Fitness franchisee doubles down in Richmond

PureBarre1-ftd

The 2,200-square-foot space was formerly home to Café Caturra.

For its third outpost in the Richmond market, a national fitness brand is hopping into Midlothian.

Pure Barre, a brand of ballet barre fitness studios, is opening a new location at 1282 Alverser Plaza Drive, just off Huguenot Road. Franchisees Sarah Love and Robin Moncol have leased the 2,200-square-foot space formerly home to Café Caturra.

Love opened her first Pure Barre franchise in 2014 on River Road near the University of Richmond. Moncol was one of the first clients at the West End location. The two got to know each other better working on fundraisers for the nonprofit Fetch a Cure and eventually teamed up to take on Midlothian.

“I’m really impressed with what Sarah has done at River Road,” Moncol said.

Pure Barre hosts group exercise classes that make use of a ballet bar. It recently added a cardio-based barre class to its offerings. A one-month membership with unlimited classes costs $189, but new clients get a discounted rate. The River Road location does 44 classes a week that can fit up to 25 people.

“It builds a strong community of women,” Love said. “They come and take those 55 minutes for themselves.”

Sarah Love, left, and Robin Moncol.

Sarah Love, left, and Robin Moncol.

Moncol will oversee the operation in Midlothian, where she grew up, and Love will help out with both locations. Love said she was looking to expand and thinks Midlothian is an underserved market in terms of niche fitness ventures.

“Midlothian doesn’t have a lot of options as far as boutique fitness,” she said. “We felt like (Alverser Plaza Drive) was pretty central in Midlothian.”

Fitness ventures abound in Chesterfield County. There are big brands like Gold’s Gym, Youfit Health Clubs and Planet Fitness, regional operations like American Family Fitness and ACAC, and niche options like 9Round and several CrossFit studios.

There is at least one other ballet barre fitness studio open in Chesterfield: Gallery Barre opened last year at 13827 Village Place Drive in Midlothian Village Square.

Love said she thinks Pure Barre sets itself apart using its institutional knowledge.

“We’ve been around for a long time,” she said. “Our staff, and we ourselves, go through intense training.”

Pure Barre has more than 370 locations in North America, with 18 open or in the works in Virginia. The Midlothian location will be the brand’s third in Richmond: the two others are Love’s on River Road and one in Short Pump, which is owned by a different franchisee.

PureBarre1-ftd

The 2,200-square-foot space was formerly home to Café Caturra.

For its third outpost in the Richmond market, a national fitness brand is hopping into Midlothian.

Pure Barre, a brand of ballet barre fitness studios, is opening a new location at 1282 Alverser Plaza Drive, just off Huguenot Road. Franchisees Sarah Love and Robin Moncol have leased the 2,200-square-foot space formerly home to Café Caturra.

Love opened her first Pure Barre franchise in 2014 on River Road near the University of Richmond. Moncol was one of the first clients at the West End location. The two got to know each other better working on fundraisers for the nonprofit Fetch a Cure and eventually teamed up to take on Midlothian.

“I’m really impressed with what Sarah has done at River Road,” Moncol said.

Pure Barre hosts group exercise classes that make use of a ballet bar. It recently added a cardio-based barre class to its offerings. A one-month membership with unlimited classes costs $189, but new clients get a discounted rate. The River Road location does 44 classes a week that can fit up to 25 people.

“It builds a strong community of women,” Love said. “They come and take those 55 minutes for themselves.”

Sarah Love, left, and Robin Moncol.

Sarah Love, left, and Robin Moncol.

Moncol will oversee the operation in Midlothian, where she grew up, and Love will help out with both locations. Love said she was looking to expand and thinks Midlothian is an underserved market in terms of niche fitness ventures.

“Midlothian doesn’t have a lot of options as far as boutique fitness,” she said. “We felt like (Alverser Plaza Drive) was pretty central in Midlothian.”

Fitness ventures abound in Chesterfield County. There are big brands like Gold’s Gym, Youfit Health Clubs and Planet Fitness, regional operations like American Family Fitness and ACAC, and niche options like 9Round and several CrossFit studios.

There is at least one other ballet barre fitness studio open in Chesterfield: Gallery Barre opened last year at 13827 Village Place Drive in Midlothian Village Square.

Love said she thinks Pure Barre sets itself apart using its institutional knowledge.

“We’ve been around for a long time,” she said. “Our staff, and we ourselves, go through intense training.”

Pure Barre has more than 370 locations in North America, with 18 open or in the works in Virginia. The Midlothian location will be the brand’s third in Richmond: the two others are Love’s on River Road and one in Short Pump, which is owned by a different franchisee.

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Eric Perkins
Eric Perkins
8 years ago

Congratulations to the RVA franchise community’s newest multi-unit franchisee! Steady, manageable growth (careful site selection helps too) is a smart path to success in franchising.

Ren Bell
Ren Bell
8 years ago

Congrats to Sarah and Robin!