Sonoma Taekwondo will not reopen

After more than 30 years in business, the owners of Sonoma Taekwondo have announced that their martial arts studio will not reopen, even after it is granted permission to do so by the county.

Barbie and Patrick Hoffmann opened Sonoma Taekwonko in the Community Center in 1989.

“We have made it through recessions and fires and power outages and more than our share of ups and downs,” said Patrick Hoffmann. “But we just don’t have it in us to fight our way back all over again.” He said that in 2008, the couple sank their entire 401k into keeping the gym afloat, but at this stage in their life, “it’s time” to call it quits.

“Our landlord has told us that when the dust settles, our rent will go up,” he said. They have had no income coming in for months and it is the couple’s understanding that fitness facilities like theirs will not be allowed to reopen until what’s being called “Phase 3,” or later stage, of the re-opening.

“With social distancing, even if all of our students return, we’ll only be able to have six to 10 kids in a class,” he said. “There is just no way to make that profitable.”

Over the years, the training center has grown to 4,100 square feet and Hoffman, 69, estimates that they have taught more than 20,000 students and graduated 200 black belts.

Hoffmann is packing up hundreds of photos of those students and Sonoma Taekwondo will have vacated its Vineyard Center space on Sonoma Highway by June 1.

“We’ve done a lot of good for this community,” said Hoffmann, who also serves as president of the Native Sons of the Golden West. “But more importantly, this community has been really, really good to us. I feel so lucky to have made a living working with my shoes off for the past 30 years.”