A perfect position $3,000: students and parents give raves to Jones Academy's look.

Fresh and fun: "I wanted people to walk in and say, 'Wow!' "remembers Kim Jones, who opened her Youngstown, Ohio, dance academy a year ago. "I've worked at a lot of studios and they all looked the same." She rented an 1,800-square-foot space in a plaza right off the freeway The area is an up-and-coming one. Then Jones turned to an interior decorator to help her create a sleek contemporary feel. "We have 80 kids already and I'd been hoping for 30," she says. "Luckily, there's no one in the space next door."

Getting Juiced. Jones, who studied in Los Angeles with choreographer Wade Robeson, has made hip hop a specialty. "It's a totally different style, so a lot of teachers don't focus on it or don't understand the art of it," she says. Jones felt every space in the studio, including the reception area, should look fresh and modern. A graphic designer helped her pick the lettering for the wall signage. Her business cards, brochures, and the studio's t-shirts use the same font. Quench, the studio's juice bar, is a popular hangout for students between classes. "We sell only healthy foods, like fruit and smoothies," says Jones. "It's very helpful for competition kids who put in a lot of rehearsal time. A lot of studios have vending machines, but I didn't want that."

In living color Jones didn't want a traditional palette. "Mine blends brown, pink, and tan," she says. "I had some boys, so I didn't want too much pink. In the studio itself, I chose dark brown as the background for the mirrors:' The entire bill for the studio's interior? $3,000. "It's amazing," says Jones, "what some paint and Ikea furniture can do. Students still come into my office and say, 'This studio is so cool""