By: Daniella Doria
Parenting in New York City can be challenging at times, but one new business is hoping to make it a bit easier!
Goldfish Swim School, a nationally renowned swim lesson leader is set to open on the Upper East Side next year.
According to an exclusive report by The New York Post, Goldfish Swim School is going to be located at 1534 Second Avenue at the corner of 80th Street. This was the former home of Lester’s, a beloved children’s apparel boutique.
The 10,000-square-foot one-story building is getting a “ginormous” pool — one that’s 70 by 22 feet — that will be visible from the street, The New York Post has exclusively reported. The water will be heated to a steamy 90 degrees and the air to 92 degrees to keep its little minnows “shiver-free.” With a depth of only 4½ feet, the pool is also designed for teaching — not for laps or diving, Katie Lee, co-owner of the franchise told The New York Post.
The Goldfish brand was founded in Michigan by Jenny McCuiston, a former swim instructor who began researching the industry in 2004. Two years later, she and her husband Chris founded Goldfish Swim School.
Each week, more than 185,000 swimmers take lessons in the nearly 140 open Goldfish Swim Schools with another 153 in development by franchisors in more than 33 states and Canada.
Lee, McCuiston’s swim teammate, began as an instructor and — in 2009 — dove in with her friends and co-owners, Hope and Brian Bayer, to open their first Goldfish franchise.
The New York Post reports that, as BHB Operations, the trio now owns 20 locations around the country — along with the upcoming Lester’s space, and three under construction in Queens.
BHB began locally with spaces in Garden City and later Farmingdale, both on Long Island. COVID put them “in a pickle,” Lee said to The New York Post, so now schools in Astoria, Flushing and Glen Oaks are all putting on the finishing touches and should be open in early 2023.
The Lester’s renovations will kick off in mid-January with a splashy opening later in 2023, said Val Paese, president of the New York region. “The corner is iconic and to be able to go into a space like that is unbelievable,” said Paese, the former CEO of the New York Health & Racquet Club.
Lois Weiss, of The New York Post, writes about all the exciting plans for the innovative space. The “belly” of the Gunite pool will sit in the basement along with the filters and mechanicals. “We are not renting out pools, we put in the correct dehumidification system and keep the air warmer than the pool so the kids don’t shiver when they come out,” Paese said. “No one does it to that extent. This is a true swimming school.”
Parents can watch their little guppies from the “dry side” of the facility behind a massive glass wall. When the lesson is over, they can chat with the instructor on the “wet side” and escort their kids, first to the showers and then to a unique private changing area.
“It’s not designed to feel like a locker room but it’s as if you are on a vacation and going into a Tiki hut,” Lee said.