Yoga Public announces it’s reopening next month

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This article was published 15/08/2024 (411 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Downtown Winnipeg’s latest revitalization measure? Downward dogs.

Investors are banking on an expansive yoga studio’s reopening to draw hundreds to Winnipeg’s core daily.

Yoga Public’s leadership joined the Manitoba Métis Federation Thursday afternoon to announce classes would restart on Fort Street Sept. 14.

“I’m… grateful for the opportunity for a comeback,” said Ida Albo, owner of Yoga Public and managing partner of The Fort Garry Hotel.

She’d launched the business, which she calls “Canada’s largest yoga playground,” back in 2012. At the time, she told the Free Press that Yoga Public could assist in a downtown revival effort.

The then-20,000 sq. ft. centre amassed 600 members and staffed more than 30 employees, Albo said. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, 280 Fort St. suffered.

Albo closed Yoga Public’s doors two years ago, amid pandemic-era lockdowns and bleak reopening periods.

“People weren’t coming back to classes, people were not coming back downtown and… it just didn’t work,” she recalled.

She contacted the Manitoba Métis Federation about buying the building; she knew David Chartrand, the MMF’s president.

“We felt it was a wise decision to buy it at that time,” Chartrand recounted. “The price was right in our mind.”

Neither he nor Albo disclosed the price. In 2011, Yoga Public’s founders said the yoga centre and nearby 18-stall parking lot cost $2.5 million to build.

In a speech Thursday, Albo admitted Yoga Public would’ve been bankrupt had the MMF not bought the site.

The Métis government attempted to convert the complex into a boutique hotel, Chartrand said. City officials blocked the efforts, Chartrand continued, adding officials couldn’t determine which chemicals were used in the centre’s foundation. Creating a hotel would demand extensive renovations, he said.

Chartrand turned his gaze to restaurants and other ideas. He kept in contact with Albo.

“The price was right in our mind.”–MMF President David Chartrand

Meanwhile, Albo was tying up projects at the Fort Garry Hotel — over the past three years, the site’s restaurant underwent renovation and a comedy venue opened. Albo launched a “Yoga Public Reunites” weekend at the hotel last April, sending class invitations to past members. Roughly 450 people attended, Albo said.

“I got the feeling — I’m like, ‘You know what? I think it’s there, I think it’s time,’” Albo continued.

The MMF accepted a proposal from Albo to restart her exercise operation. Now, 11 staff are preparing to offer around 50 classes weekly at Yoga Public.

Albo and Chartrand expect 200 people through the doors daily.

“Given the consciousness of our people today — the health consciousness, the ‘green’ kind of concept… I think you’ll see 200 jump to 300, to 400, to 500,” Chartrand stated.

Yoga Public will operate 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. A variety of yoga classes are scheduled, as are meditation courses and workshops.

The company touts yoga hammocks and Winnipeg’s only far-infrared hot yoga studio.

Albo said she’s not concerned about the viability of attracting crowds daily. She would need a slice of the full clientele Yoga Public previously saw to hit current targets, she added.

Thursday’s announcement comes weeks after the MMF declared it’d purchase two Bell MTS-branded towers near Portage and Main. The federation bought Wawanesa Insurance’s former downtown headquarters last year, relocating 300 of its staff to the site.

It’s currently transforming the former Bank of Montreal building in Winnipeg’s core into a Métis heritage centre.

“I’m not investing just for the sake of investing to make money,” Chartrand said. “I’m investing to be a real, major contributor to help save downtown.”

Albo also expressed her commitment to revitalization, highlighting childhood memories of a bright downtown with Eaton’s and Woolworth’s.

Politicians at the provincial and municipal level applauded Yoga Public’s reopening.

Housing Minister Bernadette Smith called the enterprise “accessible” for people wanting to partake during lunch hours.

“They are helping to provide life and bring back our downtown,” she said in a speech. “It’s going to take all of us.”

Deputy Mayor Markus Chambers noted the closure of gyms during the recent pandemic affected users’ mental health.

“It’s also businesses like this… that attract people,” he said, adding that although there are increased patrols in downtown Winnipeg, police overtime isn’t sustainable and crime prevention is critical.

More people downtown will contribute to better safety, he explained.

“They are helping to provide life and bring back our downtown.”–Manitoba Housing Minister Bernadette Smith

Yoga Public consumes 16,000 sq. ft. at 280 Fort St., leaving some 4,000 sq. ft. empty.

Albo and Chartrand have discussed a non-alcoholic health cocktail lounge or a restaurant taking space, but another business could come knocking, Chartrand said.

Yoga Public launched its website Thursday. Its introductory special, with 21 days of unlimited access, costs $69.

Memberships range from $109 to $149 per month; drop-in classes cost $29.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com