Atlanta’s first Black-owned Pilates studio celebrates grand opening of second location

If you’re entrenched in the Atlanta Pilates world, you’ve likely heard of or taken a class with Dr. Tanya Stephenson. A licensed chiropractor, Stephenson is the founder of Stretch ATL, the first Black-owned Pilates studio, which opened in 2013 at 2033 Metropolitan Pkwy.For over a decade, she’s been building community and helping people align their mind and body, from watching miraculous transformations of people who had been in accidents regaining the ability to walk to offering pop-up classes around metro Atlanta.Now, she’s celebrating the grand opening of her second location in Buckhead at 2293 Peachtree Rd. (3rd floor). The Atlanta Voice talked with Stephenson about the growth of Stretch ATL and the rise in popularity of Pilates within the Black community.The Atlanta Voice: You opened the first Black-owned Pilates studio, Stretch ATL, in 2013. How did it feel for you to be able to do that for the community?Dr. Tanya Stephenson: “It was the driving force for me. It was not present in the community, and I felt the need to be that pioneer for it. And so while doing that, it had its plus and minuses. The plus was that I was able to bring it to the community....