By Heather Muh
RED BANK – Wayward & Co. Explorers, which recently opened at 27 Monmouth St., offers a unique experience for both shoppers and yogis.
At first glance the space looks like an average boutique, offering secondhand vintage and designer clothes. Hidden in the back, however, is what makes this particular shop so different: a hot yoga studio.
“Wayward & Co. Explorers, aka ‘Explorers,’ is a lifestyle brand reflecting an awareness of conservation, art and spirituality,” owner Ashley Santora said. “It is a multifunctional space where one can find themselves both intrinsically and aesthetically.”
Santora, a first-time business owner, said the idea to combine a shop with a studio was a blending of her passions.
The vintage and designer secondhand clothing offered at Explorers is curated by the owners themselves. The items have been collected over years of traveling around the United States. The clothes on display in the store are on trend for the current season, with new selections brought in every three weeks. The items, while a major part of the business, have a greater meaning than simply a fashion statement.
According to Santora, the average person throws out 70 pounds of clothing a year, amounting to 11 million tons of textile pollution. This textile pollution is not decomposable and clogs landfills.
“In a culture that is consumed with cookie-cutter trends for less, we take care to reclaim these discarded garments that still possess a special value. Fashion, like nature, is cyclical and we find it gratifying to give these items a new life once again,” Santora said.
The clothes are given “new life” in a cozy boutique decorated with old oars, carts, a motorcycle and a sliding barn door that leads to something one might not expect to find in a secondhand clothing boutique, the yoga studio.
Some of Wayward & Co. Explorers’ customers don’t come for the vintage clothes, they come for the hot yoga.
“The practice of yoga in a heated environment allows for a full body detox,” Santora said. “The heat challenges you to go deeper into your practice on both a mental and physical level. One’s stamina and inward focus are increased as the heat allows for deeper breathing and stretching.”
Livestrong.com discusses the mental benefits of hot yoga, explaining that while all types of yoga relieve stress, hot yoga promotes mind over matter. “Pushing yourself outside your comfort zone is an accomplishment, and you may be surprised to discover that the upper limits of what your body can do under extreme conditions is higher than you thought,” the website says.
Santora, along with several other instructors, teach one to three hot yoga classes a day. Beginner classes are offered. Clients can purchase individual classes, a new student unlimited week special, or an unlimited monthly membership either online or by stopping by the store.
Explorers welcomes customers as unique as the concept behind the store itself.
“The very name of the store suggests who we are targeting is someone who is not defined by their age or status, but someone with a sound sense of self and an open mind,” Santora said.
Wayward & Co. Explorers is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. The store can be reached by calling 732-268-7842
