Newmarket Mills 'Wellness Pod' adds massage - Exeter News-Letter

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Yoga teachers at Newmarket Mills Yoga.Michael Penney photo

NEWMARKET — Jennifer Chinburg calls it a "wellness pod:" a concentration of health-related businesses that seek to attract and serve similar customers, whether through proximity or collaboration.
Newmarket Mills, which houses Chinburg's yoga studio and whose space she markets, is developing into such a place.
[h=2]At a glance[/h] Newmarket Mills Yoga
Owner: Jennifer Chinburg
Address: 55 Main St., Suite 414, Newmarket
Phone: 603-661-6114
Web: www.millyoga.com
Peg Gaillard Massage Therapy
Phone: 603-498-8658
Email: pegsmassage@gmail.com
Web: www.millyoga.com/pages/massage

"Early on, we noticed the mill was attracting health-oriented companies and residents," said Chinburg, marketing director Great Mills Management/Chinburg Properties.
This customer base, according to Chinburg, include runners, cyclists, and yogis, which she describes as "people striving to feel their best through chiropractic care, meditation, and by eating farm-to-table and organic foods."
Though attracting more customers is the goal, pods also give businesses — both Mill tenants and ones considering retail space — convenient and cost-effective ways to expand and test market services.
"I knew about the work Jen was doing in Newmarket; she knew I was doing massage therapy," said Peg Gaillard, whose Exeter home serves as her primary business space. "We thought it would be nice to test the waters to see if adding massage therapy made sense."
So in January, Gaillard began offering massage (by appointment only) in Chinburg's Newmarket Mills Yoga space on Thursday and Friday afternoons when the studio doesn't schedule classes.
"The space is not only beautiful, but conducive to both massage and yoga," said Gaillard. "People who do yoga are often interested in other body work, so there's been some nice synergy there."
The arrangement enables Gaillard to test demand for her services in an ideal space — one with wood floors, exposed brick, and natural light — while maintaining her home operation.
Offering massage also gives Chinburg and her clients another potential source of mill traffic.
"It provides those who live in, work at, or visit the Mill one more easily accessible way to feel great," said Chinburg.
Gaillard sets up her massage table in one corner of the space and uses screens to give customers privacy. Rates are $75 for an hour-long massage; $90 for 75 minutes, and $100 for 90 minutes.
The response thus far has been positive, according to Gaillard.
"I've had calls from both yoga teachers and students who see my stuff when they come to the studio," said Gaillard. "I've heard from others who've seen my posters in the Mill complex."
Regardless of how successful studio sharing becomes, Gaillard wants her home space to remain her primary business.
The Mill experience, however, is helping Gaillard — whose background is in marketing — explore options for developing her business.
Her big picture may include teaming therapists with different expertise (e.g. Thai body work, sports massage, or cranial sacral therapy) offering massage in Newmarket on a regular basis.
"If it turns out there's enough interest, not just in the Mills, but in Newmarket, it would be great to have a dedicated space," Gaillard said.




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