Among the coffee shops, murals, boutiques, and bakeries that dominate Fort Worth’s flourishing Magnolia Avenue — tucked away in a recently erected two-story building — lies a 2,400-square-foot micro gym. Despite legions of dumbbells and stationary bikes sprawled across its space, Fort Worth Strong, which opened its doors in October 2019, doesn’t seem out of place.
Having a large mural painted by local artist Kristen Soble covering the business’s west-side interior wall doesn’t hurt. Still, it’s the ownership’s commitment to community that makes it such a seamless fit.
“We really try to create community both within the gym and outside the gym,” Nick Redmond, owner and manager of Fort Worth Strong, says. “Being able to put on socials and events and knowing that our mission statement is enhancing or enriching the lives of members in our community is important for our success.”
And this is one of the local business’s main differentiators as it competes with, what Redmond calls, box gyms — well-established gyms with household names and numerous locations that operate under the banner of large corporations able to offer less expensive monthly fees. Such competition is a David and Goliath-like standoff, which means going toe-to-toe will likely result in a knockout. According to Redmond, survival in this arena requires creativity and building a strong bond between the gym and its members.
Redmond, along with his business partner, Tom Lail — both of whom are under 30 — started looking at opening a gym in The Foundry District in early 2019. It wasn’t until after the deposit and first month’s rent were down and Redmond left his job that everything fell through. It was this series of unfortunate events that led the business duo to the Near Southside, and they’ve since become entrenched in the community, hoping to feed on the influx of young professionals moving into new urban-style apartments popping up throughout the area.
But Redmond is well aware of his competition — after all, he once worked at Anytime Fitness — to a point where it admittedly keeps him up at night.
“[Large box gyms] model is ‘We want to get as many people in the door as we can, and hopefully they never show up,’” Nick says. “Versus ours, where we say, ‘We want a lot of people to come, but we also want retention; we want people to show up and take full advantage of our expertise.’”
According to a 2012 article in Men’s Journal, commercial gyms require 10 times the members its facilities can handle. In other words, if more than a mere 10% of its members started showing up, it wouldn’t have the resources to handle the crowd. So, according to Redmond, it’s not a stretch to suggest that such fitness centers are not invested in the success of their clients.
Redmond explains the necessity to tailor workouts to each person’s physical abilities and needs; it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. Fort Worth Strong is not a gym where one shows up during lunch, does a few skull-crushers and curl-ups and takes off. Fort Worth Strong is by-appointment-only, ensuring that every time one enters the gym, he or she will receive a decent workout.
“We try to provide value from the first time they step in the door,” Redmond says. “That's really the biggest difference from a box gym where you’d walk in, and it’s whatever workout you want to do, you’re all on your own.”
There was a 2014 article in Club Solutions Magazine that asked the question, “Are micro gyms the future of clubs?” It argued that smartphones and social media were creating a space where a gym with a communal atmosphere and well-defined culture had a leg up on the competition. But patrons still have to experience it before they’ll buy into it.
“Honestly, it’s really just trying to get people in the door to experience what we do,” Redmond says. “Because I think if people see our approach, they’ll know very quickly if we’re right for them or not.”