Dance and gymnastics studio stays strong

Small businesses have faced challenges, but Lakeshore Dance and Gymnastics had to endure moving the facility.

Small businesses have faced a multitude of challenges throughout 2020, but Lakeshore Dance and Gymnastics had to endure the additional hurdle of moving the entire facility near the beginning of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Located on Beta Drive in Mayfield Village, Lakeshore Dance and Gymnastics is owned and operated by Sally DeAngelo, who has been in business for 38 years.

DeAngelo said that they had planned on expanding their business from a 23,000-square-foot facility to a 27,000-squarefoot one across the street from their original location. She said she thought the move would be paused when her gym had to close in March due to the government issued stay-athome orders.

However, Lakeshore’s original building was taken over by a new landlord, and DeAngelo said all the tenants were forced to leave. DeAngelo and her staff moved the gym into their larger facility mid-shutdown.

She said the months that they could not open were frightening, and they would not have made it without the assistance of grants and loans.

“If the PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) didn’t come through, we would’ve been closed,” DeAngelo said.

Gyms were legally allowed to reopen in May, but DeAngelo said she knew her clientele would be very cautious, and decided to wait a couple more months while settling into the new building and figuring out how to reopen safely.

“Most gyms just had to up their sanitization, we had to do that as well as create an entirely new space,” she said.

Lakeshore officially restarted their full range of classes in August. They cater to a wide range of ages and disciplines — including various dance cla sses and both competitive and recreational gymnastics for ages 3-18. They also of fer aerobic and tap dance classes for adults.

DeAngelo said they have had about 40 percent of their clients return since reopening, and many have thanked her for staying in business.

She said that she believes air circulation is a key factor in keeping their gym safe, and even areas like the dance studios which would normally be enclosed, currently only have half-walls.

DeA ngelo ex pla ined that staf f w ipe down their equipment after every team uses it, and are vigilant about conducting temperature checks on students when they enter the building. Everyone is required to wear masks when not actively exercising.

“My staff likes to joke that all we do is clean,” DeAngelo said.

SHEENA HOLLAND DOLAN - THE NEWS=HERALD Multiple balance beams are among the equipment at Lakeshore Dance and Gymnastics

SHEENA HOLLAND DOLAN - THE NEWS=HERALD Lakeshore’s first dance studio in the new facility, management plans to add a second one eventually.