Our Story

Inspiring wellness for over 47 years.

A Mother’s Need to Look After Her Family

Jo Anne Fallaise, founder of Jo Anne’s Place Health Foods, began her journey of providing natural health products when she saw the need for such products for her own family. With encouragement from her entrepreneur father and the support of her husband Murray (who created the famous Murray Burger), Jo Anne Fallaise operated her first health store from her home in Lindsay. In a 500-square-foot space, Jo Anne began to educate her customers on the importance of healthy whole food, and the benefits of using natural cosmetics, while providing them with a selection of products to support a healthier lifestyle.

Customer Demand Grows

As Jo Anne’s passion for spreading good health grew, so did her store. She eventually moved to a 1,000-square-foot space in another home to provide more products and services to her growing customer base. The need for a storefront became apparent, and in 1994 Jo Anne’s Place moved to 84 Russell St. West, Lindsay. In 2024, our Lindsay store moved to 370 Kent St W where it continues to serve customers in the Kawartha Lakes and the surrounding area.

Jo Anne decided to expand to Peterborough. In 1985, the first store in Peterborough opened. This location moved to 904 Water St, where it underwent several different expansions over the years – all focused on enhancing the customer experience. 

The Next Generation Takes The Lead

As Jo Anne’s vision of creating a healthy community expanded, her daughter Margo was by her side. With her mother’s guidance, Margo learned the ins and outs of running a business, became educated on nutraceuticals, followed the ever-changing wellness trends and experienced first-hand the benefits of a clean, healthy lifestyle. All of this helped Margo to prepare for the next change.

With the confidence that Margo and Paul were ready to take over the business, Jo Anne decided it was the right time to enjoy full-time retirement. Margo and Paul were committed to honouring Jo Anne’s vision of creating a healthy community by offering health-conscious product choices and natural foods. 



Over the next six years, Margo and Paul worked hard to grow the business and connect with more customers. Based on customers’ comments and the expanding marketplace they realized there was now a need for a second Peterborough location.

A Second Peterborough Location

The Lansdowne Street location opened with 5,000 square feet of retail space and enabled Jo Anne’s Place to greatly expand its grocery, nutraceutical, and cosmetic selections. This new location became the hub for a head office, central warehouse, and distribution centre.

A Major Renovation Project

Ten years later, it was time to update the flagship location with a significant exterior and interior renovation. After 6 months of renovations (a big thank you to our customers for their patience), Jo Anne’s Place was pleased to introduce customers to the remodeled retail space which features a new Dispensary!

Your Partners in Wellness

We are so thankful to our community for their loyal support of our local family business. Today at Jo Anne’s Place, customers will find organic fruit and vegetables, quality frozen meat, gluten-free and local products, aromatherapy, homeopathy, and herbal products, a wide selection of supplements and vitamins, natural cosmetics and body care products, biodegradable cleaning and housekeeping products, and so much more. As of 2021, we now offer our own private line of supplements and essential / carrier oils which you can find at all locations!

Our stores are staffed by professional product educators who are available to support a customer’s unique wellness journey. From food sampling to product demonstrations, seminars, events, and a customer rewards program “JP Rewards” – there’s always something special happening at Jo Anne’s Place!