Owners of Fred Astaire Dance Studio Michigan, which has its flagship location in Bloomfield Hills, Tuesday announced they plan to open 10 more locations in Michigan within the next five years. The newest location in West Bloomfield Township started offering classes on Aug. 27.
Co-owners Evan and Lada Mountain recently completed a deal to have the sole rights to open Fred Astaire Dance Studios throughout the state.
“We are excited about opening our second studio, in what will be the first of a long line of dance studios across the state,” says Evan. “We plan to have 10 more studios within the next five years. We’re already in discussions with potential investors and managers about locations in Detroit.”
The new location is in the Drake Shopping Center at 5526 Drake Road, and will host grand opening celebration will take place from 7-9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 21. The location will occupy about 3,400 square feet and be about half the size of the Bloomfield Hills location, which measures 6,500 square feet. The new location has two floating dance floor ballrooms and was previously occupied by Geiger Ballet for 30 years.
The Mountains plan to expand to four studios during 2019 and are considering locations in Novi, Northville, Ann Arbor, and Detroit. They are also looking to west Michigan for future growth.
The franchise has seen record growth year over year for the past several years, says Mountain. The Bloomfield Hills location is 20 percent ahead of last year’s numbers, when sales hit their highest peak.
“Continued growth just keeps happening at rates that I did not expect,” says Mountain. “I attribute this to the culture we’re building and continue to nurture. New students come in and become dedicated returning students, who then consider participating in competitions, which takes their experience in our community to a whole new level.
“People come here and find camaraderie. Everything starts with being a friendly, warm studio where people feel comfortable and supported. Plus, it’s fun. Frankly, the growth surprises me, but we’ll keep focusing on it to keep it going.”
This year, more than 30 students from the Bloomfield Hills studio have participated in ballroom dance competitions.
The flagship location opened in 2005 and offers the largest ballroom dance studio in Michigan. The studios are part of a nationwide franchise that requires daily training for teachers, who are full-time. Private lessons, group lessons, and dance parties available. The new studio is open Monday-Friday. Classes start at noon, and the last class begins at 8 p.m.
