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CEDAR FALLS — The vision for the newly acquired former post-secondary school building at 7009 Nordic Drive is based on the arts, children, education, health, wellness and fitness.
Allison’s Dance Center will be at the center of the revitalization of the old Purdue University Global and Kaplan University building – a two-story, 32,000-square-foot space that’s been vacant for a few years – as it relocates there from a shopping plaza at 4807 University Ave, according to owner/founder Allison Meinert.
“This will hopefully be our forever home,” she said.
Allison Meinert, owner of Allison’s Dance Center, poses in front of the center’s new location on Nordic Drive.
She and unnamed investors, part of JCAM Properties LLC, acquired the property for $1.85 million in May and will be investing $500,000 in renovations. They’ve been knocking down walls of two or three classrooms at a time and converting them into studio spaces as well as making lots of other cosmetic and interior improvements.
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The Purdue University Global site closed in 2019, according to Courier archives. Meinert said the Compassus Hospice Program is the only business she’s aware of to have occupied the space since then.
The 2004 graduate of the old North Central High School in Manly anticipates opening Sept. 10 in time for fall classes, after having shifted her business around the different suites at the University Avenue location as it’s grown the last 15 years.
The center started up in a 700-square-foot suite in 2008 when Meinert was a one woman show and admits she “didn’t know what she was doing,” but has followed through on a belief of less talk and more action to bring her plans to life.
Right now, her current space – including three studios – occupies 8,500 square feet. The entrepreneur also has a 3,500-square-foot satellite location in Denver, as well.
Allison Meinert, owner of Allison’s Dance Center, poses in front of the center’s new location on Nordic Drive.
“We’d been expanding, expanding and expanding to the point where we have no more opportunities to expand and need a bigger space,” she said. “We’re also looking to be surrounded by other businesses aligned with what we want to do and we’ve never had this visibility like we will now.”
Her business will take over 25,000 square feet of the 32,000 square feet available, including the whole upper floor and more than half of the ground floor, and have much more available parking than is available at current location.
In turn, it will double her center’s number of available studios to six – two each for high school/middle school ages, lower elementary school ages, and kindergarten and preschool ages – all of which will be on the second floor.
The first floor will include a comfortable waiting room, as well as offices, student lounge and study spaces, and a boutique.
“I’m doing what I did when I was 22. I jumped right in and figured it out,” Meinert said.
In fact, she was still at the University of Northern Iowa, where her music and education degrees were complete in 2009, when she started her business, and now will be utilizing her own education even more.
“I’ll be leaning on my degrees in hopes of servicing the whole child and bringing more art opportunities to the Cedar Valley,” Meinert said.
She plans to offer new supplemental programming in fine arts, piano and vocal training. It will have waiting room and work space areas, as well.
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Additionally, she’s looking for tenants with like-minded visions to rent out the rest of the space.
Meinert’s already found one: Krickyfit, described online as offering coaching, motivation, accountability, personal training and nutrition services to sublease another 1,500 square feet. Another approximately 4,500 square feet is available for two to three other occupants – one of which she envisions being martial arts.
Meinert is now excited about making use of an unused building. However, she had thought about constructing a whole new building on the seven-acre lot and had plans drawn up for the four acres vacant to the south. But she never pulled the trigger as projected costs came in higher than she wanted to pay.
The old school site is located on the edge of the Cedar Falls industrial park, across the road from UnityPoint Allen Occupational Health and in between the Hilton Garden Inn and Performance Bodies and Parts.
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