HAYDEN — In 2019, Jenny Wiglesworth’s Barre studio, BarreU, was booming.

Her flagship studio in Coeur d’Alene was doing so well that she had begun to franchise, starting with a second studio in Hayden.

“We were getting national interest,” she said. 

And then COVID happened.

Though mandatory business closures attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic ended up being shorter in Idaho than other states, Wiglesworth made the “very difficult” decision to close BarreU.

“There were so many unknowns at the time,” she recalled.

For Wiglesworth, the grief that came after closing her studios wasn’t from the loss of anything material.

Rather, she was grieving for the community that had formed at BarreU, which had been in business in Coeur d’Alene since 2015.  

“The goal was always to create a space that people could thrive,” Wiglesworth said.

The years post-BarreU were a new chapter for Wiglesworth: She had time to focus on her role as a mom. Even so, interest in the possibility of BarreU's return never faded. Former clients continued to inquire about her return to Barre instructing.

“I just kept saying no,” she said. “In my mind, it was never going to happen.”  

But five years after Wiglesworth said goodbye to BarreU, she’s opening the doors to her new studio in Hayden, called Barre Length + Strength.  

While BarreU was pulled together on a “shoestring” budget, Wiglesworth was able to invest more into the new space to perfect its aesthetic and hired an artist to paint a mural inside the studio.  

“I kind of got to have my dream studio,” she said. 

Barre Length + Strength will offer classes seven days a week.

“It’s kind of a surreal moment for me,” Wiglesworth added.  

Today’s grand opening celebration at 9040 Hess St. is from noon to 4 p.m.

“I wanted a space for women to feel safe and heard,” Wiglesworth said. “I think we did just that.”