HANOVER TWP., Pa. – Individuals resolving to get fit in the new year will soon have a new venue to frequent in a long-vacant space in the Airport Shopping Center.
A new location of Club Pilates, a chain of boutique Pilates studios offering reformer-based group classes that “challenge your mind as well your body,” is set to open Jan. 20 at 917 Airport Center Road in Hanover Township, Lehigh County.
The new Club Pilates location will operate in a renovated space that previously housed a Sprint store, which closed in 2020.
Club Pilates, founded in San Diego in 2007, has expanded globally with more than 1,000 studios spanning four continents.
Mother and daughter Cristina and Michelle Craciun are operating the new Hanover Township location, which will supplement another Lehigh Valley Club Pilates studio that is separately owned and operated on Easton-Nazareth Highway in Lower Nazareth Township.
The Craciuns also operate a 1.5-year-old Club Pilates studio on Hill Avenue in Wyomissing, Berks County, and they are planning to open another Lehigh County Club Pilates location in the first quarter of 2025 in the Crest Plaza shopping center on Cedar Crest Boulevard in South Whitehall Township.
Club Pilates Wyomissing
“We’re really excited to be growing in the Allentown area,” Michelle said. “It’s a prime location, and a lot of people have already told us how convenient it will be for them.”
Michelle, a resident of Berks County, previously lived in Florida where she got hooked on Club Pilates while taking classes at an Orlando studio.
“We got started with Club Pilates because I have the background of being a Pilates instructor,” Michelle said.
“We love what we do because the benefits of our classes are just amazing. To see how it brings community members together for their health is truly amazing and the most rewarding part of operating a Club Pilates studio.”
Club Pilates
Club Pilates stays true to Joseph Pilates’ original, reformer-based “Contrology” method, modernizing it with group practice and state-of-the-art equipment.
The chain serves up more than eight million workouts each year to its dedicated members.
“We believe that Pilates is the path to a fuller, more satisfying physical existence,” a message on Club Pilates’ website states. “We believe that being in control of your body helps you to be in control of your life. And best of all, we believe that you can start anytime.”
Club Pilates, open to individuals of all ages and fitness levels, promises “a workout without the hurt.”
In addition to reformers, Club Pilates studios feature a variety of apparatus, including TRX, Exo-Chair, Bosu ball, mats, rollers, and more, to help build strength, mobility and stability.
Club Pilates instructors perform hundreds of hours of training to meet teacher standards so they can provide the highest quality Pilates workouts.
Individuals are welcome to book a free 30-minute Club Pilates Introductory Class to walk through the reformer Pilates basics and familiarize themselves with the specialized studio equipment.
The forthcoming Hanover Township location, between Panera Bread and Great Clips, is welcome news for the Airport Shopping Center, which lost an anchor tenant, Christmas Tree Shops, in 2023.
A space that previously housed Christmas Tree Shops remains vacant at the Airport Shopping Center in Hanover Township, Lehigh County.
Additionally, a Golf Galaxy store moved from the Airport Shopping Center to an updated space at the Lehigh Valley Mall in Whitehall Township in October.
Tenants joining the shopping center’s roster over the past couple of years include Kinya ramen and sushi restaurant, Wren Kitchens, Trek Bicycle Allentown, Buff City Soap and Wingstop.
The forthcoming Crest Plaza location will operate between Cost Cutters and The UPS Store.
The Target- and Weis-anchored shopping center is home to more than a dozen businesses, including Biaggio Pizzeria & Restaurant, Lehigh Valley Jewelry & Exchange and Norman’s Hallmark.
In addition to the forthcoming Lehigh County locations, Club Pilates’ regional footprint is growing even further with a studio that opened in early December at 1465 W. Broad St. in Quakertown.
The Quakertown Club Pilates studio, occupying a renovated space that previously housed a PetValu store in the Quakertown Plaza, is operated by franchisees Mike and Karey Christie.
The Quakertown location is the first of three Club Pilates locations that the Christies are planning to open, according to general manager Mike Nolan.
Other regional locations in Hatfield and Pottstown are also planned, Nolan said.