Monarch Conservatory transforms abandoned Blue Springs car wash into dance studio

Like many entrepreneurs, Chloe Nitcher and Jennifer Bopp’s business was born in a basement.

But unlike other startups — whose office needs may entail a few desks — Nitcher and Bopp’s dance business required mirrors, sprung flooring, and ample space for their students to run, jump, tumble, or glissade.

With the help of two AltCap loans over five years, the dancing duet expanded the Monarch Conservatory dance studio from their basement to a 3,000-square-foot space in 2019 and again recently into a 7,000-square-foot studio space in Blue Springs, Missouri.

In late 2022, the pair of entrepreneurs leased an abandoned car wash as their new dance studio, reviving the empty space with energy, creativity, and community.

AltCap’s most recent funding, an ARTcap loan, helped the Monarch Conservatory transform the space, which sat vacant for more than five years.

Bopp, Nitcher, and their students’ families helped revamp the dark, musty car wash into a dancer’s haven complete with dozens of mirrors, ballet bars, padded flooring, a gathering and retail space, and artistic touches. The former car wash’s large garage doors also offer the dancers flexibility and a breeze on cool days. It also features a convenient, elevated ledge on which the Conservatory can showcase its many trophies from dance competitions across the U.S.

The space can now accommodate the Conservatory’s more than 150 students whose ages range from two-year-old toddlers to adults. A larger space has also allowed the Conservatory, which now has nine instructors, to expand its dance offerings and better host its community of families.

Nitcher noted that she was thankful for her team and the many families that have pitched in to make the Conservatory a special place to learn, play and connect.

“This loan was to create the space that we wanted as opposed to doing what we could do at the time and then building it out later,” Nitcher said. “It helped us create our dream space. As much as it is a work in progress and always will be, it is still a dream come true. It's wild. I can't even believe that we are here.”