EDISON PARK — After more than six months of bouncing among Northwest Side co-working and rental spaces, popular dance and workout studio Fly Girl Dance & Fitness has a permanent home.
The business will open in October at 6325 N. Avondale Ave., though a few classes will begin Monday as the space gets a makeover, said owner Kymberlee Kaye Raya.
“I am looking forward to my team having a home again,” Kaye Raya said. “They busted their tails for me. These women are unbelievable … . There are so many times I wanted to throw in the towel.”
The business, which has a second location in Wisconsin that opened this year, was in Gladstone Park for five years but left that storefront in January.
The owner said the process of securing a new home has been a tough one — so much so that she could write a whole book about it, she joked. Multiple deals on storefronts fell through, but Kaye Raya said she was relieved after signing the Edison Park lease this week and getting the keys.
“We’ve been doing great in Wisconsin, but we had no home here, so I didn’t feel whole and wanted to cry,” she said.
The large new space will also fill a void for the studio’s members, who mostly live in Norwood Park, Edison Park and the suburbs.
She said the old space used to host about 2,200 people monthly for the more than 40 classes offered by the business. She hopes the new space, which will be decked out in the business’ signature pink, will attract a large crowd for any women wanting to get fit and feel empowered.
Fly Girl Dance & Fitness offers classes in yoga, zumba, kickboxing, HIIT and boot camp with a fun environment tailored to boost women’s confidence, the owner said.
Kaye Raya, a mother of two who has more than 30 years of experience in the dance and fitness world, also donates her time to nonprofits that assist youth like KEEN Chicago, Casa Central and local public schools.
In March, state Rep. Lindsey LaPointe honored Fly Girl & Fitness with a Small Business Award, which Kaye Raya said gave a rewarding feeling of recognition for her team.
She said she is grateful to her members and instructors from the Northwest Side community for not giving up on her dream and coming back to teach and work out.
“I can’t thank people enough for supporting us,” she said.
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