The usual formula for a dance studio goes something like this: owner loves to dance as a child, becomes a professional dancer, begins to teach dance and, eventually, opens a studio. Shannon Crane, however, is an exception to this norm. “I had never actually pole-danced before but, from a business perspective, I thought a pole dancing studio was a great idea,” she says. “So, I took a class, and I was horrible at it! But I went with my gut because it seemed like the right thing to do.”
Shannon, with an extensive list of careers already under her belt and a keen interest in the then-burgeoning fitness craze of pole dancing, went into business in 2006, at the Queen Street location Brass Vixens still calls home today.
Shannon’s business instincts were right on the mark, but success did not come overnight. When the economic crisis of 2008 hit, her professional prowess was put to the test. “It was incredibly challenging to survive as a luxury business during the recession,” says Shannon. “Having a fitness business is already challenging because you have to convince people to work out – then I had to convince people to do pole dancing, which, at that time, was taboo, so that made it even harder.”
However, she not only kept her studio alive but also grew her business. As of 2016, Brass Vixens has four separate locations and has a thriving community of dancers obsessed with this specialized dance form.
