Meet Jacqueline Hinton of Good Citizen in Santa Monica

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacqueline Hinton.

Jacqueline, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Since the age of three, I’ve always dreamed of being a professional dancer. I went to the University of Texas at Austin where I received a BFA in Dance. This is where I was introduced to Pilates, and I instantly fell in love.

Immediately after graduating college, I moved out to Los Angeles to pursue my professional dancer career. I worked in retail, while taking class and auditioning. But, working retail wasn’t as fulfilling as dance was, so I decide to get certified in Pilates. I walked into the closest studio in my neighborhood, Bodyline in Beverly Hills, and got the necessary information. I ended up putting it off for a few years because I couldn’t afford it.

In 2006, I finally signed up for my first course. I loved learning new movement. And on top off all of my dance experience, I was getting into amazing shape, which was helping my dancing. There was only one thing I didn’t like about Pilates: having to share the same Pilates loops on the machines everyone else was using. Everyone who entered the Pilates studio used the same loops for their hands and feet, and a lot of the time, they were bare, sweaty feet. It grossed me out! This is when I came up with the idea of Good Citizen. Why couldn’t I have my very own Pilates loops, and why couldn’t they be super cute with fun colors? My husband–who was my boyfriend at the time–thought it was a great idea, and for several years, we worked on getting samples made.

Unfortunately, those samples all turned out terrible and we’d find ourselves losing hope. My husband went back to school and graduated from the University of Southern California in 2015. While he was there, he received a BA from the Annenberg School of Communication, with a Minor in Business Entrepreneurship. Luckily, he had to do a class project where he was to come up with a business and write a business plan. This is when Good Citizen started becoming a real and tangible idea.

Together, we set a launch date, randomly found a new manufacturer (who we love!), and launched on September 15th, 2015. We were the first to market and are now in over 30 studios across the globe, not to mention our online buyers? We are changing the way Pilates lovers do Pilates by making it cleaner, stylish, and a lot more fun. Thanks to Good Citizen, you now don’t have to use the communal Pilates loops everyone uses when you take a class at a Pilates studio. We are excited about the future of Good Citizen and have branched out into other Pilates lifestyle products like apparel, wine glasses, and body brushes. As we move forward, our goal is keep coming up with ground breaking Pilates gear that pushes the Pilates industry in a new and exciting direction. On top of running an up and coming Pilates company, I’m also still teaching Pilates and dancing professionally. Currently, I am in an amazing show, Anais, A Dance Opera, which is getting rave reviews in both the U.S. and France. You can check out the show’s website at www.anaisdanceopera.com.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Our biggest struggle has been educating the Pilates community and making them aware that it is okay to bring your own Pilates loops with you to class. Since we were the first company to introduce this idea to the Pilates world, we’ve definitely had some skeptics as to whether it our idea would work or not. We just tell people, “You wouldn’t go to a yoga class without your own yoga mat, so why wouldn’t you take your own Pilates loops with you to Pilates class?!”

Also, finding a manufacturer that would work with a small/upstart company was challenging. Nobody wanted to make samples, etc. for a company that wasn’t going to be bringing in large orders to start. But we finally found our manufacturer, and we love them!

Please tell us about Good Citizen.
Good Citizen is a Pilates lifestyle brand that specializes in designing and manufacturing the original personal Pilates loops, made right here in Los Angeles, CA.

We were first to market and are changing the way Pilates enthusiasts do Pilates. You no longer have to use the communal Pilates loops at a Pilates studio anymore because you can now take your very own. We also have other Pilates lifestyle products including t-shirts, wine glasses, and body brushes.

As a company, we are most proud that we were able to create a product that keep Pilates enthusiasts clean and safe. And with our loops’ bright colors, we’ve turned Pilates studio from a mundane environment to a funky, hip, and cool spot for staying fit!

We use only the highest quality materials in the industry, and our loops are made right here in the USA. This sets us apart from everyone else in the industry.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If we had to do it all over again, we’d realize time is of the essence, and everything takes forever! Finding manufacturer, getting samples made, redoing the samples, retrying other materials, website creation, etc. all takes a really long time. If we’ve learned anything, it’s that we should’ve been working with multiple people/companies at a time to get things done. Instead of taking a 5 or 6 months to figure out someone wouldn’t work with you, we would’ve had multiple people doing the same stuff at the same time. We would’ve save so much time and unnecessary effort! Live & Learn!

Pricing:

• Standard Loops (Unpadded) $35
• Premier Loops (Padded) $55-$60
• Reserve Loops (Double Padded Loops) $70

Contact Info:

• Address: 2636 Kansas Ave. #11
  Santa Monica, CA 90404
• Website: www.goodcitizenla.com
• Phone: 3106004082
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @goocitizenla
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodcitizenla/
• Twitter: @goodcitienla
• Other: @jackiehhinton

Image Credit:
Justin Hinton

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