N.B. Spin Studio Finds Success Riding Out Of Covid-19
DIEPPE – Spin North is shifting into a higher gear as it opens its fourth studio this Saturday in Dieppe. The opening is part of an explosive interval of growth since its founding in 2021.
The cycling studio chain employs just short of 50 instructors. It began its lightning-fast expansion across New Brunswick by riding the momentum of its popular type of cardio workout.
Spin North’s classes are rhythm-based spin studio workouts – essentially spin classes set to the beat of music. They’ve been so popular that they’re often at capacity and wait-listed.
Spin North’s founder and owner, Vanessa McEvoy, said that popularity is the driving force behind the chain’s quick succession of openings.
“It’s been awesome; it almost feels like you’re in a nightclub. The lights are low or high,” McEvoy said of the classes.
She noted that there is no right or wrong age or skill level for spin classes; everyone from beginners to hardened cyclists can come out and join in at their own pace.
“All the studios are doing really well, so we thought we’d just keep expanding,” she said.
McEvoy, a Miramichi native, said Spin North’s popularity is partly a bounce-back from the early days of the pandemic when people were shut in and unable to socialize or get out to move often. Back then, fitness classes were often the only form of permissible socialization during the worst of the pandemic.
“People weren’t necessarily allowed to go out to restaurants with friends but they could still come to a spin class and be in that kind of environment, with other people and positive energy,” said McEvoy.
“It helped a lot of people throughout the pandemic and now that we’re kind of post-pandemic, it’s kind of helping people get out of that funk and back into a routine.”
The new location, at 304 Champlain Street, is launching about six months after McEvoy opened a studio in Saint John.
Spin North has locations in Bathurst, where McEvoy first launched the chain, Tracadie-Sheila, and Saint John.
A draw of the Dieppe location, which is poised to become the chain’s flagship location, is a new technology that tracks the metrics of each member in each of the 26 magnetic stationary bikes.
“Every time you arrive you’re actually going to be emailed your performance data so you know the distance you cycled, your power outage, calories burned, all that stuff,” said McEvoy.
This also comes as Spin North is unveiling a new app for members to more easily purchase passes, book classes, refer friends, and provide reviews.
McEvoy is an MSVU alumna and co-owner of several other Miramichi businesses including Big Daddy’s Smoke House, Pookies Donut & Milkshake Cafe, and Petrillo’s Kitchen. She said there are plans for more Spin North expansions on the horizon.
While she wouldn’t give specific details on the matter, she advised the rest of New Brunswick to “stay tuned” for another announcement in the next couple of months.
Sam Macdonald is a Huddle reporter in Moncton. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].