Mega Barre Youngstown Opens New Space

POLAND, Ohio – A new workout studio is giving the co-owners of Mega Barre Youngstown room to grow.

Laura Zavadil and Erica Fleming, co-owners of Mega Barre Youngstown, have known each other for 10 years while working in the fitness industry. Fleming taught barre classes for Zavadil when the latter opened Barre Youngstown six years ago, operating out of Jamie’s Dance Force at 590 E Western Reserve Road.

On Aug. 22, the two cut the ribbon to their new space at 112 W. Western Reserve Road, where they will offer barre – a workout combination of ballet and pilates, dance, yoga and strength training – as well as new Megaformer classes.

“We have two studios going on at the same time,” Zavadil said. “Our barre fitness studio and then the Megaformer studio, which is a whole new thing for our area.”

Megaformer classes involve the Lagree Fitness Method, which combines core, cardio, balance and workouts, Fleming said. Mega Barre also offers Barrex classes, which include TRX suspension band training, barre trampoline, TRX pilates and yoga.

“We put love and heart into the space and traveled all over the United States to find specifically what we wanted to bring into this space,” Fleming said. “But, the most important thing for [Zavadil] and I is that we’re giving our clients many different modalities to experience here.”

The first class is free for most workouts, Fleming said. Megaformer classes, in which one trainer instructs a group of 10, has a $15 charge for the initial drop-in.

Mega Barre offers 65 classes weekly, Zavadil said. As the fitness industry changes, the ability to evolve the business and make it their own is important, she said. 

Before the new space came into the picture, Zavadil rented space at Jamie’s Dance Force in Youngstown. It was a nice start and it allowed for the business to grow, she said, but the time for a new space came along. 

“It was time to spread my own wings and get my own space,” she said.

It cost $200,000 to renovate the new space, which only had brick walls and a gravel floor when the co-owners signed the lease in February, they said. Construction started in April and wrapped up this summer. Renovations included HVAC and audio systems, as well as a dehumidifier to get moisture out of the room.

“Since we’re not tied to any franchise, we get to grow and develop the space how we see fit,” Fleming said. “Right now, we’re going to focus on building both studio spaces up.” 

Mega Barre held a soft opening a week prior to its Aug. 22 ribbon-cutting. Since the soft opening, the studio has seen 85 customers regularly. The studio employs 15 instructors who coach customers on the equipment, including 10 Lagree Megaformer machines, trampolines and TRX systems, Zavadil said.

“It’s intimidating, so you have to trust our coaches that we can walk you through it throughout the class,” she said. 

For the future, Zavadil and Fleming look to franchise their business model or open a second location. Expansion on the nutrition side of fitness is in the future as well. 

“Changing people’s lives is what drives me to keep going,” Zavadil said.

Pictured: Mega Barre Youngstown co-owners Erica Fleming and Laura Zavadil.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.