Elk Grove’s The Serenity Space promises holistic balm for anxious times

The Serenity Space, which marks its grand opening 3 p.m. Friday, is among the new businesses popping up at Elk Grove’s Stonelake Landing retail center.

The Serenity Space focuses on health and wellness, featuring yoga and meditation as well as holistic health products in its retail shop, owner Jennifer Gardner said.

Gardner calls The Serenity Space a “one-stop shop for holistic health.” She said the idea came to her as she struggled to find ways to navigate the pandemic.

“Work brought me to Elk Grove. I was having to go to downtown and midtown Sacramento for services and I saw there was a need,” Gardner said in an August interview as she prepared to open the new venture. “We became isolated, stuck in our homes.”

Gardner addresses those feelings of unease head-on: “The past couple years have been tough for all of us. Between a pandemic, war, and political turmoil., many of us experienced isolation, uncertainty, disconnection and heightened anxiety,” reads The Serenity Space website. “As we continue to adapt to new paradigms and a new normal, it’s abundantly clear that our mental and physical well-being must be a top priority.”

Gardner lives in Elk Grove’s west side Lakeside community.

“I’ve seen over the last couple of years businesses come and go (from Stonelake),” she said in August. “Now with the hospital (moving to Natomas), we need to revitalize the west side, get something there.”

Background: The west Elk Grove shopping center at West Taron Drive and Elk Grove Boulevard had shed tenants amid local pharmacy school California Northstate University’s plans for a teaching hospital on the site. California Northstate later turned its plans for a new medical center to Natomas. Meanwhile, pandemic-related closures further sapped the center of tenants.

But Stonelake Landing is working toward a comeback. Progress remains slow and ‘For Lease’ signs still dot a number of storefronts at the retail center, but new ventures like The Serenity Space are hanging the ‘Open’ sign.

What’s on offer: Pricing for yoga and meditation range from $20 for a single drop-in class to $159 for a 10-class pass.

Where: The Serenity Space is located at 2513 W. Taron Court, Suite 160, in the Stonelake Landing center.