The Barre/Paducah celebrates the grand opening of its new main location at 2859 N. Friendship Road today from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
The woman-owned business already has a dedicated following among participants of all ages, fitness levels and body types.
“Barre is basically a Pilates-based workout with hints of yoga and cardio burst,” Dr. Chelsea Hawks, a co-owner of the business said.
“We use a ballet bar and equipment like small balls, bands and small weights to target small muscle groups and help strengthen and lengthen long muscles.”
The business has a variety of daily classes from 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 pm.
“We have 12 instructors here and a personal trainer that offers one-on-one personal training sessions,” Hawks said. “We also offer yoga classes so we have two yoga instructors as well. Our classes are typically split between 55 minutes and the express class, which is 30 minutes. We also have Barre strength, which focuses more on using weights to work on toning different muscle groups.”
The location of the building and how it makes attendees feel was important, according to Hawks.
“Our goal here is to have a boutique-style studio. This type of atmosphere not only allows you to work out with other participants and have accountability but still receive the one-on-one style class because of the special attention and choreography. It’s very specialized and no two classes are the same … we bring a new class every single time you come so you never get bored.”
Each week, Barre/Paducah has about 15 classes a week. Classes range in number of participants from six in small classes to a maximum of 14 to 18, with most classes currently having a waitlist to join.
Barre/Paducah is not the first company to provide Barre in Paducah, with Barre Co. previously providing classes before its closure. Hawkes previously had experience with Barre Co.
“I started out as an instructor at first when it was still Barre Co,” she said. “There were different owners and as COVID took over the world at that time, I actually ended up becoming an owner of Barre Co. and we decided to move it to a different smaller location, which was great as we got get back up on our feet after COVID.
But now we’ve grown and our ultimate goal was getting out and being back into our solo studio which we finally have done,” she said.
Moving back into a larger studio did bring with it some concerns, according to Hawks.
“When you make a move like this, you always have the worries that eat at you,” Hawks said. “Are our clients going to follow us? Thankfully we have had a good turnout.”
From here, Hawks plans to listen to customers on what their next steps should be.
“We want to see what they want,” she said. “We’re open to adding more classes if we get more clients, adding class times. Different ideas may come in the future as we continue to expand.”
The Grand Opening will feature two classes for the public to attend along with a giveaway featuring local businesses as rewards.
“We’re excited,” Hawks said. “This has been a great move for us because we were able to continue our goal of this small boutique studio. It’s been really great.”
