Just a mere few weeks after being voted by our readers “Best Yoga Studio in Hoboken” for 2020 in our Best of 2020 Awards, Hudson Yoga Project has announced that it is closing its Hoboken locations and virtual classes after a long year of struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic. The yoga studio opened in 2016 and quickly grew a very devoted following, offering vinyasa, yin, and prenatal yoga — and had opened a second uptown location just this past year.
^Owners Kate + Patrick
In an email to its clients on January 5th, HYP owners Patrick and Kate shared,
“We’ll be honest, this is a tough email for us to send, but one that is necessary. Today we are announcing that we’ve made the decision to close the HYP for the time being. It’s been 10 months since we’ve been able to have our studio doors safely opened, and there is little certainty for when we will be able to open them again. After weighing all possibilities and doing our best to figure out how to navigate the future, we’ve realized that as hard as it is, it’s time to close this chapter.”
The email explained that the virtual class schedule will continue to run through January and any un-used class cards must be used on classes throughout the remainder of this month. All autopay memberships will be canceled at the end of this month and will not receive any future billing.
See More: Local Fitness Businesses Offering Online Streaming Options
“This has not only been difficult on us, but on our teachers as well. We can’t begin to express the gratitude we have for the HYP-team,” the email shared. “These teachers have continued to show up and teach for the studio, making less money than they could have just offering their own virtual classes. Their commitment to this community is something we will be forever grateful for. It is our hope that you will connect with them directly and continue to take their classes virtually to allow them to continue offering what they are so very good at. Most of them are tagged in various posts on our HYP Instagram account– so be sure to follow their personal accounts for more information.”
We spoke with Kate directly, who shared with us, “Unfortunately, we were not given any of the local or state aid that was available for Hoboken businesses for rent relief. We were told we were ineligible because we received PPP loans, even though the amount we received from that didn’t even cover a full round of payroll for our staff.”
“It’s unfortunate that there hasn’t been any real guidance from local or state leaders on how to help businesses and landlords through this. After 10 months of not being allowed to be in our studios under any type of normalcy, it just isn’t feasible to continue to stay open. But, that’s also extremely difficult for landlords as well who are also running businesses and have staff they need to take care of.”
While virtual and physical classes will be done by the end of January, Kate and Patrick ended on a hopeful note, sharing with us, “We need to take the space to reimagine what things will look like and how we can better serve the HYP, Hoboken, and greater yoga community based on what the world will look like now. The foundation of the HYP is bringing amazing people together, and we can’t wait for the day that that will be possible again. It may look a little different, but we are already dreaming + planning ways to continue to serve this community. We can’t wait to share what that will look like when the time is right!”
This email announcement comes shortly after a local neighbor downtown, the Spa Diner, shared it was closing its doors indefinitely last month, citing struggles related to staying afloat during the pandemic.
And still, while many small businesses have been tragically closing, others are still opening and those open are working their hardest to stay open — and need our support every day. We’ve compiled a list here to support new businesses taking a leap of faith — and encourage you to continue shopping small, be it for workouts, beauty products, food, and anything else. We also have a list of A-Z brick-and-mortar Hoboken businesses to support every day, which we’ve shared here.
Read More: A List of A-Z Brick-and-Mortar Hoboken Businesses to Support Everyday
“There are so many businesses locally that are struggling and are in the same boat as we are. Just remember to keep showing up and supporting these places, because most of them are hanging on by a thread just hoping to make it until things open up again,” Kate said.
“We will miss the beautiful energy inside of the studios that existed each time we gathered together to practice. We already do miss it and we have for these last 10-months. We are so incredibly grateful for you + for your support of the HYP. While this chapter is coming to a close, there is still much to write in the story and we are hopeful that you’ll be a part of ours going forward. Yoga teaches us the importance of living in the present. It is the only thing that is guaranteed. We hope that you continue to do that in health and in happiness in each moment to come.”
