Today we’d like to introduce you to Aimee.
Hi Aimee, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
While studying to earn my Masters Degree in Chinese Medicine between 2001-2005, the first Community Acupuncture clinic was opening their doors in Portland Oregon where I was. This was called, at that time, Window of the Sky (now renamed Working Class Acupuncture). It was being opened by Lisa Rohleder, a recent graduate from my school. This clinic did not follow the standard private practice model but was group treatment and affordability based. The community acupuncture model is inspired mainly by clinics in China as well as the Lincoln clinic of the South Bronx from the 70’s. As soon as I heard about community acupuncture I knew it was me.
After graduating, I went on to coordinate with various housing co-ops and local coffee shops to set up portable community acupuncture clinics of my own. I offered extremely affordable acupuncture on a sliding scale for a few hours twice a week.
While doing one of these portable clinics in Asheville North Carolina, a newly opened Community Acupuncture clinic came across one of my flyers. They reached out to me and after a few meetings invited me to join their practice as the 3rd owner. That clinic was called The Peoples Acupuncture of Asheville. I jointed on in January 2009, 6 months after they opened.
A year later, one of our business partners left the practice. I went on to co-own the clinic with the other business partner for over a decade until we transferred full ownership onto myself in 2023.
I now solely own the clinic and function as clinical director and as one of our 3 practitioners.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road. The pandemic was hard to say the least. Separating from my long term business partner and restructuring the business to be solo run has been a feat. And then, most recently, keeping the business alive through and after the devastation of Hurricane Helen .
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a community acupuncture clinic located in Downtown Asheville, NC. Community acupuncture is a group based treatment model offering acupuncture and Chinese medicine on an affordable sliding scale. Treatments are done in one room in recliner chairs with patients fully clothed rolling up their sleeves and pant legs. Treatments are individually tailored and confidential. Our sliding scale is $45-90 for a new patient and $30-60 for return patients. Our clinic demographic is the working class. Teachers, servers, carpenters, nurses, techs to name a few. Anyone can schedule to be a patient with us. Community acupuncture exists as one of the only affordable alternative-wellness clinic models.
Community acupuncture works on a high volume/low cost model in contrast to the private practice low volume/high cost model.
Being a high volume/low cost clinic comes with many benefits. We see a lot of patients and gain a lot of experience in most Chinese medicine fields. We do not need to specialize as our large patient load makes us well versed in many fields. Additionally our income is acquired from a large patient base creating long term financial stability for our clinic.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Community acupuncture is an amazing business model dedicated to offering affordable acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Through this model, acupuncture can reach more in need.
Pricing:
- sliding scale $45-90 new patient
- sliding scale $30-60 return patients
Contact Info:
- Website: https://peoplesacupunctureavl.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peoplesacuavl?stkn=dGxrNGJ2bnZrZTlk
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1B5P347zbT/?mibextid=wwXIfr
