We Have Moved!
On January 20th, 2026, we’d said goodbye to our old Court Street location. It was definitely bitter sweet. Relocating was not something that we had planned on. The Plaza was going through a transitional period. So, back in December before teaching a private CPL class, a document was left on our door informing us that the plaza was facing foreclosure. We were not aware of this. So, imagine reading some unsettling news minutes prior to instructing a class, and then you have to act unbothered. This was not easy.
We had questioned why is it that we didn’t know about this sooner? If it was not for the person(s) leaving that note on our door we may not have known at all. So, we definitely thank that person(s) for the heads up. We also thank our students: Justin and Maggie for their support and participation on that day. At the end of their class, we’d mentioned that this class may be the last one held at this location. They’d seemed surprised and started thinking of people that they thought could possibly be of help to us. That was pretty cool and we will never forget that!!
Needless to say, we felt we had no choice to postpone classes and cancel events due to uncertainties surrounding the plaza. Stress levels were EXTREMELY high as well as our anxieties. As of now, the plaza has a new owner. He seems nice, but the decision to move was made before knowing that there was a new owner. After eleven-years, especially reaching the end of our lease, it gave us an opportunity to make a change. So, we’d decided to move to another location. We’ll discuss our new place in an upcoming post.
So, let’s take a moment to reminisce, but before we start, we want to express that standing inside of our Academy on the last day brought up several emotions. It reminded us of how hard we’ve worked over the years. Eleven-years to be exact at this location. It reminded us of all the changes that we’ve made to the space, how we had expanded in 2019, survived the pandemic and how we got through four-months of having no power due to vandalism of the plaza. We are in awe in how many great people that we’ve served and met during our time at Court Street. Such as, Mr. Ogorek.
Mr. Ogorek gave us our start at the Plaza. He did not want us working out of a hotel conference room. Mr. O., felt it was important for us to have a place for customers to connect with us. He will forever be remembered as one of our biggest supporters as well as a great man. It was also a pleasure to meet some great tenants there too that have awesome businesses.
In a nut shell, we are just simply blessed and grateful for our time at Court Village Plaza and for our AWESOME BSSA FAM!!
This is how the space looked in 2015 when we’d first looked at it.
Before and after photos of the classroom in 2015. It took a lot of hard work to clear out that room and decide how we wanted it to look.
Before and after photos of the front room in 2015.
In 2018, the wall came down that divided the classroom and the front room.
In 2019, we had expanded into the vacant spaces next to us. We had a lot of fun tearing out the walls.
After Demolition.
In 2020, we survived the Pandemic.
In 2023, we survived four-months of no electrical power when the Plaza was vandalize. We made sure to have ample source of light in the form of lanterns and potable USB lights for our students/clients.
We went from operating business in one unit to having three units.
In 2018 Megan Murphy from Commercial Graphics helped us with the see through banners that we had designed. She gave us great tips and delivered great customer service and allowed me (Coach Amy) to live vicariously through her since I like to create and design. It was an awesome experience. Thanks Megan, for all your help. She’s also a BSSA CPL Graduate.
1.20.26
Thank You’s
We could not have created what we did without the help of our children. They’d rolled up their sleeves and painted, help put up signs, and moved items in and out of the Academy. They were our strength in times of distress. They reminded us to keep the faith and stay encouraged. We thank them for their love and support.
Family
Without a doubt we would like to thank our family for taking classes at this facility and for their support throughout the eleven-years. We greatly appreciate them!
Thank You’s Continue.
We thank Hamady/Robinson Realtors, especially Andrea Robinson for showing us the first unit. We greatly appreciate her for her guidance and support. She also referred several members of her staff and co-workers to us for personal self-defense training. Thank You!
The Media
We also like to thank the news media, the press for coming to our Academy to help us shine a light on our business in this location.
We thank all of the businesses/Courts, BNI connections, real estate agencies, the District Courts, Williams Gun Sight and especially Rebecca Denton of Intuitive Touch for entrusting us to train their clients, staff that were referred to us. Thank You!
Lastly, we thank you BSSA FAM!
We wish we can post every photo and every name here but we can’t. It’s just too many to shout out. We thank you for your support, prayers and participation. We’ve met some really, really GREAT people and we hope that we’ll see you over at our new location. Keep us lifted in prayer and stay in touch. Much Love!!
