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36 Monkspath Business Park,
Solihull,
B90 4NZ

Click here for map

Opening Times:

Monday
06:00 - 22:00

Tuesday
06:00 - 22:00

Wednesday
06:00 - 22:00

Thursday
06:00 - 22:00

Friday
06:00 - 22:00

Saturday
07:30 - 20:00

Sunday
07:30 - 18:00

Please see Timetable for bank holiday opening times

Email:

info@bardello.co.uk

HUGE,

FREE OF CHARGE,

ON-SITE,

SECURE & SAFE,

CAR PARKING

Bardello School of Dance



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The team, summer 2013. From left to right; Emily Strutt, Jemma Williams, Venda Crawford, Helen Frost, Emma Wilson, Laura Simons (Kat Berns is missing - you will be relieved to know that she's since been found.)

During the spring of 2013 we locked ourselves away in a darkened room and reflected on the future direction of BARDELLO and our reliance upon Zumba. We felt that we needed more strings to our bow. So, we contacted Les Mills the creators and owners of, amongst others, the Body Pump, Body Combat and Body Jam brands. We had heard that they had created a rival product to Zumba and to some extent a rival to our own JAZZLE brand, they call it SH'BAM and we were eager to try it out on our members.

So, in early July, Philip Harrison (trainer of trainers at Les Mills) lead a taster session. The reception was, to be kind, mixed. There was no real differentiation between Zumba and especially JAZZLE and some of the choreography, which is fixed by Les Mills, left some members feeling a little self-conscious. Coupled with that fact the few had heard of SH'BAM made the decision for us. We then tried a Body Combat taster session later that month. The feedback was great, much better! So, almost immediately, a decision was made to introduce Body Combat into the BARDELLO timetable from October 2013.



From left to right; Emily Strutt, Helen Frost, Jemma Williams, Emma Wilson, Laura Simons, Venda Crawford with Phil Harrison wondering what he's let himself in for!
Another outcome of our earlier 'thinktank' was the realization that we needed to do more than just adding Body Combat. We really needed no excuse for members to move to other health clubs and gyms. We were losing members as they got fitter with us and wanted to broaden their exercise base. We also lost members who liked the idea of relaxing in a spa or in a sauna after their workout.

We seriously considered adding a mezzanine floor to our current venue upon which we would site the gym. The complexities and expense of constructing a mezzanine floor that would not sway and the fact that we would still not be able to fit in a spa and sauna as well as showers etc meant that we had to look elsewhere. Not far as it happens, just next door, unit 36!



Unit 36 Monkspath Business Park - our new home from October 2013
Our landlords were more than happy to have us move, so we signed the paperwork in August 2013. Unit 36 provides us with 10,250 sq ft of usable space - 2,500 more than we have unit 37 - room for proper changing facilities, showers, spa, sauna, cardio and weights gym whilst keeping the JAZZLE and Zumba experiences exactly as they are at present. Perfect!



The 12,500 sq ft Unit 36 - it will be great!
The plan was for us to conduct the exercise classes temporarily in unit 35 (around the back of 36 and 37) for the first two weeks in October 2013 and during these two weeks there was a mad scramble to move everything from unit 37 to unit 36 ready for a Monday 14 October start (2013 - I'll just put the year in so that everyone is clear!)

Here was the state of play as of 15 September 2013:

• New lease for unit 36 signed and exchanged with a completion date of 24 September 2013
  
  
• All trades engaged ready for big move
  
  
• Alps K2 XLS spa ordered and deposit paid - delivery due 21 October 2013
  
  
• Zoki 2200C FIR sauna ordered and deposit paid - delivery due 16 October 2013
  
  
• Life Fitness gym equipment ordered - delivery in stages, CV equipment for 14 October 2013 with the rest being installed during November/December 2013 as they will block the roller shutter door
  
  
• Ecofont GRP ordered and paid for. This is the shiny white bacteria-resistant building material that will be used for the new 1,200 sq ft changing and spa facility
  
  

Unit 35 - played host to Bardello for an interesting 10 days in 2013.
The move from unit 37 to 36 was via a 10-day spell in unit 35. OMG! Let me paint a picture; floor was painted concrete – hard and slippery, the roof leaked in at least 20 places, the walls had sharp protuberances poking out that were the remains of aborted attempts by electricians at installing some equipment the reason for which are now consigned to the history books – and so should unit 35!



Absolute pandemonium in 37 as the great move out takes place.


This isn't a publicity photo, I certainly did my bit during the great move of 2013

A hard-earned lesson: If you contemplating starting your own business, prepare yourself for hard work. Unless you are very lucky and can afford to delegate from the outset, running your own business is hard both physically and mentally. You need to be a 'jack of all trades'. You need to be in rude health - if you make a habit of retreating to bed with coughs and sneezes, think about a different career path. Above all, you need to be determined and not listen to the naysayers, for they are Legion.

Whilst operating out of unit 35, the move from 37 to 36 was actually without drama and we opened bang on 14 October 2013, the target open date. The troubles started and ended with the spa.



Helen and Charlotte brave the weather during the great move to and from unit 35.




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