The doors to The Dance Spot — a family-oriented dance studio in San Tan Valley — opened almost 13 years ago. Back then, the community hardly knew the lasting impact the small business would have on the lives of those who walk through its doors.

Since 2012, The Dance Spot, 270 E. Hunt Highway, No. 7, has grown into a studio with seven different competing groups, 52 classes a week and 15 instructors. The children of original students are enrolling in classes, and the small studio is entering the community’s hearts in large ways.

“The most fulfilling part is the longevity,” said Mindy Melillo, founder and CEO of The Dance Spot. “I have students I’ve taught (and) I am now teaching their children. It’s amazing to see the full circle of community, how important it is to people and how people stick around a while.”

Examples of longevity abound even within the office staff.

“My daughter was very shy and very reserved and now she’s doing a solo,” said Megan Wilhelm, an office staff member at The Dance Spot. “The friendships at The Dance Spot really help the kids bring out their personal confidence.”

Similarly, Melanie Vidra, another office staff member, said, “I like the friendships for my kid. That’s a big part of it too.”

“When we started here, she was shy. She went into her first class and stood in the corner and just watched,” Vidra added. “Within a few classes, especially with Arian (an instructor) who was really good with her — picking her up and carrying her around — she made me feel that my daughter was going to be OK. Now my daughter is much more outgoing.”

Before opening her own small business, Melillo had more than 30 years of experience teaching at other dance studios. During that time, she came to the realization that she wanted something more for herself and her students: a sense of community and belonging.

“I’ve taught for some very large, competitive studios, and it just wasn’t my style. I wanted more of a small-town studio, a small-town feel that still does some competitions and performances, just without the pressure that some of those big studios put on the kids. Something just a little different,” Melillo said.

With that goal in mind, Melillo opened The Dance Spot’s doors.

However, just like many other small businesses, The Dance Spot has gone through its challenges.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, in-person classes were not an option, and enrollment rates dropped. Melillo suddenly found herself navigating online dance classes and facing new obstacles she had never experienced before.

“The challenging part is just being a business owner in general … there’s lots of learning curves and curve balls daily and monthly. I think that’s the most challenging, but it’s also humbling,” Melillo said.

As the jarring effects of the pandemic ended, The Dance Spot gained traction once again, and enrollment rates rose exponentially.

“The public response has been really well,” Melillo said. “San Tan Valley is now getting pretty large and growing pretty rapidly, but it has been a small community, so I think it needed a small-town thing, and that’s kind of what this has been.”

With more 250 students, The Dance Spot has grown into “a big family,” which has been Melillo’s intention since day one.

“I didn’t want it to feel stuffy or too business-like. I wanted the parents to have just as much fun hanging out in the lobby as the kids are having in the classroom,” she said. “I think I’ve been pretty successful with that.”

Leah Haynes if a student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.