I’ve talked to a few people recently who are in search of a new (bigger) building. I thought it might help to learn my experience that started in 2012. When we were initially looking at buildings in our small town, we were pretty limited. There isn’t an “industrial” side of town. There are a few large metal buildings all in use by large factories, so the traditional cheer gym wasn’t an option. Instead, we found a broker and looked at every commercial property otherwise available.

The One with High Ceilings: This building had me from the start. It was high enough for the baskets I dreamt we’d one day have. It was on an end cap of a nice shopping complex, but the rent was about twice the cost of any other building we had looked at, the space was about half the size, and there was only air conditioning in half the building. Today, Crossfit lives there. It’s perfect for them with a big bay door and no A/C. (I’m pretty sure Crossfit people like the extra challenge of 100-degree workouts!) At the end of the day, the parking lot was too small, and this building just wasn’t going to work.

The One on the Main Road: This one was on one of the main streets in our town. It has decent ceilings, glass window openings and zero parking. Literally, I’m not even sure where customers were to park because the busy street no longer allowed parking. Justin was also sure one morning we’d wake up to a college kid who had crashed their car into the front windows as it was near the college and bar-district of our town. (Coincidentally, that building was spared a few years ago – but Enterprise Rental Cars did get hit. The irony!) Ultimately, I was sad to see, yet another building, that wasn’t going to work for us.

The Old Walmart Stock Rooms: Then, we met the broker on the back entrance of the town’s old Walmart. It was a quiet space overlooking a car dealership and the Masons (I later learned the Masons are constantly in search of a treasure like in the movie, “National Treasure”, so basically they’re never at their building leaving plenty of extra parking spaces!) It had previously been a children’s play space, so there were padded floors, an open lobby space, finished bathrooms and a few other spaces we could see ourselves using. The ceilings were just 14-feet, so my baskets weren’t going to happen easily, but in every other way, it was the perfect building. Even better, because of its location as a hidden entrance, it was affordable AND had extra space we could break into if we ever needed more.

When we’re looking for a building, it can be a daunting task. Just 3 years later, we had outgrown the 14,000 sq.ft. old Walmart, and we had to go in search again, so trust me – I UNDERSTAND the struggle! At the same time, remember – timing is everything. Here are a few tips I’d recommend based on our experiences the first (and second) times:

  1. Start looking early! I was pleased to hear an Academy member say she had already begun her search. She has outgrown her current space and is halfway through a 3-year lease. She understands it will take time, and she has already started making decisions of where she wants to be and what she’ll need.
  2. Know what is required to operate. With an average age of 8 years old, and one athlete throwing a back handspring, I really didn’t need tall ceilings. In fact, we’re in a small town, so it took us years to develop teams into a skill level that challenged our ceiling height.
  3. Consider parking. I’ve never heard a parent say a low ceiling is the reason they left a gym. I have had parents disenroll from classes at our gym because it was too hard to carry their baby’s carseat a tenth of a mile from another business’ parking lot in the snow or ice. I no longer have a baby in a carseat, but I get it. Anything that makes it inconvenient can make rec parents think twice.

Hopefully this is helpful if you’re looking for a building. If not, save this blog just in case you’re in search of it in the future.