One might not think that the first thing a fitness center would do coming out of a pandemic would be to expand, but that’s exactly what [Sweat] Society is doing.
I first wrote about [Sweat] Society back in 2018, as they were preparing to open on Hertel. At the time, owner/operators, daughter-father team of Alexandra “Lex” and Brad Chambers, felt that the 1382 Hertel Avenue location was perfectly suited for their needs. And it was, for a couple of years. But as we are all quite aware that times have changed, in ways that we never could have imagined.
It was when Lex and Brad learned about a new build at 1585 Hertel Avenue, that they knew that they had a chance to not only double in size, but to build out a custom two-story space (with a balcony) that would accommodate all of their needs.
“We are going from a 1550 SF space to a 3600 SF space, which is a leap,” Brad told me. “It’s not only a lot bigger, it’s more efficient. We ran out of room at our original location – we were constantly running at 85% capacity and realized that we had no room to grow. We looked for a new space for a year and then started seeing the 1585 Hertel building going up a few blocks over. The new building is providing us with everything that we need to expand our offerings to our clients. Once open, we will have studio classes, personal training, and a full service open gym on the second level. People are excited to get back to fitness centers, especially if there is plenty of room to work out. We are are all adjusting (with the vaccination process), and more people are working out – with masks for now. I feel that we will reach herd immunity, hopefully towards the end of the summer.”
As for the programming, Lex told me, “We are very excited to be bringing a cutting edge, 2 story fitness ‘sanctuary’ to Hertel Avenue. We will be offering studio classes, a full service open gym and personal training. Our classes focus on treadmill interval, strength training, boxing + HIIT. In addition to bringing in new strength and cardio equipment we will continue to focus on our core values which include building an active lifestyle community.”
Hertel is full of surprises these days. There is a new vibrancy on the street that is palpable. Not only has the commercial corridor become a great eating and drinking destination, it has also become more diverse in its colorful palette of offerings. Post-pandemic, people are going to be looking for more ways to stay in shape, year round. [Sweat] Society will be an excellent addition to the street, as well a nice business anchor for this dynamite new mixed-use building.
[Sweat] Society is anticipated to open mid-summer 2021.
[sweat] Society | 1382 Hertel Avenue | Buffalo NY 14216 | 716.510.7936 | Facebook