Two childhood friends in Reading have gone from teaching Zumba classes in a rented room. Now, Simply Fit and Fun is a boutique fitness studio with a focus on creating a community of kindness.
Starting small
Stephanie Sweeney and Danielle Impolos are the co-owners of Simply Fit and Fun, a boutique fitness studio in Reading.
“Danielle and I have been friends for a long time – since high school, actually. We reconnected after college through fitness – we were teaching fitness at other studios – and we realized we had very similar teaching styles.”
They started in 2014 with a rented room, teaching Zumba classes on Saturday mornings. Over time, their following grew – and so did their vision.
“We teamed up and started renting out local spaces to teach a Saturday morning fitness series, and from there, it just kind of snowballed,” Impolos said.
Welcoming everyone
Now, Simply Fit and Fun has more than 25 instructors and offers cardio and strength classes, yoga and Lagree; it’s the only studio in Massachusetts with a microformer machine.
“We have four workout rooms within our studio space, circuit training and TRX. We have a small studio which has infrared heat options,” Sweeney said. “We also have a variety of packages and membership options, so anybody can be part of this place.”
The studio also offers free child care – a game-changer for parents.
“Health and wellness shouldn’t be something that feels so difficult to reach,” Impolos said. “When you feel your best, you can give your best. And we love that we can offer that for somebody.”
But the community is what keeps people coming back.
“We really pride ourselves on just having truly, genuinely kind people here,” said Impolos. “We’ve got all ages; we’ve got all abilities; we have people that are just coming from all different life experiences. Everyone truly just kind of comes here and gets along.”
