Westwood Athletics owners David Foster, left, and Jake Rowell are opening a second location in Chesterfield with a new business partner. (BizSense file)
After warming up with a spot near Scott’s Addition, a 2-year-old gym is now extending its reach.
Westwood Athletics plans to open a second location early next year near Chesterfield Towne Center.
The gym is adding the location because some members who had moved south of the river said the drive to the Scott’s Addition spot was too long and they missed the gym’s city vibe, co-owner David Foster said.
“There wasn’t anything like what Westwood was doing on the Southside,” Foster said. “(We’d hear) ‘I miss some of that city stuff.’ That stuff that makes you feel like you’re in Richmond. We’ve had a few folks who’ve said, ‘I bought a house in Southside and it’s too much of a commute.’”
Westwood is opening in suite 102 in the retail strip at 11525 Midlothian Turnpike, near the intersection of Midlothian Turnpike and Courthouse Road. Westwood signed a five-year lease on the space, which is about 5,500 square feet and slightly larger than the gym at 1105 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd.
The Chesterfield gym will be similar to the city location, with strength and cardio equipment that includes kettlebells, dumbbells and CrossFit equipment, as well as a sauna and cold plunge.
The gym is estimated to cost close to $400,000 to build out and equip. It is expected to open around February.
“It’s the same thing as before but elevating and refining it,” co-owner Jake Rowell said. “We’re replicating what we did well on (Arthur Ashe Boulevard).”
Regular memberships at the Midlothian location will cost $159 per month, per the company website. There’s an ongoing founders membership drive with reduced rates.
Westwood offers a single-tier membership program intended to provide a simplified experience compared to the more common approach among gyms of offering multiple packages. The gym is anticipated to have a membership cap of 300 to 350 people.
The Scott’s Addition gym is capped at 250 members and is currently full. The owners said Westwood’s model has drawn a notable number of recent transplants from cities like New York and D.C.
The Midlothian gym will also be home to an outpost of physical therapy practice Grit. Grit expects to begin operating out of the Southside Westwood location in April, and will pay rent to operate out of the space, Rowell said.
Foster and Rowell opened the first Westwood in fall 2023. The gym is a relatively new venture for the seasoned local entrepreneurs – Foster is a co-owner of local barbershop chain High Point, while Rowell owns long-running RVA Performance Training.
For Westwood’s expansion, the duo have brought on a new business partner to co-own the Chesterfield spot. Brandon Leary, operations manager at RVA Performance, will be the group’s point man for the Chesterfield location.
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