A local small-business startup recently reeled me in using email and social media. The operators of Yoga Hangout, a 3,000-square-foot studio in northern Phoenix, did it so well that I want to share the story.

Using modern technology, they tapped into an existing community with a need – in the process turning a lemon into lemonade.

A Community Adrift

It’s all too common, especially during an economic downturn. You purchase a magazine subscription, gym membership or extended warranty only to see the vendor go out of business within weeks.

In my case, it was yoga. Ironic, isn’t it, that I’d end up stressing about something that is supposed bring me inner peace.

I had noticed Blissful Yoga while biking. It looked like a nice place, and its location was convenient. When I spotted a Groupon offer for five classes, I jumped on the opportunity to try the place out. I liked the instructors and the pace of the classes, so I purchased a pass for 10 visits. And before I could use it even once, the place went out of business.

In my case, it was a local small business. But size doesn’t matter. The recent downturn saw some of the largest national chains abandon whole regions. Been to a Borders or CompUSA recently?

Making Folks Whole

At first, there were indications that the owners of Blissful were trying to work something out for their members. They encouraged use of their other locations, but those soon closed as well. They even offered outdoor classes in a park down the street from my neighborhood location. A local gym announced its intention to offer yoga and said it would welcome Blissful members.

“Blissful was a victim of the economic situation. It had to close its doors,” its former operator, Rosa Rendon, tells me. “But even before closing, I really wanted to make sure we honored those classes that were left by a few of the students. I really wanted to find a way to be fair and go out of my way to do that.”

Alas, nothing seemed to stick, and the buzz faded to silence.

Then, in mid-May, an email landed in my Inbox:

“Hello there Blissful Yoga Community!

“My name is Brad Lehan, I am a former Blissful Yoga member and just like you, I miss my classes and the community. This is why after the sad closing of Blissful I decided to approach Rosa to ask her if she’d be willing to help me create a new space to shelter the Blissful Yoga community and provide a welcome mat for others to join in.

“After giving it some thought, Rosa’s sole request … was to honor all Blissful class packages that remain active.

“I am reaching out to you, the Blissful Yoga Community, to let you know that within the  next few weeks, the Yoga Hangout will open its doors close to the former Blissful Yoga North Phoenix. Rosa and I are very happy about it and are eager to share this new amazing space with you.

“I knew Rosa at blissful as my teacher and today I know her as a friend and student of life and I am honored to be working with her to bring the Yoga Hangout to life.

“I’ll see you soon at the Yoga Hangout, where you’ll reconnect with the community that we all love and miss.”

What followed were six emails over six weeks that built excitement for Yoga Hangout’s late-June opening.

“We built this beautiful place,” Rosa says. “And the first thing we did was make sure that everybody knew through our emails and websites that it’s a place where people can re-gather, re-connect and find another place to practice — and to get together in a place where they feel safe and they’re doing something good for themselves.”

Cross-Platform Appeal

In keeping with the spirit of community, much of the social media action is on Yoga Hangout’s Facebook page.

“Facebook is always reminding people of the daily schedule,” Rosa says. “We really try to make it a daily part of people’s lives.” The key, she says, is that it’s not static: “It keeps moving with people’s lives.” Most of the studio’s tweets drive traffic to the Facebook page.

The Yoga Hangout website is almost the opposite. It comprises the studio’s logo and seven buttons: Schedule, Pricing, Events, Facebook, Blog, Pinterest, “FUNdamentals” and Contact.

“We researched how the different yoga studios in the Valley were presenting their websites,” Rosa says, “and they all seemed very complicated … there was a lot of information there. So we went in the opposite direction. We wanted to make it very simple, very clear and more like a portal to who we are and our personality.

“Facebook, tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter – they have daily updates,” she continues. “Also, we’re making sure these updates are customized to our own needs.”

Smartphone App

For my money, the studio’s best move was to commission its own smartphone app – the best of its kind that I’ve seen. I can call up the class schedule and click on session to see who will be leading it and what it will include. A button enables me to sign up and prompts an offer to update my calendar. If I’m already signed up, the same button lets me cancel the reservation.

In the My Account menu, there are buttons that show upcoming classes for which I’ve signed up, recent classes I attended and my membership status. I also can buy or renew a membership via the app. The Info menu offers links to call the studio or directions to get there.

Yoga Hangout even imported Blissful’s membership database, so my 10-class pass was there when I opened the app the first time.

“It’s just so convenient for people to have an app on their phones,” Rosa says. “We’re also very keen on not printing schedules. We want to keep this place very green, so we’re trying to stay away from paper.”

The emphasis on sustainability extends to the studio itself. Most of the decor came from reused material, items left behind by the previous tenant or obtained through craigslist or Goodwill.

“We’re not trying to overwhelm you with what we have, but what we offer,” Rosa says. “I think that service is No. 1. People need to feel like they step into a home – a place where they are welcome and where people are friendly to them and know their names.”

While Yoga Hangout seeks to preserve the Blissful Yoga community, it’s not the same. The new studio has two practice rooms – one for traditional, floor-bound yoga and another with a special wall for hanging yoga. The business derives its name from the latter.

Located at 39th Avenue and Pinnacle Peak Road, Yoga Hangout is not as convenient for me as Blissful, which was at 59th Avenue and Utopia. But it’s not that far, either, and my trips to and fro offer the relaxing, scenic views from 59th Avenue as it winds through the mountains between Deer Valley and Pinnacle Peak roads.

Still, I wouldn’t be making the trip were it not for the offer to honor the pass I purchased from Blissful. By honoring that commitment, Yoga Hangout created an ongoing client. When I use up my existing 10-class pass, I expect to buy another. The price is $89, less than I paid at Blissful!

(Monthly passes are $69; single classes are $12. New members can get their first month for $49.)

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Tags: Blissful Yoga, Brad Lehan, craigslist, Facebook, Goodwill, hanging yoga, Instagram, Phoenix, Pinterest, Rosa Rendon, smartphone app, tumblr, Twitter, Yoga Hangout