NJ-based yoga chain to open 15 new locations

The Lawrenceville-based chain of yoga studios announced 15 new locations across five states, including North Carolina, California, Florida, Ohio and New Jersey.Honor Yoga is stretching out.

The Lawrenceville-based chain of yoga studios announced 15 new locations across five states, including North Carolina, California, Florida, Ohio and New Jersey.

Founder and CEO Maria Turco expects the 15 locations to be open over the next two years. Naples, Fla. is next in line, to be opened this coming March.

Other announced locations include Jacksonville, Fla.; Knightdale, N.C.; Los Angeles; two in Cleveland; and one in Easthampton, N.Y.

Turco aims to have 100 studios open and operating by 2023.

“I really wanted to empower people to own their own business and be successful at it, giving people an opportunity to own something and make a change in the world,” she said on why her sights were set on such large expansion. “Something that is purposeful and profitable and elevates people.”

Turco opened her first studio in 2013 and has been franchising since 2016. Currently, there are 10 Honor Yoga locations open throughout New Jersey, two of which are corporate and eight are franchises.

“I feel franchising is more authentic to the practice of yoga and creating community,” she said. “When you have an owner who lives in a community and works in a community, they take an interest in wanting to elevate that community.”

When a local family in Lawrenceville had a fire, Turco said the owner of the Lawrenceville Honor Yoga location had a fundraiser to raise money for the family.

“It becomes this place where people can gather and not only elevate themselves but support the people around them and make the whole community better,” she said.

Turco teaches once a week at the Pennington studio, one of the corporate locations, to stay connected to the community she has helped build. About 37 million adults across the nation practice yoga according to Turco, and the number is expected to rise to 50 million by 2020.

When potential franchisees call expressing interest in owning their own Honor Yoga, Turco said she and her team “put the science behind it to make sure it’s a viable market. We do a demographic study and compare it to our success factors, and that’s where we will award a territory.”

The total investment to own a 2,400 to 3,400-square-foot studio runs between $146,608 and $270,608. Each studio employs 10 to 15 part- and full-time workers.

“I’ve always been a fan of fitness, but when I found yoga, I realized it’s not just about the physical body but the emotional body,” Turco said. “I have this dream, [I want] people to go to Honor Yoga to get more longevity and be more proactive with their health.”