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Inwood Yoga Studio Looks to Raise Funds for Renovation

By Nigel Chiwaya | October 9, 2013 9:49am
Bread and Yoga Indiegogo Campaign Video
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Youtube/Bread and Yoga

INWOOD — Inwood's Bread and Yoga has launched an online campaign in an effort to raise money to fund renovations for its new space.

The campaign, which went live Monday morning, seeks to raise $38,000 by Nov. 16 for the beloved 4-year-old community institution, which is moving into a larger location near West 212th Street as it continues to recover from a devastating fire last year.

"A lot of the work that was done on the original space was done by me, my husband, friends and family," said studio owner Marcela Xavier. "This time I wanted to involve the community."

"Because of the fire I just couldn't do it all over again on my own," Xavier added.

Bread and Yoga was one of several mom-and-pop shops that were left homeless when after a January 2012 fire burned down its space in a commercial building on Broadway and 207th Street. The studio operated out of the nearby Holy Trinity Church for almost 18 months before finding a new, 1,400-square-foot space at 5000 Broadway in June.

Xavier had hoped to open a new location by now, but the renovation work was stalled by delays in receiving permits from the city. Despite that, the space is slowly being transformed from an office into a yoga studio; its ceilings and electrical systems have been overhauled, and the floors and walls are next on the to-do list.

The money raised from the Indiegogo campaign is slated to pay for permits, architectural design, furniture, appliances, bathrooms and changing areas, and even a new yoga wall for the studio.

When it does open — Xavier hopes to be ready by early November — the new location will have several new amenities, including a kitchen, a dedicated art studio, a retail area and a co-working space.

"We've been working hard to get the space ready for us as soon as possible," Xavier said.