By: Gavin Schweiger, Follow South Jersey Assistant Editor
GLASSBORO — Pose Studio, a hot yoga and pilates studio, hosted a grand opening and ribbon cutting in Glassboro on Saturday, January 10.
Friends, family, and Glassboro and Gloucester County officials welcomed owners and yoga instructors Alyssa Zanghi and Dana Wiesmore to the borough’s downtown.
Pose Studio offers classes in hot yoga, pilates, sculpt, and high intensity interval training. Their main focus is on mindfulness, wellness and self-care through movement. The studio has over 20 instructors and multiple classes a day and welcomes all skill levels.
Zanghi’s father, James Madsoky, bought the 5,000 square-foot property in May to expand his own business, Advantage Embroidery and Screen Printing. His original plan was for half of the property to be his and to rent the other half.
However, Zanghi and Wiesmore, who had been friends and yoga instructors for years, brought the idea to use that space to build their own yoga studio. The process was “amazingly simple” after that according to Madosky and Zanghi.
“We met a contractor at the right time. The code office was so easy to work with. Everything just kind of worked out for us,” Zanghi said.
The owners acted as their own contractors with Madosky, Zanghi’s husband, and Wiesmore’s fiancée. The five of them, though not without help, built the studio from scratch.
They hoped to intentionally create a space that aligned with their core values and themes of flowing movement, with arches and curves weaved through the building.
“We did all the build out ourselves,” Zanghi said. “So, we had the privilege and I’m so grateful to have a choice. Even in the ceiling panels we chose, like we had ceiling panel samples that we would be tossing up and like truly thought of it from the perspective of every person that walks in here.”
Wiesmore felt they “manifested” the process and designs, and everything seemed to click into place.
“We talked about what our opening would look like, what hiring people would look like. And every instructor that we had came to us so organically,” Wiesmore said. “It just felt like the universe was sending things to us in the most positive way.”
The studio opened on January 3 to success, according to the owners.
“It’s been awesome. Like again seeing people keep returning for their classes, finding their favorite classes has been awesome. And watching people grow and feel strong here,” Zanghi said.
Glassboro Mayor John E. Wallace spoke at the ribbon cutting, welcoming the studio to the borough “family.” A focus for Glassboro has been expanding development to the downtown outside of Rowan Boulevard, where Pose Studio now runs, and bringing in more small business.
For Wallace, bringing in more small businesses is helpful since they tend to invest in the community in a stronger way.
“Like getting out on community days and supporting local efforts and things like that, getting their name out. That’s what I find that the advantage of having small businesses, and it’s a formula here that seems to work,” Wallace said.
In November, even before opening, Pose Studio hosted a “Pilates at Playa” event at Playa Bowls on Rowan Boulevard. Zanghi and Wiesman plan to further connect with other businesses in the town and wider community.
After the ribbon cutting, and with a lot of emotion in the air, Zanghi said she experienced “more peace than I ever felt.”
“I think it’s just watching people visiting like, continue to show up, seeing familiar faces walk in the door,” Zanghi said.
“And leaving with a smile and like knowing that they’re caring for their mental health and their well-being and being able to be a part of that,” Wiesman said.
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