Challenge accepted.
When April Kroenke accepted the “Welcome Back” business award from the Kansas Commerce Department on Oct. 20, she considered the words of Iola native, Lt. Gov. David Toland. He challenged winners to look for more ways to help their communities.
Kroenke did what she always does in those types of situations. She prayed.
She recently moved her photography studio to a new location at 101 E. Madison Ave., but still had a lease on the building at 23 E. Madison. What could she do with it?
She wanted to fill a need in the community.
She wanted to help women, and women entrepreneurs in particular.
And she also wanted something that would honor her relationship with Christ, while not being a religion-based business.
The result is The Wellness Studio, “A place for your collective healing.” It’s a place where people can come to improve mental, physical and spiritual health.
She hopes to be open by Dec. 1.
The Wellness Studio will offer massage therapy services and yoga classes, with plans to expand the variety of physical health classes. She also hopes to offer chiropractic services and a Christian counselor for talk therapy. A variety of all-natural, American-made boutique products such as lotions and essential oils also will be available for sale.
KROENKE appreciates the challenges faced by modern women, especially those who want to become entrepreneurs.
She wanted her business to lift other women.
“Maybe we have the knowledge and the drive, but we just don’t know where to start,” she said. “Sometimes, you just need one person to support you and encourage you.”
Women are constantly reinventing themselves, Kroenke said.
For example, those who get married and become parents must learn what those new roles mean.
