March 3, 2017 By Hannah Wulkan
A popular fitness center in Long Island City is closing its doors after two years in business.
The Workout Factory, a popular gym offering Pilates and fitness classes at 10-25 48th Avenue, will shut down on April 1 after losing its space due to a dispute over the building ownership.
According to an email sent out to members, the building landlord died in a car accident last year, and the building that the Workout Factory is in has been caught up in a legal battle over the sale of the building since his death.
Owners of the fitness center worked to resolve the situation for several months, but “Unfortunately, we just do not have the resources to continue fighting this and pay hourly lawyer fees to fight our cause as we are an innocent third party tenant caught in the middle of a buyer/seller legal fight. The bottom line is we lost the space, his estate will be selling the building and we have to vacate the premises,” owners Martin Kerestes and Zhana Galjasevic wrote in the email.
They wrote that due to the short notice of the move, they were unable to find another space in LIC, and will simply shut down, though they wrote that they may try to offer some of the classes in another location in the future.
Kerestes and Galjasevic also own The Yoga Room, a popular yoga studio that first opened its doors in Astoria in 2003, and later opened a second location in LIC. Clients at the Workout Factory are invited to transfer their class punch card over to The Yoga Room once it closes.
The Workout Factory is also offering several other options to clients caught off guard by its closing. They are running classes until the studio closes, and will prorate the final billing cycle to reflect the shortened period. For those with class punch cards, if they do not want to roll classes over to The Yoga Room, they can use the classes at other neighborhood fitness centers that the Workout Factory is partnering with, or they can get a pro-rated refund for the unused classes.
“We are obviously as saddened by this outcome as you are, but this is the only tenable course of action given the situation with our landlord,” Kerestes and Galjasevic wrote in the ema
Featured Events
14 Comments
The sale for this building has been in dispute for years, well before the owner died. The tenant should have had a lease. If they didn’t, shame on them. If they did and it didn’t have adequate protections (including basic reps), shame on their lawyer.
Could not imagine taking the risk of opening a business in a rented space in a cut-throat real estate market…on top of the crazy risk of starting a business. To put in that much work and have it yanked out from under you must be really hard. Good luck to the gym owners. Glad folks like you exist.
I couldn’t imagine taking the risk of opening a business in a rented space in a cut-throat real estate market…and not having more than a month-to-month lease.
Even if they had the funds to sign a 5 or 10-year lease. 1) Most new small businesses have no idea if they will make it 2) In 5 or 10 years you STILL lose control of your livelihood. There must be a way for people to try things, with minimal focus on the long term at the outset, or else the only businesses that will grow will be chains with proven business models and deep pockets. And if those are the business you want to see thrive, (NY Sports Clubs, P.F. Changs, Foot Lockers) thats cool, but why waste $$ living in NYC? Lets all move back to Ohio and save some money.
If this business had a lease they would be protected and could stay until the end of their lease. Not having a lease – especially in an area with a hot real estate market is just asking for trouble.
Why didn’t they have a lease? Were they just relying on the good intentions of the now deceased former owner?
Too many fitness centers in Astoria/LIC today anyway. Not a very bad loss.
Not true, Thomas. The Workout Factory is the only facility in the area offering pilates equipment classes and other small group fitness classes. As a member since the beginning, I can tell you that I’m already trying to find a replacement to my three times a week routine coming here before work. You may not workout, but this place is always packed – a huge loss for the neighborhood. I do hope they find another affordable space soon.
FYI, a new pilates studio is opening on second floor at 12-17 Jackson Avenue
Thanks LICgal!! Good timing!
what greedy assholes that can’t even let this company try to stay in business.
i’m so sick of LIC. just a perfect example of everything that is wrong with this area.
also, if you want to see how fast this place is going downhill; Masso is for sale, and for lease is 10-41 47th Avenue. The artist and writer club / storefront. GONE!
Domaine Wine Bar, gone! for sale right now.
The dentist, 49-13 Vernon Blvd, Gone!
The dentist is still there although they are moving eventually to the lobby of a new building, the one at the corner of Vernon/51 I believe. As for greed, who would take less then the the value on anything? Would you sell your car or home for below it’s value or do you, like all, try to get the most you can?
The estate is selling.. this is common practice and if they took a different direction, that would certainly be shocking. Consider the beneficiaries of an estate.. minimal ties to the neighborhood. Easier to cash out, split the proceeds and move on. I guarantee not one beneficiary is concerned that the neighborhood is losing a place to workout. Your anger is misguided by your naivete.
They could have enabled the fitness center to stay in operation through the term of their lease
This whole area is turning to shit. Admit it. Restaurants closing left and right. The new ones that do open are not something for the entire area to enjoy
Your arguments remain faulty. Restaurants closing left and right is part of the natural process. Good ones succeed and for many years. sLICe has been a great add to the hood. Takumen as well. Tuk Tuk and Blend remain solid options on Vernon. Petey’s, Burger Garage, and Bareburger continue to do well.