Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandra Portaro
Hi Sandra, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Wow that’s a lot of history! I was born into an Italian family. My mother was born in Naples, Italy and my Father’s parents were from Italy. Since I was a young child I loved to dance, but I also knew since I was 6 years old that I wanted to be a nurse. Becoming a dancer was a dream, but becoming a nurse was attainable. I digested every Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie I could find back then. Every chance I good get I would dance, in our local playground parades, high school cheerleading and drill teams, even nursing school cheerleading!. I never had formal training in dance, but I had a natural ability to move and understood music since my mother gave me piano lessons as a young child. I also was a very athletic child, taking gymnastics and swimming. Team sports was never my thing.
My husband and I had just sold our institutional pharmacy business, and I was looking for something to inspire me. I received a call from a friend who said the kids gymnastic studio he was working at was having financial difficulties and did I want to purchase it. My answer was no, but I would want to take over the lease and start something new. That was the beginning of Athletic Garage. At first it was mostly fitness with some dance, but I added more and more dance classes since I wanted to be trained. Back then I was my own best customer. It grew organically from there, acquiring good instructors to teach and maintaining an attitude of inclusivity (no one had to tell me to do that, it’s common sense and basic humanity).
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Starting a business from scratch is never smooth. My husband and I did it with our institutional pharmacy business, and although it was great fun at first it was very tough. Healthcare business can be a thankless and stressful job. When I started the dance studio I had the attitude that if I could manage a pharmacy business I could do a dance studio, no problem. With the attitude that the studio was going to be fun and about wellness it wasn’t a burden doing something that I loved, combining healthcare and dance! I wore many hats because I couldn’t afford to employ anyone administratively. My husband was very supportive and although it made no money, I had joy in my life that my job as an RN didn’t provide. I didn’t know a thing about running a dance studio, but while I was operating the pharmacy business with my husband I went back to school and received my BS in healthcare management. This gave me tools to run a business. My husband is also a genius at business and he is my consultant for the many questions I had. Running a dance studio is far less complicated than running a pharmacy business. Still, It had to pay for itself, but for many years my husband and I subsidized the studio. Why? Because I saw how much the community needed a place which made them feel happy. The biggest obstacle was getting the customer base to pay the bills. Back then there wasn’t social media, so advertising in the paper was the only way to advertise other than word of mouth.
As you know, we’re big fans of Athletic Garage Dance Center. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I started Athletic Garage in 1999 from scratch. It is a dance studio for the community that features top choreographers accomplished in their field of dance. The studio is mostly for adults although there are a few kids classes. Classes range from Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary to Hip Hop, Salsa, samba to Bollywood, tap, KPOP to Swing dance. It is very eclectic much like my personal tastes. Early on I started having shows/performances (not recitals) at the studio. This gave the customers something to look forward to. Students who became proficient in their style of dance would have the opportunity to perform along side professional dancers.
This year is our 25th anniversary and we had a show on May 18 and 19. I brought back some instructors that started with me 25 years ago as well as some of my scholarship students. I also had performances choreographed by all my instructors on staff. It was an epic show. We produce all our shows in our own studio. We have two buildings and the “warehouse” is the building where we have our shows. People don’t know what to expect when they walk into a red warehouse. The studio is transformed into a theater (my husband put in theater lighting) and there people are blown away by the experience of the performances that they see up close and personal. It’s a rare thing in LA.
I think the personality of the studio comes from top down. The culture is created by me. I created a safe space for those who want to learn to dance or improve their skill or just to enjoy dance. Everyone is welcomed with a nonjudgemental attitude. All my instructors have the same attitude otherwise they don’t stay.
I used to take the jazz classes, but since I tore my ACLs and had subsequent knee replacements, I have been dancing salsa for years and part of our salsa company. I still have many hats at the studio, but I have more help now. The studio runs efficiently like a machine.
How do you define success?
Success is accomplishing what you set out to do. Meaningful success for me is observing my customers/students having satisfied and happy faces when they leave the studio. It is having what you created bring joy to people’s lives. I have never chased the dollar. If you do something that you love and do it well, monetary success will follow, but that is not the leading factor.
Pricing:
- drop in classes $18-$22
- 5 hour discounted series $80
- 10 hour discounted series $150
- 20 hour discounted series $280
- All you Can Dance (1 month) $230
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.athleticgarage.com
- Instagram: @athleticgarage
- Facebook: /athleticgarage
- Youtube: athletic garage dance center
- Other: [email protected]
