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Chamber of Commerce Hosted Ribbon Cutting for Align Body.Mind
The Oxford Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting Friday afternoon for Align Body.Mind, a new fitness studio on Heritage Drive.
Co-owner Alley Bell said Align Body.Mind, which opened today, will have a soft opening this week allowing customers to pay only $5 per class or $70 for one month of unlimited classes.
Elizabeth Paine, co-owner of Align Body.Mind, said she was very surprised at how quick the studio came into existence.
“We were just having a random coffee about a month-and-a-half ago, and we all had a laugh like, ‘oh, wouldn’t that be so fun?,’” Paine said. “Suddenly, this space opened up, and the floor was already here, and it just worked out. It went quick, but it’s been great.”
Bell said the quick pace was scary for her at first too.
“The other day, we were in here trying to paint, and we thought we were just going to paint one area,” Bell said. “We ended up painting several walls. You know, there’s so many things that go into starting a business that, of course, it can be scary, but at the same time, when you’re working with a group of people that you love and you believe in and you just enjoy working with, that gives you ease, knowing that things are going to work out because you have each other.”
The four friends who began Align Body.Mind are Alley Bell, Roane Grantham, Keri Meagher and Elizabeth Paine. All teachers of different fitness classes, the four decided to combine their knowledge and love for fitness to provide the community with an all-inclusive studio.
“I think we sort of went after what our expertise were, what we felt really comfortable teaching and what we thought people would really enjoy,” Paine said. “The step class, for instance, that’s been around for a long time. People have even forgotten what an amazing workout step classes are; so, we thought that would be really fun to bring back, but add a twist, make it more of a hip-hop step class.”
Bell said it’s hard for Oxonians to find a gym that offers everything they want in one location.
“It’s difficult to do that anywhere,” Bell said. “We’re trying to create an environment that they can come in, and they can experience Pilates one day, and maybe the next day, they want total body. And then, maybe, the next day, they want more of a specialized barre class. They can come and get that, as well.”
Creating a studio that would be special to the clients, Align Body.Mind owners encourage all ages and ability levels to test out their eight classes and encourage feedback.
Paine said, “Anybody who wants to get out, get in shape, come try any class.”
To learn more or to sign up for classes at Align Body.Mind, visit alignbody-mind.com or email alignbody.mind@gmail.com.
Randall Haley is the social media editor and a staff writer for Hottytoddy.com. She can be reached at randall.haley@hottytoddy.com.
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