Women of Hoover: Shelly Smith - Pure Barre Riverchase

In 2012, Shelly Smith’s father, Mark Whitlock, passed away from cancer. It was the impetus she needed to make a change in her own life.

Using business skills she learned from her father — the previous owner of Mark’s Outdoors in Vestavia — Smith opened Pure Barre Riverchase to further expound on her deep passion for fitness and, in particular, Pure Barre classes she had been taking.

“The saying is true — ‘do what you love, love what you do,’” Smith said. “I did just that and reached out to the corporate office of Pure Barre. Then, I started working to make my dreams come true.”

Smith became the owner of her own Pure Barre location in fall 2013, and since then her studio has held over 6,800 classes to date.

“I took the lessons learned from my dad, who had a career in retail, customer service, and business ownership, and applied them to my very own business,” she said. “I take each person, each client’s situation, personal. The customer service level that I try to offer to everyone is something that, I think, cannot be found everywhere. We want to know every customer by name. We want to customize your workouts because we know what you like. We want to know your story, your goals, and to celebrate you at every milestone. And we do.”

Life is celebrated at PBR — birthdays, the first day back to Pure Barre after baby, bridal parties, Halloween costume parties, you name it.

“Life is short but oh so sweet, and I try to help everyone through our doors embrace the time here on earth that we have been given,” Smith said. “Just because we are a business built on fitness doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy the ride with a glass of wine and good friends at the barre.”

The friendships made at PBR are one of the highlights for Smith, as is watching her clients transform before her eyes. “I love that I have the ability to see lives change,” she said. “To see on the outward bodies changing for the better and these people are changing to love themselves after seeing what they can accomplish with their own efforts. It truly is the best business that I can imagine being a part of.”

Pure Barre workouts are known for their exhilarating technique — they lift, tone and burn, otherwise known as “LTB.”

“Pure Barre is the fastest, most effective, yet safest way to change your body,” Smith said. “In just 55 minutes you will achieve a full-body workout concentrating on the areas women struggle with the most — hips, thighs, seat, abdominals and arms. The Pure Barre technique is low-impact, protecting your joints by avoiding any bouncing or jumping. Each strength section of the workout is followed by a stretching section in order to create long, lean muscles without bulk.”

Smith strives to make her hour with her clients the best hour of their day. In addition to her staff, her husband, mother, brother and other family members help her with events at PBR and her son, Jackson, has been a part of PBR since day one.

“He is a year and a half and he loves to work out with mommy,” Smith said. “Life is a journey that is best enjoyed with your loved ones by your side. If my dad, Mark Whitlock, was still alive, I think he would agree.”