Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Cox.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I moved to Atlanta from Kentucky when I was 14 years old, and I quickly fell in love with this city and have considered it my hometown ever since. In 2007, I went away to college at Duke where I studied to become an attorney. I actually went to law school for 1.3 years before I came to the conclusion that the legal profession was not for me. Thankfully, during this process, I met my husband while completing a legal internship during the summer between my first and second years.
Having imagined my career as an attorney from a young age, I had to go back to the drawing board and create a new path. In 2013, I returned to Atlanta and found a job working in corporate events and communications, and it was during this time that I discovered Pure Barre.
Prior to trying out Pure Barre, I had practiced yoga for several years and done the occasional spin class, but nothing had really kept me “hooked” or looking forward to coming back to class. Perhaps because of the additional stress of feeling very in limbo with my career, or maybe because of the comforting community I found in the studio, I began to look forward to Pure Barre class as the highlight of my day–so much so that I remember that at one point my manager at work pulled me aside to reprimand me about how often I was going to “barre” and I realized she thought I meant “the BAR”. It’s a hilarious story considering what I do now but wasn’t so funny at the time!
About a year after I began taking regular Pure Barre classes, I started to inquire with Pure Barre corporate about how I might open my own studio. After following up with them numerous times–I was VERY persistent–they let me know that the studio I attended on the Westside was available to purchase. Since then, it’s been a whirlwind. I don’t come from a background or family history of small business ownership, so it felt a bit like the Wild West trying to figure out how grow a business while fostering and deepening its community of clientele.
I’m more than two years into the job now and I can say that it’s every bit as challenging as I’d imagined, but even more rewarding. I’ve come to know so many amazing women and men through the Westside studio and they inspire and motivate me daily to keep growing and furthering this business because it’s more than a gym, it’s a family of people looking to better their lives not just through fitness, but through meaningful relationships. My favorite part of each workday is coming into the studio and listening to our regular clients introduce themselves to new faces they haven’t met before class begins. I love the sense of relief I see when clients walk through our doors and know that they get to spend 50 minutes on themselves with teachers and fellow clients that they’ve come to know and love. I remember exactly what that feels like before or after a long day, and I still look forward to each and every class myself.
Growing up, if you’d told me that I would eventually own a barre studio and teach classes, I probably would have asked you what barre was. But now, I’m continually grateful to God for placing me in this unique position. We’re not saving lives over here, but we are making everyday life just a little bit better by fostering this Westside community, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Business ownership has been a learning curve. I think one of my biggest struggles is coming to terms with the number of proverbial “hats” I wear in a day. While I’m always a salesperson, on any given day I’m also a teacher, a manager, a coach, an event planner, etc. It can be hard to switch between the role seamlessly. My team has been a tremendous help to me, being patient with me as I’ve learned these different roles, and stepping up to help teach classes and manage studio operations when I need to step between roles.
Please tell us about Pure Barre Westside.
Pure Barre Westside provides barre classes for all fitness levels. The Pure Barre method uses the ballet barre and small isometric movements to strengthen and lengthen muscles.–ideal to achieve weight loss, toning and injury recovery, and prevention.
We offer three types of classes: 1) Pure Barre Classic–our traditional barre class that uses small, isometric movements to strengthen and tone the body; 2) Pure Empower–our cardio-centric barre class that adds short cardio intervals between each strength training section of class to maximize calorie burn and weight loss effects and; 3) Pure Reform–our new resistance based class offering that uses resistance tubes and sliders to maximize toning benefits.
What sets us apart is that we don’t just provide fitness classes, we provide a true community where you can come just as you are and leave with a group of women and men who care about you and your goals and want to help you get there. From our teachers, sales team and members, we all build one another up and hold each other accountable. Our members come not just for the workout but for the network of friends they have at the barre.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, my family lived in a really cute neighborhood where all of the kids could walk to each other’s houses. My public elementary school was just over the fence from our house, so I got to walk to school every day. I love that I got to grow up in such a tight-knit neighborhood and it’s shaped the way I imagine community today.
Pricing:
- First Class Free for New Clients Local to Atlanta // Email westsideatl@purebarre.comto get your first class free!
Contact Info:
- Address: 1100 Howell Mill Rd NW
Suite A07 Atlanta, GA 30318 - Website: purebarre.com/ga-westside
- Phone: (404) 464-7443
- Email: westsideatl@purebarre.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/purebarrewestside
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/purebarrewestside/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pure-barre-atlanta-westside-atlanta
Image Credit:
All photography by Zorzi Creative (@ZorziCreative and @ZorziProductions on instagram)
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
