When Lisa Binderow founded Nice Pipes Apparel in 2014, she wasn’t chasing the next flashy fitness fad. She was just trying to solve a practical problem she kept encountering in cold yoga studios—her legs were freezing, traditional wool leg warmers were itchy, and nothing out there really worked for people who wanted to move.
Lisa, who’d spent years teaching and managing at Yoga Works in New York, designed the first versions of what would become Nice Pipes herself. She cut up old yoga pants, sewed them into leg and arm warmers, and people started asking about them after class. Before long, friends, students, and fellow instructors wanted pairs, too. The business started online and with a handful of yoga studios.
Lisa Binderow’s Shark Tank Experience
By 2016, Lisa had a business, a stash of fabric, and enough interest to think bigger. That’s when she appeared on Shark Tank—season 8, episode 12—seeking $100,000 for 10% of her company. That pitch valued Nice Pipes at a steep-sounding $1 million, which turned out to be a sticking point.
During her pitch, Lisa explained that each pair of Nice Pipes (the arm or leg warmers) sold for $42 and cost about $7.50 to make. Early on, those costs were closer to $10 each—so she had put effort into cutting expenses. But $42 is a high price point for what’s essentially a fitness accessory.
Lisa was ready with her sales numbers. She’d done $80,000 in revenue over 18 months, mostly through her website and at 14 yoga studios and gyms. She pointed out that Nice Pipes warmers were made from Supplex—a fabric with moisture-wicking, UV protection, and compression—which you’d typically see in high-end yoga pants.
The thing is, the Sharks heard the $1 million valuation and immediately questioned whether the business justified that figure. The company was new, had modest sales, and Lisa didn’t seem to have a massive marketing plan or retail partner yet. Plus, they weren’t convinced average people would pay nearly $50 for a single pair.
During the pitch, Lisa highlighted her expertise, the product’s comfort versus old-school wool, and hinted at new designs. Still, for investors, the profit margins didn’t completely make up for the unknowns.
One or two Sharks circled a bit, but none eventually bit. Kevin O’Leary, for example, said, “You don’t have sales. You don’t deserve this valuation.” Lisa did get verbal interest, but the terms didn’t make sense for her, and she turned the offers down.
Before leaving the stage, Lisa kept her cool. She wasn’t upset or discouraged—she just thanked the panel and walked out ready to keep pushing on her own.
What Happened After Shark Tank?
The morning after your business appears on Shark Tank, there’s usually a wave of attention. Nice Pipes was no exception. Lisa saw a quick sales spike—you could call it the “Shark Tank Bump.” Yoga students and instructors who saw the show started placing orders, telling friends, and tagging the brand in workout selfies.
For Lisa, the show was a kind of acceleration—her brand was now on people’s radar beyond New York. By 2018, Nice Pipes warmers had expanded into about 40 retail stores. These were mostly small fitness studios, yoga shops, and boutique athletic stores where people could see and feel the soft, stretchy material for themselves.
The fact that Lisa declined the only Shark Tank deal offered turned out to be a good fit for her. She wanted to keep more control, keep costs low, and find retail partners on her own terms.
At the time, Nice Pipes was still selling online and through yoga spaces but held back from going all-in on big e-commerce marketplaces or wholesale distributors. In a way, Lisa wanted to stay in the boutique lane—at least for a while, prioritizing relationships and feedback from her target audience.
Nice Pipes in 2025: What’s Changed (and What Hasn’t)
Fast forward to 2025, and Lisa’s still at the helm of Nice Pipes Apparel. The business never became a household name, but it outlasted the odds and snarky comments about the $1 million valuation from back in Shark Tank days.
First, the sales breakdown looks a bit different now. Lisa pulled all Nice Pipes products from Amazon, pulling back from that mega-marketplace in favor of selling direct through her website and with select fitness studios. You won’t find Nice Pipes on Prime anymore. For some entrepreneurs, avoiding Amazon is a tough call. But for Nice Pipes, it meant more control over customer service, margins, and branding.
The catalog isn’t huge, but it still hits the original sweet spot—a niche product, with an upgrade. As of 2025, here’s what’s in the lineup:
– Arm Warmers: $38 per pair
– Knee-High Leg Warmers: $42 per pair
– Thigh-High Leg Warmers: $46 per pair
The products now come in more colors, and the Supplex fabric has gotten softer, stretchier, and more durable. Lisa’s story is still featured on the site and on social media, with customer photos and testimonials from yoga teachers, Pilates instructors, and everyday people who just get cold in the winter.
The reality: sales are consistent, and Lisa says the business is “solidly profitable.” It never rocketed to giant activewear brand status, but it also never disappeared, even after not getting a Shark deal.
One interesting note—not getting a massive influx of funding meant Nice Pipes could grow at its own pace. There wasn’t outside pressure to scale quickly or churn out new designs every season. Lisa kept quality high and nurtured a niche following.
If you want a nice example of why sticking to your lane sometimes works, you can find it here. Even after some turbulence—changes in the retail scene, rising material costs, waves of trend-driven competition—Nice Pipes survived by adapting slowly but surely. Sometimes that’s enough.
Lessons and a Few Takeaways
Plenty of viewers write off companies that leave Shark Tank empty-handed. And, it’s true, a lot of products that show up for a night of TV attention fade away quickly, especially in the crowded activewear and accessories market.
But the Nice Pipes story is a pretty good example of what you can do with niche expertise and lots of resilience. Lisa’s original idea—make better leg and arm warmers for people who care about comfort and performance—still works, just on a smaller, sustainable scale.
One thing some founders might want to note: Lisa’s decision to leave Amazon likely protected the brand’s quality and direct relationship with her best customers. She could control messaging, pricing, and who she partnered with—rather than facing a race to the bottom on price or knock-offs.
And if you’re considering a similar boutique e-commerce path for your own fitness brand, it’s possible to do well on your own by focusing on product, community, and a steady presence in the right studios or retail settings. Business consulting platforms like Aureo Business can help you understand your options, weigh sales channels, and manage small-business finance in the activewear space.
For Lisa, those early years of constant feedback—face-to-face with customers and instructors in yoga studios—shaped the final product. She took suggestions, changed up fabrics, and never tried to “go viral” just for a quick hit.
The bottom line: Nice Pipes Apparel is still very much around, owned and run by its founder. The brand is a little quieter than it was at its TV peak, but the business is steady, with loyal customers who keep coming back. If you’re looking for flashy growth charts or eye-popping sales stats, this story doesn’t have it.
But sometimes, a founder keeps things small and steady on purpose—and it works out just fine.
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