MARION – A rooftop yoga business is now under the roof of a historic Marion home.
Stephanie Neighbor-Kubik and Cassie Hammarmeister, co-owners of Vella Yoga, met in 2016 during the yoga teacher training.
Neighbor Kubik had worked in her family’s banking business in Marion for 20 years. Hammarmeister has a massage therapy practice in the same town.
“We complement each other,” said neighbor cubic. “My background is business, yours is the body. Head and heart. ‘
Every woman has a daughter, so they combined the names of their daughters, Veda and Ellie to come up with the name for their business. Next, they needed a place to hold yoga classes.
“We started giving roof-top classes at Philip’s Center just once a week,” Neighbor-Kubik said, referring to the Marion building where Philip’s Diamond Shop is located.
That was in August 2016, shortly after the new business partners had completed their yoga teacher training. But until October outdoor courses were no longer possible.
“We had to find something for the winter, but we couldn’t afford a lease,” said Neighbor-Kubik.
Phil High, who they knew through Marion’s Chamber of Commerce, agreed to rent them a small studio in Philip’s Center at a moderate price.
They opened the studio on January 26th last year, offering free yoga for that day as well as an opening special for 30 days of unlimited yoga for $ 30.
“We got a great response,” said Neighbor-Kubik.
A few months later, as the studio’s clientele grew, Neighbor-Kubik saw a sale sign in front of the 1870s house that housed her hair salon.
“My mind has started to run,” she said. “I had a vision.”
She and her husband bought the house in June and began renovations to turn a residence in the back of the house into a yoga studio. (The front of the house remains a hair salon, and there is a rental apartment upstairs.)
They exposed the brick walls, refinished the original hardwood floors, and added new floors to complement the existing hardwood.
Due to the popularity of the original rooftop yoga classes, they also built a 500-square-foot deck at the back of the house for summer outdoor classes.
Vella Yoga moved into the newly renovated space on December 1st.
“We couldn’t be happier,” said neighbor Kubik. ‘It feels like home.’
Vella Yoga offers regular classes four days a week and various special events throughout the month, including a free community yoga class every month. The new room will be celebrated with a housewarming party on January 26th.
[naviga:h3 style=”padding-left: 60px;”]AT A GLANCE
Owner: Stephanie Neighbor-Kubik and Cassie Hammarmeister
Companies: Ancient yoga
Address: 871 10th St., Marion
Phone: (319) 551-9862
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.vellayogamarion.com
Do you know a company that has been in operation for less than a year and that would make an interesting “ground floor”? Contact [email protected]
Stephanie Neighbor-Kubik, co-owner, will lead a yoga introductory course at Vella Yoga in Marion on Tuesday, January 9, 2018. The multi-week introductory yoga course puts new and experienced students on the yoga mat to learn about alignment and movement before moving on to the full classes. (Rebecca F. Miller / The Gazette)
Elizabeth Jensen, 9, from Marion, talks about her previous yoga experiences when the students introduced themselves on Tuesday, January 9, 2018, in a yoga class that is beginning at Vella Yoga in Marion. The beginning yoga class, which is a multi-week course, brings new and experienced students to learn about alignment and movement on the yoga mat before moving on to full lessons. (Rebecca F. Miller / The Gazette)
Toni Delagardelle (left) from Marion answers a question, while Cyndi Pflughaupt (right) listens on Tuesday, January 9, 2018, during a yoga class that is beginning at Vella Yoga in Marion. The beginning yoga class, which is a multi-week course, brings new and experienced students to learn about alignment and movement on the yoga mat before moving on to full lessons. (Rebecca F. Miller / The Gazette)
Jennifer Olson from Hiawatha is standing in the “mountain pose” during a yoga class that is beginning at Vella Yoga in Marion on Tuesday, January 9, 2018. The incipient yoga class, a multi-week course, brings new and experienced students to the yoga mat to learn about alignment and movement before moving on to the full classes. (Rebecca F. Miller / The Gazette)
Trisha Voelker from Ryan is standing with her hands on a block during an incipient yoga class at Vella Yoga in Marion on Tuesday, January 9th, 2018. The studio moved into the building, which was built in 1870, and opened it in its new building location in December. (Rebecca F. Miller / The Gazette)
Trisha Voelker from Ryan makes a side bend on Tuesday, January 9, 2018, during a beginning yoga class at Vella Yoga in Marion. The studio moved into the building built in 1870 and opened at its new location in December. (Rebecca F. Miller / The Gazette)
Toni Delagardelle (from left) from Marion, Elizabeth Jensen (9) from Marion and Cyndi Pflughaupt (right) from Coggon stretch their hands in a beginning yoga class at Vella Yoga in Marion on Tuesday, January 9, 2018, to the sky Das Studio moved into the house built in 1870 and opened at its new location in December. (Rebecca F. Miller / The Gazette)
A Buddha statue stands on a window sill in the studio of Vella Yoga in Marion on Tuesday, January 9, 2018. The studio moved into the building built in 1870 and opened at its new location in December. (Rebecca F. Miller / The Gazette)
Stephanie Neighbor-Kubik, co-owner, will be working at her desk in the entrance area of Vella Yoga in Marion on Tuesday, January 9, 2018. The studio moved into the building built in 1870 and opened its new business location in December. (Rebecca F. Miller / The Gazette)
On Tuesday, January 9th, 2018, there will be branches in pots at the studio entrance of Vella Yoga in Marion. The studio moved into the building built in 1870 and opened at its new location in December. (Rebecca F. Miller / The Gazette)
Stephanie Neighbor-Kubik (background center) will lead a beginning yoga class at Vella Yoga in Marion on Tuesday, January 9, 2018. The studio moved into the building built in 1870 and opened at its new location in December. The beginning yoga class, a multi-week course, puts new and experienced students on the yoga mat to learn about alignment and movement before moving on to the full courses. (Rebecca F. Miller / The Gazette)
