TOWNSEND — Upon entering Tokyo Joe’s Studio at the Harbor Village Mall located at 18 Main St. in Townsend, I immediately ran into Jeff Norton, who was waiting for his son Drew.
Norton had just signed Drew up a month previous when the studio’s doors first opened for the White Belt Juniors class. I asked him how his son was doing with the class and how he liked Timothy Mahoney, the owner and chief instructor of the studio.
“Tim made Drew feel very comfortable with him right away and they hit it off immediately. Drew opened up pretty quickly and he loves it,” Norton said. “Tim has a great sense of humor with the students.”
Mahoney has been married to his wife, Sarah, for 10 years, and is from Mont Vernon, N.H. He has a total of 23 years in the martial arts industry. He has a fourth-degree black belt and has taught for over 15 years. He trained at Tokyo Joe’s Studio in Nashua, N.H. and taught there for nine years. Mahoney said he always wanted to be a school owner and his own boss. Fortunately for him, some doors opened up for him and he stepped right in to being an owner. In Nashua, Mahoney had over 200 students enrolled and he has the same goal for the Townsend school.
The Townsend dojo will be the 11th member of the Tokyo Joe franchise. Tokyo Joe’s Studio of Self-Defense has been offering instruction and training in martial arts since 1982.
Mahoney will be offering classes to children as well as adults. He is trained in Shaolin Kempo karate. Kick-boxing classes will also be offered starting in April. He said karate isn’t just about kicking and punching, it’s part of character development and teaches self-discipline and respect.
“You have to have a sense of humor and love your job most importantly,” he said. Mahoney also incorporates bully-busting and stranger danger techniques into his programs.
Mahoney is looking forward to growing his business and will be holding an open house in the near future. Tokyo Joe’s is offering an introductory program, which includes two private lessons, one month of group lessons and a karate uniform, called a gi, for $30. The studio is also offering two months of lessons for 499.
For more information call Tim Mahoney at 603-801-6449 or e-mail TimPMahoney@aol.com.
