WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — The owner of a Bennett Avenue fitness studio that offers spin and yoga classes recently launched an online fundraising campaign in the hopes of expanding into a larger space.
The Practice, which currently operates in the basement studio of a residential building at 212 Bennett Ave., is trying to raise $20,000 to help move into a space five bocks away at Bennett Avenue and 185th Street.
“We can’t grow and we can’t reach enough people in there,” owner Patricia Bogan said of the current studio. “I know if we can get into the right space, we can offer so much more.”
Bogan, who is in her 50s, would not give the exact address of the new space because she is still negotiating the lease. However, she said that the new studio would be on the ground floor and would have plenty of natural light, something that is lacking in the current location.
The move would allow her to double the number of spinning bikes in the studio from 10 to 20 and to offer a greater variety of classes to her growing number of clients, she said. Bogan also wants to offer a space for body work such as acupuncture and reflexology, and she hopes to take over of the space on June 1.
Bogan said she sees her IndieGoGo campaign more as a way for people to invest in a local business that they enjoy than to simply donate.
Anyone who gives more than $15 will receive perks including fitness classes, personal training or reflexology sessions.
“It’s really pre-purchasing classes,” she said. “We did price it slightly higher than our regular classes. That way you get something great and you give us a little something.”
The money from the fundraiser will go toward installing a new floor and air conditioning, renovating the bathroom, taking down a wall and painting the entire space.
The Practice — which will be re-named Great Heights Fitness when it reopens in the new space in September — is the only spin studio in Washington Heights. Bogan took over from founding owner Christine Grimaldi in 2013.
She currently offers 22 classes per week in spin, suspension training and yoga. Classes cost $20 each, but can be bought in 10-class packs for a reduced price.
Bogan, who spent 20 years in the restaurant industry before becoming a personal trainer five years ago, said she loves supporting her clients’ transformations.
“A woman said to me recently, ‘I often have a hard time getting here but once I leave I feel like a superstar,’” she said. “That’s true for all of us. Even professional athletes need coaches.”
Maria Binz-Scharf, 44, began taking classes at The Practice about six months ago. She was drawn in by the reasonable cost and by Bogan’s body positive philosophy, she said.
“She doesn’t tell me if you do this you’ll drop pounds or be ready for a bikini, but she does tell me you’ll have functional fitness and feel happy and healthier,” Binz-Scharf said. “As the mother of a 9-year-old, that’s really important to me.”
She said the studio has helped her build a community within the neighborhood and that the classes are so fun that students regularly break into dance parties.
“Plus I feel super fit, “ Binz-Scharf added. “I fly up those stairs at the 181st St subway station and I feel like superwoman doing it.”
The campaign has raised $4,640 since it launched two weeks ago, with 45 days remaining. Donors will get their money back if Bogan doesn't reach her goal, and in that case, she plans to seek outside investors.
Bogan’s clients have offered their help in other ways too. One Practice client who is a real estate agent found the new space after Bogan searched fruitlessly for months. Another client who is a lawyer is providing free help to negotiate the lease.
Bogan appreciated the outpouring of support for a local business.
“This is an amazing community,” she said. “It feels so different than other parts of Manhattan.
