KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A group of women at a south Kansas City gym say when a workout is more than just a good sweat, it’s like a family.
The women were willing to go to great lengths to keep everyone together at the Curves in Red Bridge.
“Definitely, it was going to close,” said Joanna Rangel, Curves co-owner.
They rallied, not only to save their gym but to buy it.
“This is great today,” said Joy Nash, Curves member.
The Curves in Red Bridge is a place where they know you by name.
“These are my people," Jeannie Bevan said. "I’m here every day. This is my Curves family."
Longtime members and new co-owners, Teresa Shock and Joanna Rangel, decided to take it over.
A total of 20 women put up $20,000 in just three days.
“By Monday, I was getting emails, ‘I’ll donate $2,500, I’ll donate $1,000.' Oh my gosh, they were behind us,” Rangel said.
“We used to have a lot of Curves gyms, but we’ve gone down to two, so that was crucial we saved this Red Bridge one," said Shock.
Rangel said the gym had been in business for 20 years and knew members wanted it to stay open.
They worked through challenges to make sure the gym remained open.
“We had members agree that were grandfathered in on a cheaper rate that decided to increase the rate they are paying to use each month so we could get a solid income coming in,” said Shock.
A community at the gym that means so many members come from across the metro to be with their friends.
“Olathe, Overland Park, Leawood, Brookside, Lee's Summit," Shock said. "One lady who comes in from Raymore.”
Every day, they’re flexing their muscles on the machines and owning their business.
“I’ve been coming since 2017," Nash said. "When we saved the gym the women were ecstatic that we could continue our relationships here with our strength building.”
Curves info can be found here.
—
