Atelier Cycle just got the green light from Niverville’s council on May 20 to launch a new local studio on Main Street. Focusing on fitness, the spin class/barre fusion studio, is expected to be open in November, according to owners Maxine Carels and Stephanie Comte.

The spin class portion of the studio experience is self-explanatory. The barre fusion classes will combine yoga, Pilates, and dance and will be open to anyone over 16.

The location of the new business is 21 Main Street, where a car wash is currently located. 

Ray Dowse, part-owner of the building, says that the fitness studio is a good fit for that location. He and his partners are renovating the four-day car wash to make it a suitable home for Atelier. This includes upgrades to the building’s exterior.

“We never intended on getting into the car wash business,” Dowse explains.

Car washes are expensive to operate and repair, so it made perfect sense to repurpose the existing building and keep costs down for the new tenants.

“We’re doing everything on the exterior,” he explains. “Updating the parking lot, installing a whole new retail front with windows, repaving the floor, and adding rooftop units is the aim.”

Carels and Comte are certified spin and barre fusion instructors. However, they will be hiring staff and providing a six-week training course for new staff. The cost of the training has yet to be determined.

For the entrepreneurs, both of whom are wives and busy mothers of young children, they would love to move to Niverville but they’re married to farmers and moving to the fastest growing municipality in Manitoba just isn’t an option right now.

“We absolutely love Niverville,” Comte says. “You want to belong here.”

The women will be managing the business from afar with a floor manager and fairly large staff base on the ground in Niverville. Carels already has two similar businesses in Portage la Prairie and Notre Dame de Lourdes. Comte is an instructor at both locations.

Online booking will be available and classes will accommodate 15 people for both spin and barre fusion. Drop-in service won’t be available.

Classes are expected to start at 5:30 a.m., with five or six classes running throughout the day and ranging from 30 to 45 minutes each.

An intro class will be offered to encourage new beginners.