Yoga Enterprise
Some Charlotte businesses closing for good due to COVID-19
After nearly 20 years, a Charlotte yoga studio is going completely virtual due to concerns about the novel coronavirus.
CHARLOTTE, NC – The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing small businesses across Charlotte to make tough decisions about whether to stay open, close, or change their plans.
Phyllis Rollins, director of Iyengar Yoga Charlotte, opened the first yoga center in Charlotte in 1993. In 2001 she moved to her current studio on East 8th Street.
“Yoga is a wonderful way for all of us to gain control over our minds and learn to feel what is happening in our bodies,” said Rollins.
As the COVID-19 pandemic spread to Charlotte, Rollins closed the physical location of the yoga center and switched to online classes.
Now Rollins said she made the tough decision to close the physical studio for good.
“Five more weeks, keep paying the rent, hold on, hold on, hold on,” Rollins said.
Rollins said she had concerns about how to do yoga at social distance in the room with the extra cleaning and safety measures.
“How do we do yoga in a mask?” She said, “How would we do yoga in gloves? How would people use the props? How would I clean the floor?”
It is a decision many business owners could face in the months ahead.
According to a Main Street America survey, 7.5 million small businesses out of about 30 million nationwide are at risk of permanent shutdown in the next few months if the crisis persists.
The Regal Manor Twin Theater in Myers Park closed its doors permanently amid the pandemic.
Dilworth Restaurant Summit Room announced on Instagram that “the adventure is over. A small full-service restaurant in the neighborhood is unsuited for masks, 6 feet apart, and 50% capacity. “
Rollins said she is now focusing the yoga business on online-only classes. The Pilates business that is part of the 8th Street Studio will take over the physical space that the yoga center will leave behind.
Rollins said she looks forward to the opportunity for Iyengar Yoga Charlotte to reach even more students through online classes.
“We have to change,” she said. “I think we all have to change.”
However, it does not rule out the idea of reopening a physical location when the pandemic is over and there is a vaccine.
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