Business
BY ASIA ARMOUR
DUO o ers Pilates classes for all skill levels.
An employee works behind the co ee bar at DUO Houston, where options include drip co ee, espressos and cafe au lait.
PHOTOS BY ASIA ARMOUR COMMUNITY IMPACT
DUO Houston emphasizes inclusivity, perseverance Husband-and-wife team Marcus and Karman Lovely own DUO Houston—a half Pilates studio, half co ee shop located in River Oaks. The couple said their business surviving the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, with plans to open a new, larger space at luxury high rise community Hanover Autry Park by early 2024, is a testament to their perseverance. belonging. His and Karman’s goal was to build something that brought people together and to make Pilates less intimidating, he said.
Karman and Marcus Lovely opened DUO in 2021.
The owners name their price points and the diversity of their sta —who are instructors and baristas of varying ages, ethnicities and cultural backgrounds—as evidence of this commitment to inclusion. What’s in a name The concept for DUO Houston was created during Karman’s battle with breast cancer. Though the name’s origin can be traced to the business doubling as a tness studio and co ee shop, for Karman it means so much more. “It means we’re better together,” she said.
WESTHEIMER RD.
DO IT ANYWHERE ANY T I ME “We signed our lease here on Feb. 1, 2020—right before COVID hit,” Marcus said. “A lot of people asked if we wanted to pause, but we kept pushing through it.” In their own words Marcus said he believes much of their suc- cess has also come from cultivating a sense of
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2147 Westheimer Road, Houston www.duohouston.com
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