North Coventry >> Coventry Mall is getting some new tenants.
Four new vendors are joining the mall’s roster over the next couple of months, according to Steve Batten, mall manager and marketing director for Coventry Mall, which is now owned by Pennmark Management Co. of Plymouth Meeting.
The new tenants are Body Go Fitness; Captured in Coventry – the Escape Game; and two new food court vendors – Salad Society and Society of Burgers.
Body Go Fitness of North Coventry will open its Zumba studio on Sunday – kicking things off with a grand opening Zumba party. Body Go Fitness has hosted free weekly Zumba classes at the mall since April.
Rachel Newby is the owner of Body Go Fitness, which has a location at 1033 S. Hanover St. Newby said her studio just isn’t big enough now to accommodate the growing popularity of Zumba.
“Since we moved into the new location, small group classes have skyrocketed, especially the Zumba. Our studio space got too small faster than we thought,” she said. “The space in the mall is twice the size.”
Newby said the free Zumba classes at the mall have been very successful, averaging about 50 participants per week. When she realized she needed additional space, reaching out to the mall was a natural extension.
“They have space and we have people,” Newby added.
Up until now, Body Go Fitness has had one main Zumba instructor – Desiree Heath – who teaches at both the Body Go Fitness studio and the weekly free classes.
Newby said with the additional space, three new instructors will be added. One of the instructors will also offer Salsa. Newby said she is also working on getting a Silver Sneakers instructor.
Classes will be offered at the mall location on weeknights and Saturday. Body Go Fitness charges a fee per class, and does not charge a membership fee. Newby added that the free Tuesday night classes will continue.
Sunday’s Zumba party runs from 1 to 3 p.m. and is free to anyone who would like to come.
“We have six instructors booked for the event – it’s going to be bananas – I’m so excited,” Newby said.
A second new tenant is Captured in Coventry – The Escape Game, owned by Tina and Nathan Thomas of West Pottsgrove. They plan to open their new entertainment venue in September.
Tina Thomas said the couple has participated in escape games before, and thought they were fun.
“We started taking to groups of friends around here. We’ve been wanting to do this,” she said.
Thomas said they started designing puzzles for fun at home, waiting for the opportunity to open their own location.
“We thought now is the time to get in before it becomes too big,” she added.
So what is an escape game? “The players go in (to a room), and are essentially locked in. Once inside, they have to use clues and logic to solve a series of puzzles. If you make it out within the hour, the door unlocks,” Thomas said, adding that the game is all about strategy.
“There are a lot of locks and a lot of hidden objects. One thing leads to another and another,” she said. “It’s good for teambuilding because you have to communicate with each other.”
Captured in Coventry – The Escape Game will initially open with one scenario, “The Virus,” which takes place in a medical lab, according to Thomas. She said the team will be told it has been exposed to a virus, and will have one hour to find the cure. A second scenario will follow, called “Pirates: Captured.” Thomas said the team starts out locked in the brig of a pirate ship, and will have one hour to escape.
The room can accommodate 2 to 8 players ages 12 and up. Games will be booked online, but Thomas added that walk-ins will be allowed if timeslots are available.
Two new food court options will be opening in the fall: Salad Society and Society of Burgers. They will be taking adjoining spaces in the food court.
Salad Society specializes in upscale and signature salads, homemade soups, paninis and wraps, according to owner Charlie Vicario. Society of Burgers features all-Angus beef burgers that are cooked to order.
“We also have house-made turkey burgers and veggie burgers, along with chicken breast sandwiches. For sides we offer fries, our haystack onion rings and we offer homemade turkey chili,” Vicario said.
Vicario has begun moving some equipment in to the location, and said he is hoping to open Society of Burgers first, in early October, followed by Salad Society. Vicario has another location, in Washington Township, N.J.
“We opened the salad side about 51/2 years ago, and then expanded on the burger side about two years ago,” he said.
Vicario said what attracted him to open a location in Coventry Mall was the ownership – adding that Pennmark Management Co. is his landlord in New Jersey, as well.
Batten said that with the addition of Salad Society and Society of Burgers, there is just one remaining food court opening.
He added that talks continue with several other retailers about taking space in the mall, but it is too soon to talk about specifics.
“The Pennmark process is understanding people’s business models and trying to make it work with our business model so it’s a win-win,” he said. “That’s why it’s exciting. We get interest and buzz because of the way we do business.”
Coventry Mall was sold to Pennmark Management Co. in April.
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