NILES — Since Stephanie Reno first brought her fitness business to downtown Niles, she has experienced a growing customer following. 

Now, Reno is announcing another significant development for her business, SLR Pilates.

Coming this summer, Reno and her business partner Matt Mazingo will open a 24-hour gym at the business’ current location, 127 E. Main St. in Niles. The company will expand its other services into the Signal Travel building, 219 E. Main St. 

Signal Travel & Tours Inc. business owner Michele Boyd reassured customers that her longtime establishment is not leaving Niles. Instead, she said the business would be relocating to a brand-new building which is already under construction at 2540 S. 11th St.

“We are really excited about it,” Boyd said. “We hope in a couple of months we will be moved.”

Boyd has operated her travel business since 1969. This Oct. 1 will mark the business’ 50th anniversary, and she said she looks forward to celebrating it in the new space.

For Reno, the Signal Travel building will offer more space for her growing business, from her 4,000-square-foot facility at 127 E. Main St. to about 11,000-square-feet at the new location.

“We have so many people in and out of here that are from the community and are so unbelievably supportive and they love what we do and our concept here,” Reno said. “When you walk in, it is just home. People want more of that.”

Reno plans to use every floor to serve her
customers.

On the first floor of the building, Reno intends to have a lobby and reformer studio, with all the Pilates equipment. The second level will feature a space for Pilates, yoga and barre classes. The third level will include a new aspect to her business, the Catalyst Spin Studio, which will consist of 20 stationary bikes.

“It is going to be a high-energy type atmosphere with heart-pumping music,” Reno said. “It will also be all levels from the heart-pumping music to trail rides.”

At a later stage, Reno said she hopes to transform the basement space into a massage therapy and spa area.

As for the gym, which will be operated by Mazingo, Reno said she had noticed a demand for the space.

“We do need a 24-hour gym because everybody works different schedules,” Reno said. “We are right next to a hospital and [you might] want to go at 5 a.m. or 10 p.m. because your schedule is not 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. I definitely think it is something that is needed.”

In April, Reno will celebrate five years of business. She said when she first opened SLR in downtown Niles, it was operating out of a 700-square-foot studio. From there, Reno moved the business to the current location at 127 E. Main St.

After six months, Reno said they had outgrown the space, so they took over additional building space to create a reformer studio. Today, the studio serves more than 2,000 clients.

“When we opened this studio, we brought that big-city vibe into a small town,” Reno said. “We have the best of the best. We have all the equipment that you would see in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, but it is in Niles.”

Reno said she looks forward to the next phase in the business’ growth and said she has customers, her city and the downtown district to thank for her success.

“We are extremely excited about the gym,” Reno said. “We think that it’s going to be amazing just like the journey has been with the studio. Adding more to the downtown, it’s important, especially when it comes to giving back to our community. They have given us so much and allowing us to build our dream.”

To learn more about SLR Pilates, those interested can visit the business’ website at slrpilates.com. In the days to come, Reno also intends to offer discounted pre-registration which will be announced on her website.