20 THE QUEENS COURIER • JUNE 7, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Queens’ fi rst Painting with a Twist location has grand opening on June 5
New fi tness center to open up in Bayside
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Bayside residents will soon have a new
place where they can achieve their fi tness
goals.
Orangetheory Fitness is preparing to
open up a new location at 41-19 Bell
Blvd. Th e site was previously home to
Lucille Roberts, an all-women’s gym
that closed in May 2016.
Th e fi tness center is projected to open
up in September or October of this year,
according to operations manager Garrett
Ball. Classes will be off ered from 5 a.m.
until 9 p.m. and led by skilled coaches.
Orangetheory Fitness is known for
off ering intensive 60-minute workout
sessions that combine cardiovascular
and strength training. Th e chain’s fi tness
technique, known as the “Orange Eff ect,”
incorporates endurance, strength and
power training on equipment including
treadmills, rowing machines and
free weights.
Prior to its opening, Orangetheory
will off er special membership rates.
Th ose interested in learning more can
call 347-382-9099 for more information.
In addition to the closing of Lucille
Roberts, Bayside residents found themselves
at another loss aft er the Bell Plaza
Sports Club, located at 45-58 Bell Blvd.,
shuttered its doors in June 2016. Th e
powerhouse provided three fl oors of fi tness
with more than 40 group activity
classes per week for three decades.
Orangetheory Fitness is also slated to
open up a location in Astoria at 31-57
31st St., according to its website.
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/@jenna_bagcal
Art and wine and beer enthusiasts can
now enjoy all three at the same time in
Queens.
June 5 marked the grand open of
Queens’ fi rst Painting with a Twist location,
where participants take part in an
artist-guided painting lesson while enjoying
glasses of wine and beer.
Felecia and Kumar Singh are the owners
of Painting with a Twist at 97-14
Metropolitan Ave. in Forest Hills. Th e
studio had its soft opening on May 24,
and Felicia Singh said the customer
response has been positive.
She praised the skill of the local artists
who lead the classes and said that they
have even made painting and art accessible
to people “who haven’t picked up a
paint brush since kindergarten.”
Th e Ozone Park resident said that all
customers who bought a spot for a class
during their soft opening were automatically
entered in a raffl e to win a free class
for themselves and one friend. Th e winner
for the raffl e will be announced on June 21.
Singh said she was inspired to open
her own Painting with a Twist location
aft er a date night with her husband at
the Staten Island studio. Th at night, the
store was having a “Paint with a Purpose”
event, where 50 percent of the proceeds
went to the Vera Bradley Foundation for
Breast Cancer. She became inspired by
the warmth and welcoming nature of the
owners at the Staten Island outpost, and
told her husband that she saw herself running
a business of her own.
Th e Painting with a Twist franchise
was founded by Louisiana residents Cathy
Deano and Renee Maloney following
Hurricane Katrina. According to the website,
the women wanted to do their part to
rebuild their community and “give people
a place to relax, unwind and get creative.”
Before deciding to open her location in
Forest Hills, Singh said that she and her
husband made a trip down to Louisiana to
meet with the founders, and was encouraged
by the women’s “open and loving”
attitude toward her.
Th e price of a class is $35 for two hours
and $45 for three hours, and the maximum
size of a single class is 38 people. Singh said
that they have a wide selection of alcohol
available, including Cabernet, Merlot,
Moscato, Pinots, sangria, Champagne and
domestic and imported beers. She added
that drinking alcohol brings a diff erent
element to the painting experience.
“It loosens inhibitions and people are
more willing to go with the fl ow,” she said.
For special occasions like birthdays,
Singh said they have been giving out a
drink on the house to the guest of honor.
On Father’s Day, she said they would be
serving special “manmosas” to the dads
taking part in a class. In addition to alcoholic
beverages, Singh said that they also
serve non-alcoholic beverages and various
things to munch on, including chips and a
fruit and cheese platter.
Singh said the atmosphere of her
Painting with a Twist store is “like a dinner
party, but more of a party.”
About halfway through a class, she said
that the class takes a collective “dry break”
during which everyone sets their painting
aside to dry. While they wait, Singh said
that people can socialize, and participate
in a dance session and raffl e.
Th e Painting with a Twist studio offi cially
opened on June 5. From 5 to 7 p.m. the
studio was open to the public, and a ribbon
cutting took place at 5:30. Following
the open session, an invite-only event
happened from 7 to 9 p.m., during which
participants were able to see how a real
class operates. For more information, visit
paintingwithatwist.com/studio/queensforest
hills/ or facebook.com/paintingwithatwist.
foresthillsny/.
Photo via Facebook/OrangeTheoryFitness
An Orangetheory Fitness class
Photo courtesy of Felecia Singh
June 5 was the grand opening of Painting with a Twist in Forest Hills.
Queens companies can enter this contest
to win money for their businesses
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com / @QNS
Queens businesses can apply to win
funding for their businesses in a competition
in Nashville.
WeWork, a coworking company committed
to helping people create their life’s
work, launched the Creators Awards to
acknowledge and empower those who
exemplify the WeWork mantra: “Create
Your Life’s Work.”
Applications for the businesses
on the Eastern region of the United
States, Ontario and Puerto Rico are now
being accepted for the Regional Semi-
Finals, which will be hosted in Nashville,
Tennessee, on Sept. 13.
Applicants can submit for an award in the
following categories:
Performing Arts Award, slated for entertainers
and groups with a unique point of
view. A total of $18,000 to $72,000 will be
awarded.
Community Giver Award, which is
reserved for those making a diff erence in
their local community. A total of $18,000 to
$72,000 will be awarded.
Nonprofi t Award, given to charitable
organizations big and small. A total of
$72,000 to $130,000 will be awarded.
Business Venture Award, for entrepreneurs
and companies with fresh ideas. A
total of $130,000 to $360,000 will be awarded.
Finalists from the region will present live
in front of a panel of judges at the Regional
Semi-Final event, which will take place
at Marathon Music Works in Nashville,
Tennessee. Th e winners of the Regional
Semi-Finals will be eligible to present at the
Global Finals for the chance to win additional
funds in January 2019.
Th e fi rst Creators Awards was held in
Washington, D.C., in March 2017. Since
then, WeWork has hosted more than 20,000
attendees across nine Regional Semi-Final
Creator Awards events around the world,
including New York City, San Francisco,
São Paulo, Mexico City, Seoul, London,
Berlin and Jerusalem.
Since its creation, WeWork has received
over 9,000 applications and given away
over $16 million.
Th e event will also off er master classes,
shop member products at the pop-up
market, networking opportunities and
live musical performances.
Any business is welcome to apply,
regardless of whether or not they are a
member of WeWork. Past Queens winners
include Saeed Jabbar, executive
director of Inclusion, Karim Abouelnaga,
CEO & founder of Practice Makes Perfect,
and Manal Kahi, co-founder and CEO of
Eat Offb eat.
Applications will be accepted until July
20. For a full list of rules and qualifi -
cations, visit we.co/creatorawards_nashville.
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