Talking Business: Mother's business idea close to home

By Dan Daly, Journal Staff Writer | Thursday, January 11, 2007

Previous Page

Share

• del.icio.us
• Digg
• NewsVine
• Fark

Print

Email

Crystal Ashley, whose daughter recently celebrated her first birthday, is starting a Rapid City business that caters to young mothers like her.

Stroller Strides, a national franchise, is an exercise program that is specifically tailored for moms - although fathers are welcome, too - and their babies from 6 weeks to 4 years of age.

"Our mission is to help moms make strides in fitness, motherhood and life," she said.

Ashley said she learned about Stroller Strides from her sister-in-law in Phoenix. In Phoenix, she said, Stroller Strides is hugely popular. "I've been through the class; it's a lot of fun," she said.

The difference between Stroller Strides and other programs is that the child, in the stroller, is an active part of the whole routine. In fact, the strollers are part of the workout.

One reason new mothers often don't work out, she said, is that it's a hassle to arrange for child care. In Stroller Strides, mothers take their babies along.

Each class includes a 5- to 7- minute warm up, then a 45-minute power walk mixed with intervals of body-toning exercises and a 10-minute abs, stretch and cool-down session. There's also a one-hour playgroup that will meet directly after the class.

Initially, Ashley said, classes will be indoors in the National American University on Kansas City Street. When the weather improves, the classes will move outdoors.

Ashley said Stroller Strides is a good way for new mothers to get back into physical activity, battle postpartum depression and give their youngsters an early introduction to a healthy, active lifestyle.

Lisa Druxman of California started Stroller Strides five years ago, and today, there are 163 franchises.

Ashley has two business degrees, but she wanted to stay home with her baby. She also likes to work out, so Stroller Strides seemed like a good fit. (No pun intended.)

She has the franchise rights for Rapid City and the Northern Hills. Her plan is to get the company established in Rapid City, then set up in Spearfish. After that, maybe Sturgis and other locations.

The grand opening will be Monday, Jan. 15, at the NAU gym, starting at 9 a.m. It is best if the moms, or dads, arrive 15 minutes early. Or better yet, call ahead and reserve a spot.

The first class is free. For more information, call Ashley at 1-800-349-6867. You can also go to www.strollerstrides.com or send an e-mail to crystalashley@strollerstrides.net.

Lakota Ink puts focus on traditional imagery

During a recent visit to the emergency room (don't ask), a very nice registered nurse put me through the medical paces, and then asked, "Have you written about Lakota Ink, yet?"

I hadn't, but yesterday, I stopped in and met Gilbert Jumping Eagle, the owner of Lakota Ink. The new tattoo studio is at 516 Mount Rushmore Road.

Jumping Eagle grew up in Southern California and attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. But it was in Seattle that he made a name for himself as a tattoo artist. There, he was a founding member Apocalypse Tattoo, a well-known studio.

But last summer, he sold his share of Apocalypse and moved his family to South Dakota. "I came here to support the Native American community in business and in spiritual ways," he said.

His grandfather, "Boob" Irving Jumping Eagle, was an Oglala Lakota who grew up in Manderson and left during World War II. Like a lot of South Dakota emigres who left in the 1940s, the elder Jumping Eagle never moved back. He married a California woman - Gilbert's grandmother is a Maidu, a tribe native to Northern California - and settled in the Los Angles area.

Lakota Ink has been open about eight weeks. Jumping Eagle and two other artists have set up shop. There's room for one more, but Jumping Eagle is in no hurry to fill that chair.

He described Lakota Art as more of a tattoo studio, relying less on the "pick-em-and-stick-em" images - although Lakota Ink does have books of stock tattoo images. Jumping Eagle has noticed among local patrons an increasing interest in the quality tattoo art.

A lot of American Indian tribes have a tattoo tradition going back several centuries, especially on the East Coast. However, Jumping Eagle said, traditional Lakota visual arts don't include tattoos.

But Indian themes are becoming a popular subject matter for tattoos, both for Lakota and non-Indian skin. A lot of Jumping Eagle's designs incorporate traditional Lakota imagery such as bison skulls, dream catchers and horses.

In fact, Jumping Eagle is developing a reputation as one of the top tattoo artists in that style of design.

For more information, call 343-5160.

Active@AnyAge opens its doors

Physical therapist Karl Kirsch and occupational therapist Kathleen Boyle opened PT-OT Professionals at 2001 Seventh St. almost four years ago. Also, physical therapist Shannon Kirsch, Karl's wife, is on the staff.

They now have a new neighbor, their own affiliated business named Active@AnyAge. It's a specialized exercise program for older people or anyone else, for various reasons, needs a more supervised workout than they'd get at the local gym.

It's a circuit-training program where participants move from station to station to get different types of exercise. But before you start the program, you get a physical therapy assessment, and the staff designs a workout specifically for you.

For more information, call 716-6474.

Talking Business appears Thursdays in the Journal. Contact Dan Daly at 394-8421, by fax at 394-8463 or by e-mail at dan.daly@rapidcityjournal.com