Customers voice concerns after Henderson martial arts studio suddenly closes

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Patrons at Premier Martial Arts studio in Henderson are left in limbo after they say the studio suddenly closed.

“They take away the joy,” said Marisol Levi, a client of Premier Martial Arts Studio.

Levi enrolled his two children, ages 10 and 11, in martial arts classes in July. She said she and her husband paid about $4,000 for a year’s worth of classes at the studio.

He hoped his children would find a sense of community there after moving to the valley from California.

“It was a lot of fun; We made lots of friends. The classes were really great,” said Marisol’s daughter, Isabella Levi.

“I really like it there because we go to shoot guns too,” said Ron Levi, Marisol’s son.

Last week, Marisol said she received a letter from her studio instructor claiming the studio would no longer be open.

This news confused Marisol and she wondered if she would get a refund.

“My husband and I were like, ‘What’s going to happen to the parents we paid a year in advance?'” Marisol said. “We started to wonder,” he said. “We ran out of thousands of dollars during the holidays right before Thanksgiving. This is the worst time to tell your kids, ‘Hey, no more karate, we don’t know where the money is.'”

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Their children were very saddened by this news.

“We don’t have anything to look forward to on Mondays and Wednesdays anymore. We always looked forward to coming and were excited to see our friends,” Isabella said.

“I was pretty disappointed because I only came here in the 4th minute because I was bullied.^This “I took notes from some students and wanted to learn to defend myself so I could stand up to them next time,” Ron said. “And I feel really bad about them being shut down and I just wanted something to look forward to and stay active.”

Marisol said she tried contacting Colette Young, owner of Premier Martial Arts, but had no luck.

“I really hope he says to himself, ‘You know what, I need to give these parents their money back,'” Marisol said.

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Channel 13 visited Young’s home, emailed, called and texted him.

He responded via message, saying that last week a “disgruntled” employee left and sent a message to members containing “incorrect” information.

He told us the business would only be closed the week of Thanksgiving and would reopen after the holiday.

Young agreed to an interview with Channel 13 on Wednesday to explain what happened.

Meanwhile, Channel 13 has learned the studio is not allowed to operate because it does not comply with Henderson city code.

Henderson Municipality shared the following:

“This business did not complete the business license process and was not authorized to operate.”

After repeated attempts to contact the business via email and site visits were unsuccessful, the City issued a Stop Business Order as the normal course of business. A Stop Business Order informs the business that they cannot operate until they comply with the Henderson Municipal Code.

The business cannot operate until it complies with the City Code. Any customers should contact the business directly to make any arrangements.”

Marisol said she noticed the order posted on the door of her business last week.

Channel 13 is also in contact with studio instructor Sarah Mancini.

He shared the following via email:

Channel 13 was unable to confirm whether Young was part of a RICO or Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Actin case of litigation or if the business loses money.

Meanwhile, Marisol tells us she’s hopeful amidst the chaos.

“I really hope, deep in my heart, that he will call us all back in an email and tell us that this was all a big misunderstanding.”