New business offers many classes for adults
A little girl enters the store with her mother and selects a dance costume in a special kids’ room that includes a wigwam. The youngster tries on the outfit and then heads to the dance studio in the front of the store so she can perform in her new clothes. It’s typical of a visit to Your Dance Closet in Cornwall Plaza.
Jessica Fishel opened the store and dance studio in Cornwall Plaza on Aug. 14. Mrs. Fishel has a varied background. She has a degree in accounting, and she’s an experienced dance instructor. Before opening the store, she worked in commercial real estate in Manhattan with her husband.
That business went dry when the pandemic hit. So Mrs. Fishel looked for a new career. She nixed the idea of using her accounting degree and decided on a venture in retail. She opened her business at a time when brick and mortar stores were getting clobbered by on-line sellers. But there were exceptions. The stores that were thriving were offering an experience in addition to merchandise. Under Armor was luring customers with exercise classes. Barnes & Noble offered story hours. And Home Depot held workshops for parents and children.
So Your Dance Closet followed those models. Since Cornwall already had two popular dance studios for youngsters, Mrs. Fishel introduced programs for people age 18 and above. I was familiar with some of the options – ballet, modern dance, yoga and Pilates.
The proprietor had to explain two others. LaBlast and barré are disciplines that use dance to promote fitness. One of the most popular programs was the Silver Swan, a dance class for people age 55 and above.
On its opening day, the new business had programs and merchandise. The one thing it needed was customers. And, fortunately, they came. People were drawn to the business in several ways. Some saw the dancing mannequins and were curious enough to venture inside. Others signed up for classes after shopping at the store with their daughters. And it worked in reverse. Class members drifted into the back of the establishment and found things to buy for their children.
I interviewed the store owner after she had been in business for a month. Mrs. Fishel was pleased with her decision.
“It’s been fun making people happy,” she said.
