When Allison Zang and her husband bought their first home at Walden in Mechanicsburg almost 10 years ago, she never imagined she’d one day be walking across the street to work at her very own Pilates studio. However, after outgrowing giving private lessons in her own home, Allison saw the opportunity to expand into the Crossroads at Walden, a collection of small, locally owned businesses that were beginning to take off within view of her front porch.
She launched Absolute Pilates 5 years ago and hasn’t slowed down since. Allison now owns 5 studios across Central PA, including another at Arcona in Mechanicsburg.
“The thing I’ve realized about fitness is that, like everything else, people want convenience. So being able to provide people with a place to work out in their own neighborhood was a huge selling point for opening a studio in Walden,” said Zang. “About 90% of our clients either live within the neighborhood or live less than 2 or 3 miles away. They love being able to walk to a pilates class, and then be back home and with their families 5 minutes after class ends. Many of our instructors live in the neighborhood as well.”
Allison has also realized the convenience of being able to live and work in the same neighborhood. As a full-time mom and entrepreneur, it’s important to her to be close to both family and the studio. Her young daughter even goes to Tender Years, the daycare in the neighborhood. “There are some weeks when we never even leave Walden, everything we need is right here,” commented Zang.
