East End Closing April 30, 2024

Written by 502 Power Yoga owner, Cat Crawford, March 11, 2024

The time has come to cease operations at our East End / Rudy Lane yoga studio. I’ll let this Parable of the Fisherman and the Business help explain my why:

The Parable of the Fisherman & the Businessman

A successful businessman on vacation was at the pier of a small coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The businessman complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The fisherman proudly replied, “Every morning, I go out in my boat for 30 minutes to fish. I’m the best fisherman in the village”.

The businessman, perplexed, then asks the fisherman “If you’re the best, why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish? What do you do the rest of the day?”

The fisherman replied “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, spend quality time with my wife, and every evening we stroll into the village to drink wine and play guitar with our friends. I have a full and happy life.”

The businessman scoffed, “I am a successful CEO and have a talent for spotting business opportunities. I can help you be more successful. You should spend more time fishing and buy a bigger boat with the proceeds. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, and eventually, you would have a fleet of fishing boats with many fishermen. Instead of selling your catch to just your friends, you can scale to sell fish to thousands. You could leave this small coastal fishing village and move to the big city, where you can oversee your growing empire.”

The fisherman, intrigued, asked, “How long will this all take?”

To which the businessman replied, “15 – 20 years.”

“And what then?” asked the fisherman.

The businessman laughed and said, “That’s the best part.  When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!”

“Millions – then what?”

The businessman said, “Then you would retire.  Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, spend time with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your friends.”

Shift of Vision

Pre-pandemic, I was in growth & expansion mode. My vision for 502 Power Yoga was to open multiple studios around the city, expanding our franchise and spreading the power of yoga. However, the Coronavirus Pandemic caused a deep examination of my life and the business. I heard this parable somewhere along the way and it dawned on me: Expansion was not truly what I wanted for myself or my family. I want to live the life of the Fisherman. Not the businessman. It was time to return to my roots: Teaching yoga in a small, community-oriented environment with a tight-knit (and kickass) team.

It’s been a good run

To all of the students and team members who have shown up at the East End studio over the last 4.5 years, THANK YOU. It’s certainly had its ups and downs:

It was gangbusters right out of the gates in the Fall of 2019, packing the house with as many as 31 people at some point (how did we fit them all in?!).

Just 4 months after a successful opening, the Covid pandemic began. Mandatory lockdown forced us to close our doors, and then we chose not to reopen even when we were allowed because of the general fear people had around breathing on each other in such a small space at that time. We did not reopen until September 2020, and we only had a 6-person capacity.

A little over a year after the pandemic, we upped our capacity to a whopping 9.

I don’t think it was until the Fall of 2022 that we finally increased the capacity to what it is now: 20. It was pretty obvious at this point that the space was just too small for this post-pandemic world…for the business model it was created for, anyway. But a lease is a lease, so we did the best with what we had, and kept on trucking.

Uno

It has served us well, but with the lease running out, it’s time to let her go. So we’ll be down to one yoga studio: Our original Highlands location in the Douglass Loop. Our team will be able to better support each other—teaching, mentoring, taking each other’s classes—and we’ll have resources to add more Front Desk shifts to better support YOU. We’ll be able to have some extra cash on hand to invest in the facilities, like a speaker system that works consistently ???? and heat panels!!! We’ll have more time and energy to create workshops and other programming to support you in your practice. And we’ll have more capacity for planning and leading RETREATS ????

On a personal note, I’m hoping my life becomes more like that of the Fisherman from the parable: Less stressful with a bit more time to do the things I love: Painting, gardening, cooking, hiking, traveling, and TEACHING YOGA!

Highlands Schedule Changes

We are making some minor tweaks and additions to our Highlands schedule effective May 1, 2024:

• NEW: Monday 7:30-8:45 AM Power Vinyasa
• NEW: Friday 7:30-8:45 AM Friday Flow
• Tweak: Monday 9:30-10:45 AM will now be Hearts & Hips
• Tweak: Tuesday and Thursday 6:00 AM will now begin at 5:45 AM
• Tweak: Sunday 8:00 AM YOD will move to the Highlands with a new 7:30 AM start time (sadly the 8 AM Power Vinyasa is dropping from the schedule)

*Edited to add: We are brainstorming additional schedule changes, like staggered start times for all Tuesday/Thursday classes. Stay tuned for details.

Teachers may be moving around on the schedule, so watch Walla as we get closer to May for the final details. There will be space for more class additions come Fall, so if you don’t see what you hoped for here, send us your requests to namaste@502poweryoga.com. We won’t be able to implement everything of course but it is helpful to hear what the people want!

FAQ

Is the overall business okay?

Yes—this closure will actually strengthen the core of 502 Power Yoga and increase our chances of being around for a long, long time.

What is the final day of classes?

Tuesday, April 30th, 2024. 

Will there be a final “goodbye” class celebration?

We don’t have anything planned yet. Watch our Social Media and Newsletter for updates.

What will happen to my favorite East End teachers?

Unfortunately, not all teachers will have a class on the Highlands schedule right away. But all teachers are invited to stay on the team as substitute instructors so hopefully, they’ll be popping in to teach (and practice!) until we can find permanent class homes for them!

What will happen to my favorite classes?

Our most popular East End classes (Sunday morning YOD and Monday morning Hearts & Hips) will be replacing classes on our Highlands schedule.

What do I do about my membership?

Your membership, regardless of what studio you purchased it at, will work at our Highlands studio. All of our monthly memberships auto-renew monthly on the date of purchase. While we would love to keep you in the community, you can request a membership cancelation through this form.

If you have a “Paid in Full” (6- or 12-month) membership that you won’t be able to use after April 30, please contact us.

What if I have a class pass?

Nothing will change with your class pass. You can continue to use it at our Highlands location until it expires. If the closure of this studio means you will not be able to use your class card, you can transfer your passes to another student or donate them to a student in need.

Can I get a refund?

We are not able to make cash refunds at this time. You have until April 30th to use any classes on your account at the East End studio. Please email us if you have any questions. We can transfer your passes to another student if you are unable to use them for any reason.

How will this affect the Highlands location?

When we are down to one studio, there will be more resources to be invested at the Highlands. You will see two new classes on the schedule (Monday and Friday at 7:30 AM) and facility improvements. We’ll be able to offer more programs and workshops and invest time and energy into retreat planning. The Highlands is NOT closing!

Will you be adding capacity to the Highlands studio?

Not at this time. We like it how it is ????

Will you be adding parking to the Highlands?

The parking lots in the Highlands are tied to commercial properties, so we can’t increase parking unless we rent additional commercial spaces. We are VERY fortunate to have a dozen parking spots for our business—that’s unheard of in the Douglass Loop, except for CVS! The streets around the studio continue to be dependable and accessible for most students. Please see the parking map for tips on parking near the Highlands studio.

What other questions do you have? Please comment below or email us if we missed something (and we’ll keep this list updated for others!)

Thank you for all of your support over the last 10 years!

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