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Sun, The (Lowell, MA)

August 29, 2006
Section: Business

Dancing Into Downtown
TOM SPOTH, Sun Staff

LOWELL -- Opening a dance-supply store was not part of Lili Kualapai's short-term plan. Kualapai, 25, and her husband, Hal Schneider, just got married in June 2005 and moved to Lowell in May of this year. They're still getting settled into their new home in the Acre.

Kualapai had a job as a financial assistant at Children's Hospital in Boston, and was teaching tap dancing by night at studios in Dracut and Winchester. She soon found herself frustrated by a lack of options for buying dance apparel in the Lowell area.

"There's not a lot of supplies in the area," she explained. "It's a lower-income demographic and a lot of (shops) in the area are more expensive. There was a common theme that something needed to be started, so I said, 'Hey, I'll do that!' ... and here we are."

Kualapai's store, Downtown Dancewear, opened last weekend at 122 Merrimack St.

It's not the first time she has moved to fill a need for the dancing community.

A dancer since the age of 6, Kualapai moved from Hawaii to the small town of Bennet, Neb., when she was 13. Dismayed at the lack of local options for dancers, Kualapai opened a studio in her parents' garage. The family laid down hardwood floors, ballet bars, and a mirror, and the Bennet Dance Center was born.

"I was a kid, so I charged like $10 or $15 a class," she said.

Kualapai ran the business until she turned 18 and went off to college.

Her new store is a more grown-up venture. Kualapai developed a business plan with the Lowell Small Business Assistance Center, and secured a $72,000 loan from the Lowell Development and Financial Corporation. Workers from the city's Department of Planning and Development escorted her around the city to find a suitable location.

She settled on 122 Merrimack, the former home of Lush Beads, which moved next door about a year ago. The space is small but sufficient for now, Kualapai said. Eventually, she would like to expand.

Kualapai painted the store in red, white, and pink, added a dressing area in the back, and was hard at work last week putting up shelves and stocking Downtown Dancewear with shoes, clothing, and assorted dancing-related gifts and memorabilia. Kualapai said her prices range from $15 to $100 for shoes (ballet, tap, jazz, and ballroom), and from $10 to $30 for tights and leotards, which can double as yoga gear or athletic apparel.

Kualapai is thrilled to be in Lowell.

"I've had a fascination with Lowell for a really long time," she said. "I got attached to it. Lowell's one of these up-and-coming places."

It's been a whirlwind of activity for the last few months -- "we're still unpacking our boxes at home while I'm unpacking all this stuff in the store," Kualapai said -- but she is ready for the challenge.

"It all sort of happened really quickly," she said. "It's a little overwhelming, but it's exciting."

Downtown Dancewear is open Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.downtowndancewear.com.

Tom Spoth's e-mail address is tspoth@lowellsun.com.

Photo: Lili Kualapai, owner of Downtown Dancewear, shows off her merchandise at the store's grand opening last weekend. SUN/BILL BRIDGEFORD