26 | MARCH 4 • 2021
BUSINESS
W
ith the COVID-19 pandemic
presenting a need for many
businesses to pivot their opera-
tions to survive, one industry rethinking its
services is the world of fitness.
For Jewish-owned boutique gym studio
Fuse45, which has physical locations in
Royal Oak and West Bloomfield, this meant
taking their services online. Now complete-
ly digital, the gym studio offers Fuse Live,
an online workout program available via a
mobile app.
Rather than holding classes onsite, own-
ers and mother-and-daughter duo Karen
Kelman and Samantha Kelman-Friedman
polled their clients to gauge how they felt
about safety in the pandemic. The results
spoke for themselves: There was an interest
in attending virtual classes and an opportu-
nity to make it happen.
Working with a software development
company, the Kelmans rolled out the Fuse
Live app last year, which includes their
trademarked workout in a version that can
be completed at home. This has allowed
Fuse45 to branch out from beyond the
Metro Detroit area, now seeing people
sign up for their classes from as far away as
Israel.
Their latest digital addition to their busi-
ness is Fuse Bride, a six-week program for
brides-to-be. Launched in early February,
the idea was born to help new brides feel
confident for their big day. The Kelman
mom and daughter have partnered with
New York-based wedding expert Sara
Greenberg of Forever Young Events to
develop a multi-faceted approach that
includes support, tracking and coaching,
and of course, Fuse45’s trademarked work-
outs.
WELLNESS STRATEGY
“She has the bridal expertise, and we have
the fitness expertise,
” Karen Kelman says of
the partnership with Greenberg. Together,
they collaborated for many months to final-
ize how the program would look. Brides
who sign up for Fuse Bride begin by receiv-
ing individual consultations with both the
Kelmans and Greenberg. They then work
together to develop a custom health and
wellness strategy for the bride to practice
during the six-week program.
The goal is for brides to feel confident
from the inside. “We don’t believe in fad
diets or anything like that,
” Karen Kelman,
57, explains. “We believe in making little
changes in your world that create much
larger changes, like drinking more water
and getting more sleep.
”
She calls it “strategies to live your life,
”
tools that brides can use both during and
after the program to lead healthy lifestyles.
Each week, brides check in with Fuse45
for accountability. They receive both a wed-
ding planning and health planning checklist
that they can use to meet their goals. For
an additional layer of accountability, Fuse
Bride also includes a complimentary plus-
one so brides can invite a guest to the pro-
gram for free. This can be the groom, the
bride’s mother or even the maid of honor.
In total, the six-week program costs $445.
For a time when wedding planning is
more challenging than ever, with many
brides having to reschedule or postpone
their weddings (and some multiple times),
the Kelmans hope their program can offer
encouragement for brides-to-be and make
the process a little less stressful.
“It’s aggravating, and it’s taking this very
special time in their lives and making it
challenging,
” Karen Kelman says of brides
planning a wedding during the pandemic,
“We’re trying to help them smooth that out
and create a different path that they can
hopefully do [with their plus-one].
”
While the program is brand new, Kelman
says it’s gaining traction and they’ve
received a lot of interest both in- and out-
of-state. “I think it’s a great transition into
our business,
” she explains. “We’re really
about starting from the inside-out and com-
munity. It’s about having camaraderie.
”
Now with Fuse Bride, Kelman believes
the business, which often partners with
different local Jewish organizations like
Friendship Circle, can reach a new group of
people who can then become a part of the
larger Fuse45 community.
“I think it’s going to be extremely power-
ful,
” she says. “This is something that’s miss-
ing in this industry. I’m excited to see how
this takes off.
”
Boutique gym studio goes online,
adds new program for brides-to-be.
Preparing for
the ‘Big Day’
ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Samantha Kelman-
Friedman at her
wedding with her
mother, Karen
Kelman.
COURTESY OF SAMANTHA KELMAN