Couple bring moves to northern Coast
FORMER Moulin Rouge dancers Brett and Matthew Harris-Mills have opened FORM Fitness Pilates in Southport after identifying a gap in the market at the northern end of the Gold Coast.
The pair met as dancers at the Moulin Rouge more than 22 years ago and have moved to the Gold Coast from Sydney where they worked as instructors at pilates chain Elixr and Xtend Barre.
They did extensive research about the Gold Coast market before deciding to take the plunge and open their own studio.
“This end of the Coast didn’t have a pilates studio on this scale apart from one at Marina Mirage (in Main Beach),” Matt said.
“There are loads at Palm Beach and Burleigh but not so many at this end of the Coast.”
The 176sq m studio opened in December with the Pilates studio at the front and the barre (which combines dance-orientated stretching with Pilates using a bar) section towards the rear.
Matt and Brett teach 23 classes every week to a mostly female clientele aged between 30 and 50.
“There can be up to 22 people at any one time,” Matt said.
“A couple of days we have both rooms going at once during peak times and down the track we want to have that every day.”
Brett said many of their their clients preferred the environment over other training options.
“That comes from the fact that a lot of women hate going to gyms,” Brett said.
“They feel intimidated, especially if they are not super fit.
“People come in and comment that they feel like they are coming and hanging out at our house.”
In the lead-up to the launch late last year they promoted a week of free classes to prospective customers.
“In that first month we had 50 people come through and out of that 70-80 per cent bought something or came back,” Brett said.
Because Pilates can be intimidating to first-timers, the pair have tried to tailor their classes to suit a range of ability levels.
“You can be in a class where a 72-year-old lady is coming in for the first time so she needs a lot of attention,” Brett said.
“But then you’ve got people who are younger and regulars and know what they are doing. Our classes are run so they suit everyone.”
They have only been open for five months but have already fielded questions on when they will open a second studio or set up a franchise system.
They say they are focused on building up their first business, deriving pleasure from helping clients achieve their goals.
“We have had people with arthritic conditions saying they are now pain free,” Matt said.
PEOPLE COME IN AND COMMENT THAT THEY FEEL LIKE THEY ARE COMING AND HANGING OUT AT OUR HOUSE BRETT HARRIS-MILLS