Canmore-Born Entrepreneur Opens Pilates Studio On Main Street

A Canmore-born entrepreneur is bringing a Banff wellness concept home, betting growing demand for recovery, mobility and community-focused fitness will support a new reformer Pilates studio in her hometown.

Studio 103 Canmore is set to open June 15 on Main Street, marking the first expansion of the Banff-based Pilates brand. The independently owned studio features 10 reformers and will offer beginner-friendly classes aimed at supporting the active lifestyles of Bow Valley residents.

Owner Shawna Clark said Pilates complements many of the mountain sports that draw people to the region by helping with recovery, mobility and injury prevention.

"It supports recovery, mobility, injury prevention and longevity," she said. "It's just so complementary to the active lifestyles that we have here in the Bow Valley."

Born and raised in Canmore, Clark said she struggled for years to find a sense of community as an adult while balancing work and family responsibilities.

"Finding a community where I felt connected was challenging," she said.

That changed when she began attending classes at Studio 103's Banff location, an experience that ultimately inspired her to open a studio of her own.

"More than a place to just work out, it was a place that I started to feel supported and challenged," Clark said. "Every time I was driving back to Canmore, I was thinking about how there were probably more people looking for that same place."

Before opening the studio, Clark spent 16 years as a hairstylist. While she enjoyed helping clients feel confident, she said Pilates helped alleviate some of the physical strain of the profession and ultimately inspired a new career path.

"Pilates had given me another way to do what I've always loved doing, which was to help people feel good," she said.

Clark retains full ownership of the Canmore studio while working in partnership with Banff’s Studio 103 founders Alexis and Danni.

Opening the studio has required balancing construction, staffing, marketing, memberships and day-to-day operations while raising her two sons, Quincy, 9, and Otis, 5, with the support of her husband, Willie.

"The biggest challenge is just wearing all the hats," Clark said. "One moment I'm coordinating construction, the next moment I'm making lunches, the next moment I'm working on marketing."

Despite the demands, Clark said building the business has been rewarding.

"It's definitely been a lot of hard work, but it's also been rewarding to watch the vision come together," she said.

Clark added she hopes seeing her launch the business will encourage her sons to pursue difficult goals of their own.

The Canmore studio features 10 reformers, compared with seven at the Banff location, creating additional capacity for larger classes, group bookings and corporate sessions. Classes are 50 minutes long and designed to accommodate participants with varying experience levels.

"We know that most people coming in are going to be new," Clark said. "I want to make sure that people come into my studio and know that all classes are beginner-friendly."

Looking ahead, Clark hopes to collaborate with other local businesses and wellness professionals as the studio grows.

"My biggest goal is to build a strong community around the studio and create a place that people genuinely look forward to going to," she said.

Ultimately, Clark said success will be measured less by membership numbers than by the impact the studio has on its clients.

"My success is going to be measured by the impact that we have on the people that walk through the door," she said. "I want people to leave feeling stronger, confident, connected and a little bit better than before they arrived."