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Open Sky Small Business Spotlight

Featured by Naturally Lewis

OPEN SKY WELLNESS, LLC

Megan Kraeger, a Lewis County native, has pursued her dream of owning her own wellness center.  Working towards her Clinical Nutritionist certification, Megan took a leap of faith that is helping to make her hometown community a healthier, better place to live!

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Business Name: Open Sky Wellness, LCC / 7383 Utica Blvd, Lowville, NY

When did you establish your business? Open Sky Healing Arts Center was establisehd in 2001 by Kathleen Merrick.  In July 2017, the name changed to Open Sky Wellness, LLC, under new ownership of Megan Kraeger, a Lewis County native.

Number of Employees/Therapists

1 – Megan Kraeger, Owner & Clinical Nutritionist

8 – Licensed Massage Therapists

1 – Licensed Esthetician

1 – Reiki Practitioner

Describe your start-up story. I finished my Master’s degree in Clinical Nutrition this past spring and was looking for a space to start my Nutrition practice.  I reached out to the previous owner of Open Sky, Kathleen Merrick, to secure an office space to begin my practice.  We had a great first meeting and decided I would start occupying the space on the weekends.  Kathleen mentioned she was selling the business and she had an interested buyer.  I told Kathleen, “if that falls through, please let me know, I may be interested.”

A couple of weeks later, Kathleen notified me that the opportunity to purchase the business had opened up.  After several meetings and hours of research, I decided to pursue my dream of owning a wellness center.  I transitioned from a full-time employee at Lewis County Public Health, to part-time, and began my journey as a business owner in Lewis County!

Why did you start your business in Lewis County, NY? I have lived in Lewis County my whole life.  Although I love to travel, it is always good to come back home.  I want to help make the community I grew up in a healthier, better place to live.

What challenges have you faced while starting your new business? Juggling my time managing the business, working part-time for Lewis County Public Health, starting my own nutrition practice and working towards obtaining the Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) credential have been the initial challenges in starting this venture.

What are some of your business highlights since opening? One of the biggest highlights is the addition of Nutrition Services! We have also expanded the Care in the Community Veteran Program, which is a program where we provide therapeutic massage therapy to 36 veterans in Lewis and Jefferson counties.  Veterans are authorized to receive weekly massage therapy to help with pain related conditions.

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One of our newest additions to the wellness center is an Infrared Sauna, which has numerous health benefits! The infrared rays penetrate your skin to heat your body beneath the surface. It warms the body at much lower temperatures than a steam sauna because the rays penetrate into muscle tissue. The direct heat causes your blood vessels to dilate – therefore increasing circulation and heart rate, while decreasing blood pressure. Other benefits of the sauna include decreasing joint stiffness, weight loss, lowers blood sugar, lowers cholesterol and triglycerides, relieves muscle spasms, pain relief, helps with skin conditions: acne, eczema, psoriasis, burns and skin lesions, improves skin tone and elasticity, boosts immune system and detoxification.

What is the future of your business? I am looking to expand Open Sky by offering additional wellness services and health/wellness retail items.  Two of our massage therapists are pursuing further education in cupping therapy, which we hope to start offering in the beginning of 2018.  I also hope to bring back acupuncture to Open Sky.  My goal is to have a variety of natural health services and products available for community members!

How has Lewis County Economic Development been of assistance to your business? I have attended a couple of the seminars Lewis County Economic Development has put on.  They have also helped put me in contact with organizations as I started the business and planning process and they continue to assist with promotion of my business.

Want more information on Open Sky Wellness?

Check out their Facebook Page!

www.openskycenter.com

openskycenter@gmail.com

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Kathleen Merrick Retires

Kathleen Merrick, owner of OPEN SKY  Healing Arts Center in Lowville, NY retires from doing massage therapy on June 29, 2017.

Kathleen Merrick recalls moving from the Albany area to Lewis County more than 17 years ago, and attempting to start a therapeutic massage practice. It wasn’t an easy task. At that time, the concept of licensed massage therapy wasn’t well known in the area, so she took every opportunity to spread the word about its many health benefits, both mental and physical. “I spoke at church suppers, women’s group meetings, and at the Elks clubs and Lions clubs,” said Ms. Merrick, a licensed massage therapist who trained at the Center for Natural Wellness School of Massage Therapy, Albany. “Anywhere they would have me, I would talk about massage.”

She explained how therapeutic massage could help release the stress in muscle tissue and increase the flow of blood within the muscles for added movement and comfort. She also noted the many reasons people might want to consider a massage – for stress reduction, to release tight and tense muscles, and for help with anxiety and depression. Other conditions that can be addressed with therapeutic massage include migraines, arthritis, aches and chronic pain, Ms. Merrick said.

A lot has changed since those first presentations she held so many years ago. Today, Ms. Merrick owns and operates the OPEN SKY Healing Arts Center, Lowville, which eight licensed massage therapists, along with a licensed esthetician (offering skin care services) and a reiki practitioner available for clients.  The center also offers natural body treatments and facials designed to exfoliate, detox and rehydrate.

Ms. Merrick is especially proud of her partnership with the Veterans Administration in Syracuse through the agency’s “Care in the Community” program. The program is designed to help provide certain types of treatments for veterans which are not offered in VA facilities, including licensed massage therapy. “This is a wonderful program,” said Ms. Merrick. “It looks at services that could benefit veterans, and covers the cost for them to seek that type of care in the community.” The OPEN SKY Healing Arts Center staff provide massage therapy to 30+ veterans from throughout Northern New York through the program. There is no cost to the veterans, and the center is reimbursed by the VA system for their services. “They approve between six to twenty sessions at no cost to the veteran,” she said. “Many of them are coming off painkillers. Some had never imagined they would be seeking massage treatments as part of their care.” There are veterans receiving therapeutic massage at the OPEN SKY Center who have served up to 49 years in the military, she said. Others are younger, and in some cases, they are working to resolve pain issues in their shoulders, neck or back that may be preventing them from starting a second career, for example, in law enforcement, she said. “I’m so grateful to be able to provide this type of help to our veterans,” Ms. Merrick said.

She also promotes the practice of meditation prior to a massage, if needed, to help people become relaxed before getting onto the massage table. “Some clients may have a lot of tension and anxiety, and you just can’t get them on the table right away,” Ms. Merrick said. “A short meditation makes it more effective.” The practice of meditation “also gives them another way to manage their stress when they leave here,” Ms. Merrick said “I can do the physical massage, but they need to care for themselves outside of the center as well,” she said. “I try to teach people that they are in charge of their bodies, and the more they work with their thoughts, the better they can relax.”

(This article has been edited, the original article can be found at NNY Living Magazine in April 2017)