Northern Roots Yoga: A CEDC Grant & Loan Success Story

Northern Roots Yoga

When she moved here from Massachusetts, Mary Gray, aka Mim, owner of Northern Roots Yoga in Lancaster, was a little lost.  The yoga enthusiast and certified teacher whose biggest passion lies specifically in hot yoga, threw her hands up thinking, “I can’t live here.” Yoga has always been a part of her life, so naturally when NH became her home, she quickly searched for a yoga studio in which she could continue her practice. While she found some great studios, none of them offered hot yoga. So, Mim’s dream to open her own yoga studio in northern NH took root.

“I had a small dream just to teach,” says Mim. What she wanted seemed simple enough…a small place she could heat with heated panels, so she and her students could enjoy their hot yoga in a way that feels like they are being warmed by sunshine in a dry heat.

Searching for places to rent, she was coming up empty.  Either rent was too high, or the space wasn’t right. With a nudge from her husband and a helpful realtor, her dream evolved into purchasing a space and making it exactly what she needed it to be.

For finance approval, Mim worked with Passumpsic Bank and was approved for a portion of the funds she needed for her purchase. The banker then recommended Mim speak to Lise at CEDC to see what options were available for additional financing. 

“The process was seamless,” says Mim. “They (the banker and Lise) worked together. They were very supportive. It was all so easy. You didn’t have to jump over hurdles.”

With the financing for the total cost of her purchase split between CEDC and Passumpsic Bank, Mim achieved her dream studio and has since made it her own.  She was also able to work with Lise again to attain a Technical Assistance grant for Quickbooks software and training.

Northern Roots Yoga opened in March of 2020, just before COVID arrived. Being the resilient business owner she is, Mim made the best of that pause, putting the finishing touches on the studio slowly and opening again in August of that same year.

Today she continues to provide her students a safe place to explore movement in their bodies, find real grounding and bring awareness to the connection between body and mind. And, the future looks bright!  As she aspires to continue to grow, she has increased class times and hired on a new teacher who is focused on a slower paced yoga that caters to the elderly.

To any fellow business owners who ask, she is quick to sing the praises of CEDC, telling one fellow entrepreneur, “It’s so easy! Call Lise and see what she has to say.”

If your small business could benefit from one of our grant and/or loans, visit our Business Resources page for more information.