On a populous stretch of Toronto’s Danforth Avenue is where you’ll find Cbarre, a boutique barre studio located in the heart of the city’s Greektown neighbourhood.
The one-room studio is quaint and cozy, which adds to its charm and helps to keep class sizes small.
Known for their popular cardio and core-based classes, Cbarre fuses elements of dance, barre, Pilates and yoga into their workouts.
Since opening in early 2019, the studio has also added yoga to its roster of weekly offerings and a seasonal outdoor HIIT class, which will take the workout to a nearby park during the warmer summer months.
Cbarre’s owner Christine Sharpe spoke with The Barre Blog to fill us in on what it was like to go from teaching in a rented dance studio to opening up a brick and mortar fitness studio of her own and the loyal following she is building.
First question I have to ask is, does the C in Cbarre stand for Christine?
That’s what a lot of our students think! Actually, no. When Cbarre was initially started I was personally really craving creating a fitness community, so that is how the name Cbarre came about. Since I also knew that the first signature barre class I was creating was going to be called “Cardio Barre”, the C in Cbarre just felt right. We now have a “Core Barre” class too. We are all about Community, Connection and Convenience!
Now that we have that out of the way, tell me, how did you get started in movement?
I was a bun-head growing up and loved movement and dance of all types from a very young age. I had a great ballet teacher at my small town studio who really mentored me through my childhood and all the way through High School. I went on to study dance at University, in Ryerson’s dance program and movement has been a part of life in some way or another ever since!
Do you remember the very first barre class you took? What was that experience like?
I do! It was at Barreworks downtown [Toronto] and I absolutely loved the class, the music, the instructor and of course the jello legs afterwards.
How did you come up with the concept for your studio?
Cbarre was really created for our community, by our community. We started with a handful of my friends and local moms from the Danforth neighbourhood. I convinced them to let me teach them a barre class and it honestly just has grown from there! I knew I wanted Cbarre to be a very welcoming and inclusive space because I think barre can be a bit intimidating, especially for people who are new to exercise. It really is like a little family now and our members are amazing women who inspire us every day!
You didn’t move into a brick and mortar studio right away. Was there a strategy behind that choice?
It was more like a happy accident! Cbarre grew really organically. We started with only one class per week in early 2018. I found a cute dance studio space to rent out and purchased portable bars and some mats and Pilates props. By the end of the year I was teaching 5 or 6 barre classes a week. That was the turning point when I realized that in order to offer more classes on the schedule we would need to take the leap and open our own space. I also knew it would be a fun challenge to start bringing on new barre instructors and growing our team.
When did you know it was time to move into a studio of your own?
Even just a few months into teaching my cardio barre class on the Danforth at the little dance studio I started wondering about what it would be like opening a small boutique barre studio. But I had never done anything like that before so it stayed in my subconscious for quite awhile.
How did you know you wanted to be a boutique fitness studio owner?
Being a fitness instructor is a very rewarding job and I feel so lucky to have found a job I am so passionate about. It felt like a natural fit to work with women every day and be incorporating my love of movement into my career. Owning a business obviously involves wearing a lot of hats and I’ll be honest it can be quite exhausting at times. But I am also the type of person who LOVES a challenge and once I decide to do something I go all in! I started Cbarre at forty and I also think I was far less fearful at that point than in my twenties and thirties!
How do you come up with the choreography for your classes?
Great question. At Cbarre all our classes follow a set structure and then within that structure each instructor can use their own creativity to choreograph their own classes. I make sure to target all the major muscle groups in the body and my class choreography tends to have a strong Pilates influence. The music I use for barre classes is also a very big inspiration for me. I often let my music choices guide what movements I choose to teach.
How did you decide on the class formats that are currently offered?
Cardio Barre was the first class we offered and our members really loved that you could get a great strengthening workout but that the whole hour had a real dance party vibe. The second class we added was Core Barre and this class was specifically designed to target the Pilates powerhouse (abs, glutes, legs and lower back). This was something that our students were continually asking for more of. After completing my Pilates Mat certification in the Fall of 2018 I started working on creating Core Barre and we launched it in January! We also offer a Connect & Release Yin Yoga class which is an excellent complement to our more high energy “Yang” barre classes. We are thrilled to be offering our first outdoor workout: The Cbarre Circuit. This is a high-intensity interval training class held at Withrow Park, just steps from our studio.
Was there anything that surprised you about opening your own studio?
Yes! I have been so surprised at how incredibly supportive all of our members have been. From the very first moment I mentioned my idea of opening our very own studio and growing the team, they have been my ultimate cheerleaders. Their support and ongoing feedback has meant so much and truly helped get me through the more challenging days with a smile.
How did you select the location of your studio? What factors/variables were you looking for?
Our classes are all held in a small group format so I knew I didn’t need a large space. I also knew that I wanted to be on a certain stretch of the Danforth as that is where my students were all located, and I wanted to keep our classes super convenient for them. Beyond that, I was very open-minded. When I saw our current space, I got that strong gut feeling everyone talks about. The huge windows and the loft-like hardwood floors were a big plus!
Did you ever think about franchising an existing barre business? What made you want to go the independent route?
It crossed my mind, but since I had a very strong vision for Cbarre already I felt that this was the way I wanted to go. In my late twenties, I worked my way up from Educator to Store Manager at Lululemon Athletica at their flagship store downtown and that career gave me the confidence to know I could build an amazing community and run a small business. I am so grateful for the strong leaders that I had during my time at Lululemon because I now apply a lot of what I learned there to running Cbarre.
Did you work with any advisors to help launch your business? Any coaches, mentors, or business advisors that helped you along the way?
My two best friends and I all opened up small businesses the year that we turned forty! They have been a huge help along the way because even though our businesses differ we face many similar challenges.
How did you find your instructors?
I started by posting on Indeed for barre fitness instructors last Fall, and I hired our opening team from the initial interviews and auditions I held. Now, we get a lot of applicants reaching out to us as word of mouth spreads about Cbarre.
Between time in the studio, and other admin work, how many hours would you say you put into the business?
24-7! Just kidding (sort of). I went into this year knowing that 2019 was going to be an epic year of growth and that I would need to commit to working more than I ever had before. The great thing about building a business is that most of the time it doesn’t feel like work because it is your baby. A few of the things that I have done that help me during this busy season of life is that I now order my groceries once a week to be delivered to my door and I have a house cleaner twice a month. I also just delegated our social media strategy to a team member and she is doing an awesome job. All these little things are a step in the right direction!
Is there anything else you think people should know about being a business owner?
Everyone says that you’ll be working a tonne when you start a business, but people rarely mention how mentally challenging it can be to be a solo entrepreneur. 100% of the decisions are up to you and this can sometimes feel overwhelming. I always have about 50 ideas kicking around in my head at a time, so I am really learning to slow down and tackle one thing at a time. I personally believe that being a business owner can be one of the greatest opportunities in this life for self-development. It has pushed me in so many incredible ways and has been a truly fantastic adventure so far.
