Gardner dance studio makes leap into new location - find out where

A longtime Chair City business has made a perfect leap and nailed the landing in a new location.

The Just Dance! Performing Arts Center , which operated for several years downtown, has found its new home at 25 Kraft St., in the building that formerly housed the LaChance Interiors furniture store.

Owner Rebecca Wilson, who opened the studio in 2010, said the building, with its large rooms, high ceilings, and nearly 5,000 square feet of space, was the perfect location for the center's new home.

"We did do a lot of searching, we looked at a lot of buildings, but this one is just so beautiful and perfect for a dance center," she said. "We'll start with three large studios, and there is room for a fourth if we grow in the future."

Among the possible locations Wilson said she had considered for the studio's new home were Timpany Crossroads Plaza, a former church on Lincoln St., and the former Gardner News building on Main St.

Former furniture showroom building did not require much renovation

The former furniture showroom did not require much renovation work to transform the large space into a performing arts center, according to Wilson, who said she hired contractors to redo the floors, install mirrors, and construct a few walls.

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"For the most part, the (building) was in pretty good condition," she said.

After 12 years in the Ryan Block building downtown, the dance studio was forced to look for a new home after the property was sold to developers and turned into apartments.

The new location offered several improvements over the center's previous home on Parker St., Wilson said.

"There's a big parking lot and we have a couple of entrances that people can use for different classes, so I think the parking situation will be much better than it was downtown," she said.

Dance studio temporarily utilized local church's space during search for new home

The dancing didn't stop while Wilson was searching for a new location, however. The center's operations were moved temporarily to St. Paul's Episcopal Church on Cross St.

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"We are so grateful to them and Father Tim (Crellins) - they have been so welcoming and accepting of u,s and they allowed us to use their space for the last two years," Wilson said. "We could keep dancing, and we continued to grow while we were there."

The number of dancers enrolled at the studio had grown from around 200 to about 250 since the center's downtown location was closed, Wilson said.

"We obviously hope to keep that momentum going and grow now that we have more space," she added.

The public will have a chance to take a peek inside the dance studio's new home this weekend. Wilson said the center would be open from 10:00 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 7.

"Dancers can come in and look at the studio and purchase their dancewear before classes start on Monday, Sept. 9," she said.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Gardner dance studio makes leap into new location - find out where