SAN ANTONIO – From employer to employee -- a woman who has owned a gymnastics studio for years now finds herself working curbside delivery at H-E-B due to the impact on her business amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“I was a gymnastics competitor for 17, 18 years of my life, and I started coaching when I was 15," said Jenny Miller, owner of Alamo Heights Gymnastics Studio. "I don’t think anybody could’ve planned for something like this."
Initially, Miller was devastated by the news of having to close the studio.
“I was close with a lot of parents and a lot of kids. Not being able to see them and see their smiling faces walk in the door every day has really taken a toll,” Miller said.
She’s not complaining about now having to take on a 9-5 gig. She said she’s using the opportunity as a learning experience and a chance to reach a long-time goal.
“I always talked about doing something different while owning the business,” Miller said.
She said her new job helps her pay the bills while helping others.
“It's really nice to have everybody say, you know, 'Thank you so much.' You know, 'You're you're doing so much for the community,'” Miller said.
A dream Miller once deferred is now realized through circumstance.
Miller is optimistic she’ll be able to open the gym back up in time for summer camp, but she said she enjoys working at H-E-B so much that she’s hoping to stay on part-time even after the pandemic ends.
COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, stands for coronavirus disease 2019. The disease first appeared in late December 2019 in Wuhan, China, but spread around the world in early 2020, causing the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic in March. The first case confirmed in the U.S. was in mid-January and the first case confirmed in San Antonio was in mid-February.
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