee’s at the age of 4, helping make the garlic. With hairnet and all, he mainly spent his time making extravagant houses out of empty boxes, running product through the heat tunnel and counting finished products for packing orders. He joined the team at Ellbee's General Store when he was 14, and plans to take Ellbee's to another level when he takes over one day.
"I am going to open hundreds of them,” he says.
The Styers and Landon have a five-year plan. “I've always been close with them and love their vision,” Landon says. “I love this place, the people and the environment. I give it my all every day. It’s like my safe space in a weird way. Everybody is always so nice, and I like helping people. It’s always happy here.”
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