The prevailing wisdom is that retail is struggling on the Avenew, on Broadway and elsewhere in town. Examples include the demise of Books, Inc. and Anthropologie–not exactly Mom and Pop operations that still couldn't cut it here. But exercise is a booming business in retail areas. The Comicle touched on this in January as people were thinking about New Year's resolutions and I'm addressing it as bathing suit season approaches. The Comicle noted
A city retail study in February found that traditional retail growth has slowed but fitness providers and restaurants are still eager to expand. Across the Bay Area, 53 fitness leases were signed in the past three years. Being near, or even in the same building, as housing and office uses is deliberate. “It’s really about convenience and daily need,” said Weinhaus. “People are coming to us day in and day out.” Gyms and fitness centers can thrive in upper floors and basements, where traditional retailers might struggle, said Helen Bulwik, a veteran retail consultant and senior partner at the Newport Board Group. “You can kind of stick a gym anywhere. It’s kind of like Starbucks.” “We haven’t really been able to find a new location in the city in a long time,” said Frank Napolitano, president of 24 Hour Fitness. “Dense downtown cores tend to have the boutique-type operators. They don’t need as much space.”
Here in B'game we have an ever expanding menu of choices from old school full-service gyms like Primetime on Rollins Rd. or Being Yoga in the B'game Plaza to specialized set-up like Pilates ProWorks on B'way to the very one-on-one approach using a personal trainer such as B-Fit on Park Rd. I've been a client at B-Fit for two years and can vouch for the one-on-one approach as a great way to get pushed into shape and strength. In the middle of the spectrum are Basecamp (Dethrone) on California in the old Route 66 building and the newest, Barry's Bootcamp on Howard. Locals are curious about Barry's after watching a complete renovation of what was just an old Quonset Hut that housed the Bacci Food Center in the 1950's. I gave Barry's a try and really enjoyed the Red Room where the workout alternates between treadmill and floor/weight/band exercises. Not so sure about the name in view of the Fifty Shades of Grey reference, but the music and the instructor kept it from being too painful. The building itself has been completely transformed keeping large skylights and adding showers and a juice bar. B'gamers have a full range of choices and price points so there really is no excuse for not sweating in Burlingame. Here's the new Barry's
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