01/27/2018
Dear Friends,
Half a decade ago, in a flash of madness, we started a business that had no business surviving - a yoga studio located above a seafood distributor that was next to a hotel that we had no idea was a vice den until it was busted on TV.
Our fledgling company, Yumcha Studios (which manages our kids' graphic novel series Dim Sum Warriors), had just been turfed out of our previous office on Flushing's busy Main Street.
And so, as part of our search for new premises, we checked out a former karaoke lounge above a seafood distributor which had been allegedly raided for providing extra services that were unrelated to singing. The space was far too large for our little publishing company, but the landlord, an elderly Italian gent, somehow seemed keen on us. He asked us to make an offer, and we tossed him a figure we were confident would be rejected out-of-hand. "If he says yes," said Yen, "then it's a sign." And so we wound up with a sign.
In hindsight, we should have sublet the extra space, but Yen said she was sick of having to drive to the next town for yoga, and thus, without any experience in either running a yoga studio or any kind of retail business whatsoever, we started Yumcha Yoga.
By any measure, Yumcha Yoga shouldn't have lasted this long. Colin certainly never expected it to (his big fear was always that the smell of fish from below would seep into our studio), but folks who know us know that while we often do things on impulse, we also always, always complete what we start, and always, always work hard to do things well.
And so, despite the odds, Yumcha attracted a community of yogis who were so dedicated to the practice that they were willing to endure the sketchy environs and our steep staircase. I can only chalk it up to Yen's commitment to persuading the best teachers from all over New York City to come all the way out to the little studio at the last stop on the 7 train.
We were never as profitable as we should have been, but we always, always paid our teachers on time and never compromised on the quality of our students' experience, and every time we considered throwing in the (grapefruit-scented hot) towel, we were just so moved by the love shown by our yogis, that we somehow found a way to keep soldiering on.
But finally, our lease has run out, and with Flushing's gentrification reaching even our mean street (a posh hotel is now rising just across from us), there's no way we can negotiate a rent that makes commercial sense for us.
But it's not just the neighborhood that's changing - the work that we do is also moving into a new phase. A musical adaptation of our graphic novel, Dim Sum Warriors, recently premiered in Shanghai under the banner of the biggest name in the Chinese theater world, and we are now developing a slew of new projects, from new books to a possible return to feature film-making. We hope you will be happy for us.
Thank you to the hundreds of yogis who have passed through our doors this past half-decade, and to all our wonderful, generous, inspirational teachers, especially Masako and Ying who shepherded the studio through its final months. We all made something special together, and we wish everyone the very, very best in your journeys. Yumcha Yoga was never a simple commercial endeavor - we never made enough money, but we sure made a lot of really good friends.
Thank you to our friend and fellow yogi, Giulia for providing a new space, Studio Sweat, for some of those who can travel to College Point. We know it is not easy to provide high quality teaching at a reasonable rate for the community. We hope you will support Studio Sweat and Giulia as you have supported us. Our very beloved teacher, Ying will also be teaching at Studio Sweat on Fridays.
Please join us on Sat 1/27 for our final classes: 10am with Lily and 2pm-4pm with Masako and then our potluck farewell party from 4pm to 6pm.
Special thanks to:
Our Teachers: KZ, Akiko, Brandon, Candice, Giulia, Jennifer, Karin, Kasha, Laura, Leigh, Lily, Masako, Robin, Sho, Summer, Liu Suo, Victor, Wesley, Ying, Deborah, Heesun, Jane, Jasmine, Juliana, Mariel, Melanie, Michele, Michelle, Oxana, Pepper, Susie, Tao, and Jane.
Our Staff: Anthony, Carmen, Ester, Henna, Paul, Alice, Christina, Jenna, Leanne, Suzie.
With extra big hugs to Zhen Zhen who is always working in the background, maintaining the studio, and responding to emergencies at the studio. And Edmond Wong (if you need a lawyer, he’s the one to go to), who started the studio with us.
Special Friends:
Ellen Kodadek, Sami Abu Shumays, and the wonderful folks at Flushing Town Hall. We will miss working with you on Yoga in the Garden. Theresa Wong, who ran a wonderful series of tea workshops at the studio when we first started. John Choe, who, with the Flushing Chamber of Commerce has been a big supporter of Yumcha. Taehoon Kim, Regen Acupuncture, who often sends his clients to practice with us. Shigemi Iyota, who has photographed Yumcha Yoga and Yoga in the Garden beautifully for the past years.
And of course, our Students. May your light shine bright and steady the rest of your lives.
With gratitude,
Yen Yen & Colin
