Fit to Print Volume 22, Issue 4 : December 2013 | Page 20
continued from page 17
Cathy multi-tasking at the front desk, circa 1992
changing room was converted into a
nursery. Then came Dance France. This
clothing line changed everything and we
became the coolest place!
Cor: Remember the show we did at the
mall? We were dressed in shiny Dance
France bodysuits. I still have the satin
jacket with the red Fitness Incentive logo
embroidered on the back. Red tights,
black Dance France G strings...
Cathy: Dance France was the beginning of
the boutique.
Cor: Carushka! And then streetwear, and
then eveningwear...
Jourdie: The boutique has been in the
gym ever since I can remember.
Cathy: Though early on, there was no
official dedicated space.
Ken: I remember putting up a slat wall
behind the desk in the very very
beginning, where merchandise could be
displayed and hung. And my dad and I
installed huge movable wall units that
were hinged, which you could unlock and
slide aside. These monsters must have
weighed about 400 pounds each. And who
could forget those flat and anorexic
mannequins in the windows.
Cathy: Cor's mind would simply not stop
going! She wanted to do so many things.
One day, she decided we're going to do
Step Aerobics. Except there were no
Steps at that time, so we used milk
crates. "Milk crates?" I thought. "OK!" So
Step Aerobics came to Fitness Incentive,
and for all I know Long Island and the rest
of the world, on milk crates! And guess
what? Milk crates are tall, and we weren't
and aren't. So we're climbing on top of
20
these boxes that are a third as tall as
we are, in Reeboks that go all the way
up above our ankles.
Cor: Along with big bulky socks and leg
warmers. Which is what I would see
when I went on scouting excursions
around Manhattan. I was looking for
anything having to do with fitness,
because there weren't really any gyms
on Long Island. And that's what I would
see: hightop Reeboks, bulky socks, leg
warmers, and leotards.
Cathy: And suddenly we all started
caring about what we were wearing. In
the beginning, nobody cared. It simply
was not about that, but it would
become about that. And the people
I laugh when somebody floats
the idea of having an 80's day.
I'm always, like, “I don't think
so! I fought all these years to
leave behind that hair and
those clothes, and I'm not
going back!”
coming to Fitness Incentive would do it
and wear it because we were doing it.
Trendsetters on milk crates! Then, of
course, the milk crates were out and
the actual Steps were in, and it became
hugely popular. It reached a point
where we would have to open the front
door and place a few of the people, on
their Steps, out on the sidewalk.
Jourdie: No!
Cathy: The 9:00 PM class on Monday
nights would have people lined up
outside the door all the way down to
the mailbox on the corner, waiting to
get in and Step. And there were only so
many, so if you can get in, and if there's
a step, just know that you may have to
do it out on the street!
Cor: There would be guys coming off
the train, they were like the Village
People in their hardhats and workboots.
And they'd wait in line to get in.
Ken: A roomful of women in leotards
may have had something to do with
their devotion.
Cor: The Choco sisters and the Village
Holidays 2013 FIT to Print
People construction workers. It became
chaotic and we weren't sure what to do.
Should we distribute tickets?
Cathy: So Cor decided that we would
have a book and we would accept Step
reservations, which we did for a long
time. You had to call in advance and
reserve your place. That's how popular it
was, because no one else was doing it and
everyone loved it, it was great and fun
and we were crazy on it. But it was not
in control...nothing was in control back
then!
Cor: What's weird is that when I took the
certification with Gin Miller, it was
boring! So slow and dull, and I thought
"I'm not doing this! No way! I'm going to
have to come up with something else."
Steve: So when was it that you started
selling clothing?
Ken: We were about a year in. And the
inspiration, not just for us for everyone,
was…what was her name? Nicole—
Cor: Nicolette Sheridan from the TV show
Knots Landing.
Cathy: That was Must-See-TV! We'd be,
like, “We cannot teach on Thursday
nights.”
Steve: And you said you did contests in
the malls...?
Cathy: Smithhaven was one...
Steve: Donna Brown was there, and
wasn't Katie Bachety?
Cor: No, that was at the Nassau Coliseum.
Debbie Anderson was involved...
Cathy: Shari Smith did our hair.
But it was right around this time, with the
members spilling into the street, that you
guys developed the Oakdale location.
That was an adventure. We went out
there and tried to make something good
happen. And it was good, and it was fun.
People loved it, but it just wasn't the
right area.
Cor: And Cathy decided at this point that
she no longer wanted straight hair, and
decided to get a perm.
Cathy: That's right. Cor came with me.
But the preparation got left on too long
and I ended up looking like a fried
poodle. Thank God \?H ?\?H ?X??[???\??[?[?H?\ ?] H [YK[??]?\?H^HH ??H?K?[? ??Y][Y\??[?[??\?HY ?[?K ? ?ZY? ?X]]Y?[?Z\??]] ?\?? ? [\??????] ?? ? HH]Y? ?[? ??YX?? B???] ? HYXH?]?[??[? ??^K?I?B?[ ?^\?Z?K8?'H?? [?? ??HH??Y? [?\?H YX\?? ?X]?H?Z[? ]Z\?[????H??\?[?I?H????[???X??x?'B??[??H[?][?Z[ ?Z?[K?^HYB???[ \?X?X[ H???H?[??I???]\??] ^H?\?X?[ H ??? ]?] Y??X?H[??Z[ ???H H???]H????\ ???[??[?????X?] H ]?Y[?????YH? H??? ?X?[???????] H ]Y? \?K\?H?X?] B????[?YY? Y?H ????