The Huntington Yoga and Wellness Studio started making temporary use of space at the Schlitt Law Firm to hold classes.
The story of how a yoga studio and a law firm came together speaks of the spirit of two female entrepreneurs committed to making their businesses succeed and the sense of community among small businesses.
Tragedy Strikes
On March 1, 2014, a fire tore through the building at 425 New York Avenue in Huntington Village. While no one was hurt, the businesses housed in the building found themselves picking through the charred ruins of their spaces and asking what to do next.
Janice Grote, owner of the Huntington Yoga and Wellness Studio said of the fire, “As sad as that fire may seem, I very much believe this is a new beginning. A beginning filled with wonderful growth for all of us.”
Showing the persistence that all small business owners need to succeed, Janice immediately started looking for temporary space and reaching out to her clients so they knew what was happening and how she could meet their needs.“I received tremendous support from friends and clients.” She was able to offer some classes at the Huntington Center for the Performing Arts.
An Opportunity to Help
Learning about the fire, Carol L. Schlitt wanted to do something to help. “Our law firm is a small business too, and I could only imagine how devastating a fire could be. We’ve all benefitted from the help and support of others. We reached out to several of the businesses affected by the fire to see how we could help them. We have some unused space in our building, so we could offer to temporarily house some of the businesses.”
“We first spoke to Lori Hochberg, who owns the Village Artist, but they had needs for a slop sink that we could not meet. It was heartening to hear from Lori about the support she was receiving. Then Janice contacted us and we had a perfect match.”
Yoga Classes in a Law Office
The Schlitt Law Firm rents the Carrl House, an historic building in Huntington Village located at 79 Wall Street. “We had some available space that we thought the Yoga studio could use,” said Carol. Janice Grote visited the space and said, “The space is perfect: open and airy with good light.”
The Schlitt Law Firm is not charging rent. Carol said, “We had the space and offered it to Janice rent-free. She has so many demands on her and letting her use the space seemed like the neighborly thing to do.”
“Getting the space is such a great help and the willingness to offer it rent-free is such a beautiful gift,” Janice said. “I am hoping that Carol and some of her colleagues will take me up on my offer to join some of the yoga classes.”
Janice will offer yoga classes at the Schlitt Law Firm offices until she finds more permanent space. I am optimistic that we will find a new home soon.