June 22, 2012 By Bill Parry
For many years, a sleepy 99 cent store operated out of 44-12 48th Ave.
Since May, that tired old store has been replaced by Edge Tae Kwon Do Academy, which is run by Sandy Arias and his wife, Norma Hernandez.
Arias is a 27-year-old tae kwon do master and instructor who hails from the Dominican Republic and lives in Astoria.
Prior to opening his academy, Arias had worked for eight years teaching tae kwon do classes in Woodside and Flushing. Most of his students were from Sunnyside and Woodside, he said, so he decided to open his studio on 48th Avenue.
Arias said that he has more than 30 children as students, and he’s been signing up more each day. He’s been able to assemble a travel team who will take part in a national competition in Dallas in late July.
Pedro Galindo, who takes his children to the academy, said “I bring Eli [his son] for discipline and it sure is better than sitting at home playing video games.”
In addition to tae kwon do, Arias is offering jiu-jitsu, judo and kickboxing for all ages. A zumba class is becoming increasingly popular in the evenings.
