One Dancer’s Dream

You wouldn’t think that just a little bit of spontaneity, ambition and hard work would be enough to open your own dance studio. But one day Gail Charney told her husband John that it was her dream to make that happen.

They decided to start out small, so two weeks later they were renting a space in their local community in Pasadena, Maryland.

Charney has been a dancer her entire life. Her mother has owned Edna Lee Dance Studio, located in Glen Burnie, Maryland, for the past 50 years.

“Dancing was fun and I was good at it,” Charney said.

She drifted between jobs, married and had three children: Josh, Beth and Roxanne, before deciding at the age of 31 that it was time to move forward into unfolding her dream.

It was in Charney’s best interest to start out with a small space; she didn’t want to take on more than she could handle. Her husband on the other hand wanted to open up a bigger place, but this was her dream and she wanted to take precaution.

The couple hadn’t saved up any money prior to starting this project, so it was important to be careful with expenses.

“If you put money towards those kinds of projects, you’ll never get around to doing it,” her husband said.

They found a place for $1,500 a month. It was 1200 square feet, not too big and not too small. But the interior of the studio basically needed to be remodeled from scratch. It needed mirrors, barres along the walls and walls put in place for the waiting room and bathroom.

One good thing to have when opening your own studio is a husband who is extremely crafty. John saved them a lot of money because he did all the re-construction and maintenance himself. A splash of white paint on the walls and they were ready for business.

By the time they opened in January they had 100 registered students. Charney was the only dance teacher at the studio. She was a mom by day and a studio owner and teacher by night. Charney was a very busy woman.

“It was nice because she was around during the day when we were younger and we danced at the studio so we got to see her at night too,” Roxanne said.

After three years of learning and building the business, Charney decided it was time to find a bigger location. They moved into a space still near their neighborhood. It was 3,000 square feet for $3,500 a month. A lot of the profit margin made at the first location was put into renting this one.

But it was an improvement because there were now two dance rooms in the studio. She also started teaching new dance styles such as hip-hop, lyrical, contemporary and point. These additions brought in a lot more business.

She had 12 teachers working for her at the new location. She experimented with a lot of different teachers. She realized that the younger people she hired from outside the studio didn’t do so well at accepting the responsibilities of teaching. Her daughter, Beth, taught a toddler class for a few years. Charney realized that she worked better with her older students as teachers.

Prices remained consistent for classes. However, it was necessary to raise the cost every few years. They sold leotards, tights, ballet, tap and jazz shoes for 12 years, selling this merchandise brought in more revenue.

“You’re basically working 24/7,” Charney said.

It wasn’t enough for Charney because after nine years of renting she decided it was time to take out a loan and buy a place of her own. It was a place that would sit directly in front of their home. It is now the current and permanent location for Dancer’s Dreams.

It was in need of major reconstruction. The building needed a new roof, ceiling, walls and plumbing. It was originally a doctor’s office, so they needed to remove the sinks from every room. It took three months until all the repairs were finished.

It was great that they had plenty of family and friends who were willing to help with the repairs.

“Nothing is ever really finished. Something always needs to be repaired,” John said.

But after three months the studio was complete and furnished with two dance rooms, two bathrooms, a waiting area, office and storage room. The outside is painted blue with pink awning. It looks like a house fit for dancing and is complete with a sign 20-30 feet away by the sidewalk that says Dancer’s Dreams.

The studio has been up and running for seven years now. There making very good business and they hold very loyal customers. Charney enjoys owning her own business better than renting, but she appreciates the experience because it helped her get her feet wet.

“Always treat your customers how you want to be treated,” Charney said.

This motto has made her relationship with her customers strong and has kept her in business for the past 17 years. A lot of determination, faith and the love and support of her family brought her dancer’s dream to life.