By Dylan Spilko
The first official spinning facility in Prince George’s County is the 2019 College Park Business of the Year, after the City of College Park gave their first award in its first Business of the Year Award Program.
Posh Cycling and Fitness, owned and run by Melissa Blain, offers a variety of fitness classes for residents to try out. The studio has classes that include spinning, belly dancing, zumba and kickboxing. The spinning classes, which are the most popular, according to Blain, cost around $10-$15 for a single session.
Posh has been in business since November 2018 and has garnered interest from nearby residents and students from the University of Maryland – mainly from special Greek-life sorority events, according to Blain.
Blain, who runs the studio and also works as a research biologist, has been teaching fitness for 11 years around the DMV. For Blain, accepting the newly given award was something she will never forget.
“It felt really good to see the work that we’ve done, and have people appreciate it,” Blain said. “I didn’t know we would win an award or anything like that, but it’s really great – our clients really support us and they really like us here.”
When Posh opened its doors around a year ago, Blain truly had to transform the studio from the ground up to become a successful business in the long run. The now vibrant, pink colored studio replaced a vacant space that was empty for eight years, according to Blain.
Between managing her job as a research biologist and both owning and working as a trainer at Posh Cycling and Fitness, Blain is working around the clock..
“People don’t understand how much work small businesses have to put in compared to a large chain,” Blain said. “A lot of stuff falls on us and we still have our full time jobs and run this place.”
Blain emphasized Posh’s image as something that relies heavily on the quality of customer service to bring in residents from the surrounding area.
“I want a customer to come in here and feel welcomed, and we want a positive energy here,” Blain said. “We want people to feel welcomed and we include everybody. All shapes, sizes, ethnicities, and we really make sure that everybody feels safe here.”
For Melanie Cerritos of Beltsville, Maryland, the main aspect of Posh and its staff that keeps bringing her back is the positivity that flows throughout the studio constantly.
“I have the best experience every time I go and everyone that works at Posh is so nice and always go out of their way to ensure that everyone is ready to have the best experience they can during their class,” Cerritos said.
Other customers, such as Elena Lumby of Greenbelt, Maryland, focus on the reassuring attitudes of the staff that make the weekly classes enjoyable.
“The instructors set the tone with their friendliness and enthusiasm, and class is about having fun, and getting an emotional boost,” Lumby said. “We like to talk, laugh, encourage one another and I leave class feeling fit, happy and looking forward to coming back.”
Caption: Melissa Blain, owner of Posh Cycling and Fitness, getting ready to teach late-night cycling classes at her studio