Little Gym Brings Big Fun To Darien

While little ones have probably not made New Year's resolutions to be more active, The Little Gym of Darien will make this an exciting possibility.

The Little Gym, a franchise that consists of more than 300 locations in 21 countries, specializes in parent-child gymnastics for kids under three, pre-school gymnastics, grade-school gymnastics and dance.

The official opening date is March 1, but owner Erica Newman, is confident that construction will be completed by mid-February. So for parents who register by Jan. 31, a bonus: kids can come to as many classes as they want during the month of February.

"It seems like everyone in town is lining up to help us open," said Newman, who opened her Westport location last August.

Newman said in the week since registration has been open, 50 Darien children are already registered; a few birthday parties are also on the books.

"I'm cautiously optimistic about being successful," Newman said. "There's a cap on what people will pay for gymnastics classes, and it's a balancing act when the business is in a central location that has a higher rent."

The Little Gym's first location in Fairfield County was in South Norwalk, but most of the customers were from Darien and Rowayton, Newman said. It was then that the Little Gym directors decided to open locations closer to the clientele.

"Moms are doing 20 things at a time already; if you had to drive from Darien to Westport, I think it would be a severe deterrent," Newman said.

Opening the Darien location just six months after Westport was not the orignial plan, said Neman; but David Genovese, the landlord of the location at 4 Corbin Drive, was "pretty persistent."

Newman first got involved with The Little Gym in November of 2002. Her children, now ages seven and nine, had gone to The Little Gym classes in Scarsdale, and after an unsuccessful search for a similar program near their home in Wilton, Newman decided to take matters into her own hands. She opened The Little Gym in Norwalk. 

What differentiates Newman's gym from other programs is the focus on teaching children and the variety of non-competitive classes, said Newman.

"I'm most excited about the response from the community," she said. "The Little Gym works best in a model where the community is strong and tight, and there is a lot of community support, like Darien."

The official Open House is on Feb. 28, a "come and go" from 1 to 4 p.m. said Newman, with an open gym, food, games and sample activities.

To find out when The Little Gym of Darien opens, keep your eye out for their Facebook page or visit the website.