Couple brings new Pilates studio to Carbondale, seeks community
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Carbondale is home to a new Pilates studio, and co-owners Dale and Heidi Craig hope to bring a sense of community with it.
“When we were younger, everyone went to the bars. We went to Cooper Street, we went to all these places, but now there is really nowhere,” Heidi said. “Our goal is we want to build a whole community here. We don’t want it to just be a turn and burn, black and white, workout gym club.”
GSD XFormers Pilates Studio officially opened June 1, with the owners hosting a grand opening party this past Saturday, June 7. Located in a shopping center at 560 Highway 133, Suite 1 in Carbondale, the studio focuses on the pricey XFormers, a specialty machine that provides a full-body Pilates workout.
“When I came out to Aspen last October, I was obsessed with this workout,” she said. “It’s a full-body workout. It’s fast paced from one move to the next move, but it’s slow resistance training. So, you are doing really slow movements, and that’s the hardest part, is really isolating those muscles. But with doing that, you are really working that muscle very well.”
Heidi lived in Aspen for 15 years beginning in 1996. She married Dale about five years ago, and the pair have recently spent their time between the Central Coast of California and the Roaring Fork Valley, although they hope to again make Colorado their permanent home in the future.
For many years, she worked at Mezzaluna in Aspen, with the restaurant closing last fall. A handful of the Pilates instructors she hired at the new studio are former Mezzaluna employees.
The Craigs hope the studio is the first of many in the GSD chain. They chose Carbondale as the launching point over any upvalley communities based off affordability and prior connections to the Carbondale residents.
“Our next stop is probably going to be Santa Fe or maybe even Kansas City,” Heidi said of growing the brand. “We are trying to find some areas that have a fit for it.”
The Pilates studio is one of a few businesses the Craigs currently have, although they plan to sell the others to focus exclusively on the new venture. She also currently owns a salon, while Dale has long owned a business selling used appliances.
A former pro baseball player, Dale also got hooked on the XFormers workout. He’ll be one of the instructors in Carbondale, balancing out a staff that is mostly young and female.
“The only fountain of youth that I can find is working out. That’s what makes me feel good,” he said. “As a businessman, for 30 years, I’ve been turning a wrench, delivering appliances. I’m like, ‘I’m getting too old for this,’ and I saw an opportunity to bring something great to the community of Carbondale.”
As for the name, GSD stands for “Get Shit Done,” a popular phrase Heidi grew fond of.
“I’m a GSD girl. It’s just fun to say,” she said. “We are GSD people. You get your shit done, you do what you need to do, and you enjoy life.”
For more, visit gsdxformerspilates.com.
