Athletic apparel store is coming to the Mall at Short Hills.
MILLBURN -- Yogasmoga, a growing New York-based athletic apparel company, is opening its first New Jersey location this fall.
The chain, which will have 12 retail stores open in at least five states by the end of this year, will bring its first Garden State store to the Mall at Short Hills.
"Growing up, I always went to the Short Hills mall," Yogasmoga co-founder and CEO Rishi Bali said in a phone interview. "It is really humbling 20 years later to be opening a store there."
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Bali moved to the U.S. from India in 1994, just before he started as a student at Columbia University. During his first few months in the U.S., he lived with family members in New Jersey. After school, he spent years working for Goldman Sachs in the finance industry.
During a 2009 trip back to India, Bali said he realized a passion that combined all of his varied experiences - yoga.
Inside of a store. (Courtesy Yogasmoga)"I spent half of my life in a very traditional setting, one that understands the concepts of health, and fitness, and (is really the) birthplace of yoga," he said.
"And I spent the other half of my life (in America, where) there is this dynamic culture of entrepreneurship...I realized that I could take my understanding of this culture and my business experience and turn it into a great company."
In 2013, Bali and his sister Tapasya launched it.
Yogasmoga - a name that Bali said is a nod to an Indian tradition of rhyming, and means "Yoga and all that goes with it" - sells American-made athletic apparel. By next year, store executives said it plans to open 25 additional locations in places like NYC, Florida, Hawaii, and Canada.
The New York Business Journal said the chain's expansion is may challenge athletic clothing brand Lululemon, which was founded in 1998 and has hundreds of locations.
Short Hills mall staff did not respond to a request for comment about the impending opening, but Bali said local shoppers have expressed a lot of excitement around the new store.
"It's just very exciting for us," he said.
Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
