New businesses keep comingInspired StudiosLocated just above The State Bank at 7495 McLaughlin Road, Suite 221, Inspired Studios is owned by Patti Watkins and her husband, Tracy Watkins. She specializes in portraiture but also does some corporate work, most notably for Focus on the Family; while he does web and graphic design, specifically for Glen Eerie Castle but also for a few Falcon businesses.Their combined efforts can be seen in the Falcon Shopper coupon booklet, which they also own.Inspired Studios was launched in April 2009 as a home-based business and opened its doors in its current location in November the same year. “The studio has allowed me to offer a good space,” Patty Watkins said. “It’s warm and just a really great place for me to capture images.” Watkins chose Falcon as their business headquarters not only because they live in the area but also because “it’s our community.”Inspired Studios offers their services by appointment only; however, they do provide a free consultation. Appointments can be booked during regular business hours Monday through Friday, but evening and Saturday appointments are available as well. For more information, visit www.inspiredstudiosgroup.com. Integrity First FinancialIntegrity First Financial is owned by Victor Karns and his wife, Chris. IFF calls The State Bank building home at 7495 McLaughlin Road, Suite 211, on the upper floor next to Inspired Studios. As a mortgage company, IFF offers “all types of residential financing, from FHA financing to VA loans and all the other conventional products,” Victor Karns said. They also offer services with purchasing and refinancing as well as avenues for commercial lending.IFF was originally located in downtown Colorado Springs, but Karns and his wife decided to move to Falcon. “It’s such a beautiful and growing area, one part of town that is growing in leaps and bound,” Karns said. The current location opened for business in April but the company was started in 2002. The new office is convenient near The State Bank because the bank has access to IFF’s services and can send customers to IFF “if something doesn’t fit in their footprints,” Karns said.The hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Log on to www.easyvetloan.com for more information. Quick GymDavid Coleman and his wife, Kaja, have opened another Quick Gym location in Peyton to add to the three they currently own in Colorado Springs. The newest location is based out of their home but offers all the same amenities as their other Quick Gyms.The Quick Gym workout involves high intensity interval training: The participant can “replace 45 minutes of strength training with just four minutes on the (Quick Gym) machine,” David Coleman said. The Quick Gym is also known to replace 20 to 45 minutes of aerobic exercise like jogging or running and eliminates the need for the typical 15 to 20 minutes of stretching.Coleman, who was a lineman for 20 years and worked for Colorado Springs Utilities for more than five years, decided he wanted to find something else to do with his life. He drove to Albuquerque, N.M. for a wellness seminar, which is where he heard about the Quick Gym machine. He was hooked and decided to quit his job at the utility company so he could open a Quick Gym of his own. The Peyton location opened for business in early June; and, although they don’t have the same 24-hour self-service access as the other locations, Coleman said there isn’t anything like it in the area, which is an advantage for the business.The hours of operation are 5 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., seven days a week. For more information on the Quick Gym machine, visit www.quickgym.com. For information regarding the Colemans’ Quick Gym, visit www.quickgymcs.com.Changes for existing businessesenovations at Latigo TrailsThe arena and restaurant at Latigo Trails are undergoing renovations. Penny Nessmer, secretary and events coordinator, said the changes will be “aesthetically nice for our events and reach out more and do as many equestrian-type events as possible.”The arena has a new roof and fresh coat of paint, but there is more work to be done, Nessmer said. A small tornado ripped through the area and took off part of the barn and a few pieces of the roof. Work that will be addressed in the near future, she said. The restaurant will get new floors and new tiles in some areas.Latigo Trails is owned by the Pikes Peak Range Riders, a nonprofit organization that teaches different aspects of an equestrian-based lifestyle to young people.Latigo also hosts numerous events, such as the Fellowship of Christian Cowboys-sponsored rodeo Bible camp held in July. “We want to make things youth and family oriented,” Nessmer said.Falcon Curves updates imageThe Falcon Curves held an open house in July in celebration of new management and an updated image. Owner Caroline Bilodeau, who opened the location at 7663 McLaughlin Road in 2003 but sold it after two years, took back ownership in April. “I didn’t realize we made such an impact back then,” Bilodeau said.She said she renovated and updated the look of the fitness center and promoted the open house, which secured a visit from a Curves International club specialist who came out to help with sales.With more than 9,000 locations worldwide, Curves is a franchise of independently owned and operated fitness centers that focuses on women’s fitness. For information about Curves, visit www.curves.com.
