The Station adds shop for dance wear and more

Kathy Jennings | Thursday, January 9, 2014

Studio 2

Studio 1

The Station in downtown Kalamazoo is right on track for where the business had hoped to be at this point. As part of the plan, a new dance wear shop has opened in part of the space that once was home to regional streetcars and has been completely renovated into an hourly studio rental business.

The dancewear store opened right before Christmas; the retail component had been envisioned as the second part of the business since The Station opened in 2012. It fits naturally with the studio rental portion of the business, that caters largely to dance instruction but also offers space for many other uses.

Two studio spaces and its Market Studio, an outdoor covered alcove where renters can sell produce and wares, hold a performance, or accommodate overflow to their indoor event, are available.

Fitted with professionally installed mirrors, sprung dance floors, and barres the studios have attracted dance instruction. Pilates classes, martial arts, ballroom dancing and body works classes all are currently taught there.

"We have classes five to six days a week," says Jennifer Ward, owner of The Station. And there still is capacity for others to rent the space.

Group instruction of any kind, meetings, rehearsals and other activities all are welcome, says Ward. The studios measure 17 by 35 square feet and 20 by 40 square feet.

The very tall design of the building has led Ward to get creative in setting up the retail portion of the business, using the vertical space to create a haberdashery type feel to the store.

When selecting her merchandise, Ward made a point of carefully seeking out companies that either make their goods in the United States or those that have high standards in terms of working conditions and wages for their workers. She carries dance wear by Motionwear (made in Indianapolis), Mondor, Sansha, Freed (made in England), and Eurotard.

The shop was one needed in local marketplace, as dancers previously either traveled to Grand Rapids or purchased their dance attire online, says Ward. Online purchases of dancewear can be challenging as it is difficult to tell the type of fabric being used and how the apparel will look once it is on.

In addition to dancewear, the shop will carry apparel that is dance inspired. "You don't have to be a dancer to come in," Ward says.

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media
Source: Jennifer Ward, The Station