Patience, persistence and passion are key ingredients at Poise Studio in Beaverton

Two old friends open a studio in Aloha where they offer classes in yoga, Pilates and belly dancing

By Kristen Forbes

The Times, Apr 9, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Kristen Forbes / Times Newspapers

POISE WILL BE POISE — Sarah Haroldsen-Balmer (left) and Victoria Marchese are co-owners of Poise Studio in Beaverton. The pair, along with several other instructors, offer classes in yoga, Pilates and belly dance.

ADVERTISEMENTS

The house at 4700 S.W. 185th Avenue in Aloha is one Sarah Haroldsen-Balmer knows well. She grew up in the Beaverton-area neighborhood and can recall passing the house on her childhood walks.

“I remember being a kid, 10 years old, and just staring at this house when I went by,” Haroldsen-Balmer says.

Today, she and Victoria Marchese own the house she stared at as a kid. In January, the two of them opened the doors to Poise Studio and welcomed the public to their classes for yoga, Pilates and belly dancing.

Some things happen overnight, but this is not one of them.

Haroldsen-Balmer, who has been teaching yoga since 2001, shared with Marchese her frustration at always having to drive into Portland to go to yoga classes. The two began talking and decided they needed to start a studio in the area.

That was three years ago.

“We took our time and did a business plan. We really found a great area. It was a good three-year process. It was a lot of work, but the community was supporting us the entire time,” says Haroldsen-Balmer.

They were about to lease another space, but at the last minute, didn’t feel right about it and changed their minds. Marchese, who doubles as a yoga/belly dance instructor and real estate agent, found the current location; they knew it was right for them as soon as they walked in the doors.

“The energy was perfect,” Haroldsen-Balmer says. “It was right for what we needed to do.”

Last year, they purchased the house, originally built in 1929, and began the task of renovating it from a church into a yoga studio. They charted their progress on a Poise Studio blog. They posted pictures of construction and showed all the work that went into the project.

“Mike Balmer was our contractor, and he did everything. He and Judah Hamnes worked night and day for three months straight. We didn’t see them – they were zombies. They did every trim and all the plumbing.

1 | 2 Next Page >>