by Darren Diekmann
The owners of KPower Yoga of Sartell plan to open their second studio in early May in a refurbished house at 109 W. Ash St., St. Joseph, just east of the post office.
Reconstruction began in November on the 60-year old rambler that will also house Elevated Eating, a clinic that promotes health through nutrition. Both businesses will have separate retail spaces, which will include a boutique for KPower.
Kelsey Schultz said she and her business partner, Meghann Teders, are not just excited about the expansion itself but also the attractive space the studio will occupy, and the location of St. Joseph in particular.
“St. Jo(seph) has always been a place of interest,” Schultz said. “It is such a cool town.”
Currently, she has 12 employees, mostly instructors, in Sartell and plans to hire nine more by the time the St. Joseph studio is operating at its expected level.
The new location will be more convenient for several of the studio’s members who are from the St. Joseph, Avon and Cold Spring areas.
“I know some members who are excited about being able to shorten their drive to a closer location,” Schultz said.
Expanding became possible for Schultz as her husband John took on most of the responsibility for both of their Anytime Fitness franchises, leaving her to focus on the yoga studio.
She also credits her new business partner Meghann Teders who started working for Schultz as an instructor.
“I slowly pulled her in to help with studio management and other things, and now she’s running the teacher training program.”
Schultz was ready for a change when approached by developer Shannon Wiger of Wiger & Co.
Wiger, who is a member of the yoga studio in Sartell, recently bought the property in St. Joseph which had been a yoga studio before with an attractive outdoor space.
“It provided a great foundation for a future wellness concept,” Wiger said. “It was instantly clear that my vision for that property aligned perfectly with KPower’s future plans.”
She said construction is on schedule and she is confident it will be complete by the target of early May.
Workers recently finished the framing and have moved on to the interior.
“They still need to work on the siding, windows and doors,” Wiger said. “And we still need to do a little tweaking of the exterior design, but we are really moving into the fine details of the project.”
When finished, the building will double its footprint to about 5,000 square feet by expanding the main building and adding a front porch for better outdoor access.
The addition of the porch is in keeping with her intention to keep the property attractive and accessible to the public.
“We are working really hard to make the design of the property fit the character and charm of St. Jo(seph),” Wiger said. “It is important to meet the building standards others have set.”
Among other projects, Wiger developed the Hudson & Company building on West Minnesota Street and College Avenue North.
