Shakti
Yoga is coming to Grant Street! After only two years of operating out of her
Lexington Avenue storefront location Michelle Gigante, director of Shakti Yoga, has purchased the c.1923, Bley & Lyman designed former bank at 133 Grant Street, corner of Boyd. Gigante says she is thrilled to be a part of the
recent revitalization occurring on Grant Street.
The 3,000 square foot “temple of a building” will be the home of ongoing daily yoga classes, visiting yoga instructors and spiritual events, according to Gigante. It will also be the host of intimate performances in a salon-style atmosphere.
Beyond her personal business concerns, Gigante believes that in
order to boost the City of Buffalo’s economy, several areas of commerce and traffic are necessary. To that end Shakti joins new
businesses like Dolci, Mums and Daisies and Sweetness 7 Café as well as
stalwart establishments like Guercios, The Meating Place and Frontier Liquor in
the revitalization of Grant Street.
Local realtor Joseph Suppa of MJ Peterson helped Gigante find the extraordinary building that boasts high ceilings and a parking lot. Suppa suggested the Grant Street location as a good property investment for Gigante, who says the Neoclassic building with a temple front was just what she was looking for.
Classes will continue at the Lexington Avenue location, while the Grant Street grand opening celebration will wait until late fall/early winter after some further renovation work is done. Radiant heating and new hardwood floors are in the plans, as well as shower facilities and a state of the art sound system
The word Shakti translates as “energetic force toward consciousness”. The yoga school’s
mission is to raise consciousness locally and globally (Gigante currently gives a percentage of Shakti’s income to world charities and is involved in local outreach programs). Because of this, the Grant Street neighborhood will
benefit from the presence of these progressive-minded, good-natured, proactive yoga
practitioners, who regularly investment in bettering the community and themselves. The studio hopes to involve the diverse
West Side community in its multi-cultural events.
For
more information on Shakti’s vinyasa flow classes, chanting, music, meditation,
massage, creative movement for children, family yoga, dance, mother daughter
yoga, partner yoga, gentle yoga, pilates and sunrise yoga, visit www.shaktibuffalo.com
It is Gigante’s firm belief that Grant Street is on the rise and her hope that the
presence of Shakti Yoga will encourage and support other businesses to take
part in the area’s revitalization.