By Megan Rose
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
A little over a year ago, 410 Fitness was seemingly done for.
During an unexpected meeting, the owner broke the bad news. The company could no longer stay afloat amid the pandemic. Besides, he was getting older and ready to move on.
“It was definitely over at that meeting,” said Nathalie Cone, one of the coaches. “I remember bawling, I was so devastated, because such a community had been built up.”
The Baltimore gym officially closed. Its equipment soon sold. But a new opportunity came along and 410 Fitness is now celebrating a year of being reopened under new leadership at a new location, where an eclectic Hampden community has finally found its home.
The white brick warehouse with blue accents on Clipper Mill Road had once appeared vacant. But when the roll-up doors open, upbeat music pours out.
Passersby biking by glimpse a digital countdown clock and Pride flag. The strengthening and conditioning gym specializes in group fitness classes, fostering a community of acceptance and inclusivity.
“It was for me when I joined, so I definitely want that to be a thing for everyone else who joins as well,” said Andrea Alamo, the trainer-turned-owner. “It’s always been important for us to know everyone’s names.”
She estimates 90% of the staff is LGBTQ+, with many members identifying as well. The overall age ranges from anywhere in between 20- and 60-something.
Alamo, who still coaches, feels one of the gym’s oldest members describes the dynamic best: “He says it’s like ‘a little group of people who didn’t fit in everywhere else so they came here’ kind of thing.”
They call 63-year-old Jeff Nelson “The Mayor of 410 Fitness.” He has been around since 2013, when the gym started as a mere idea in opposition to hours on an elliptical.
“There’s no mirrors, there’s no judging,” Nelson said. “It’s just a place where people can come and workout and feel okay about what they’re doing.”
He jokes that he can climb the ropes better now than he could in 5th grade gym class.
“It’s such an important part of my life and sense of community,” Nelson said.
For Alamo, it is the members that remind her why it is all worth it. In hindsight, she can only describe the whirlwind past year as “a blur.”
It had been Alamo’s dream to own a gym when the suddenly the opportunity fell into her lap, of all times, during a pandemic.
“The industry was kind of tanking, really,” she said.
Many gyms across the city, including the neighboring, decades-old Meadow Mill, were closing their doors. Projections suggested that one in four gyms would permanently shut down, according to a 2021 COVID-19 Media Report released by the International Health, Request & Sportsclub Association.
For a time during that summer, it seemed that statistic would include 410 Fitness.
“The coaches and I basically hopped on a Zoom call and were like ‘How do we keep this going?’” Alamo said.
The answer was obvious to Alamo, who had already been considering branching out after saving up. So, she purchased the name rights to the gym and set off to track down the sold equipment.
“Dre managed to contact a lot of those people to buy back,” Cone said. “So, we kind of have a funny mismatch of equipment but it reminds us of where we came from.”
The gym, under new ownership, also needed a new location. With social distancing a priority and no physical space, the coaches held outdoor classes at Woodberry Park. All the while, Alamo browsed local lease listings.
“She looked at every single warehouse in Woodberry and Hampden,” Cone said.
By the end of summer, a temporary spot would have to work.
“It was small enough and cheap enough to take the risk and jump into without knowing really what was going to happen,” Alamo said.
The gym quickly grew from 70 to 100 people, as old members returned and new members signed up. Seemingly overnight, they need a waitlist and larger location. Luckily, the landlord knew of a spot: the space directly next door.
Pending three months of renovations and installations, 410 Fitness moved for the last time. Afterwards, they capped off their grand reopening with a celebratory “gym prom.”
Things still on the gym’s to-do list include putting up an official sign, making a pronouns board and introducing sliding scale prices. Another goal is to partner with the Out Foundation, a non-profit resource promoting inclusive gyms and safe spaces for LGBTQ+ individuals.
The transition, though exhausting, created a home out of heartbreak.
“I didn’t really have time to sit back & be like, ‘wow, we went from almost losing this whole community to being in this amazing space and kind of thriving,’” Alamo said.
For now, 410 Fitness has earned a well-deserved breather.