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North Mass Boulder, a business in the Windsor Park neighborhood on the near-east side of Indianapolis that combines an indoor climbing gym, yoga studio, weight training, coffee shop and co-working facilities, is adding a fitness studio and event space.
The 4,820-square-foot expansion will occupy part of the courtyard at the Box Factory building, 1411 Roosevelt Ave., where North Mass Boulder opened in 2021.
Elliott Steward, co-founder of North Mass Boulder, said the business has outgrown the horseshoe-shaped, 52,000-square-foot facility that was home to U.S. Corrugated Box Co. from 1920 to 1961.
After seeing wait lines for North Mass Boulder gym equipment, Steward and co-owners Zach Donovan and Colt Reichart decided to expand operations into the courtyard.
“That courtyard was a great space, but it was only utilized a few months out of the year when the weather was nice,” Steward said.
Construction is expected to be completed in mid-August, said Steward, who grew up in Franklin Township and attended Purdue University.
In addition to making more room for free weights, the addition will feature a group fitness studio that doubles as an event space for community meet-ups, wellness workshops, climbing Q&As and corporate team-building events. The space will be available to rent, Steward said.
Steward moved to Seattle in 2010 and became intrigued by an indoor climbing gym near his home in his new city.
“I didn’t know anything about indoor rock climbing at the time, but I knew I wanted to go to a gym to stay in shape,” he said.
During a subsequent job interview in California, he realized what that gym membership represented.
“They said, ‘What is the best part of your day?’ I thought for a second and I said, ‘Probably the best part of my day is when I get off work, I go to this climbing gym. I move my body and there’s many, many faces there that I recognize. … We’re all friends, and we’re all sharing community together,’” Steward said.
The idea for North Mass Boulder originated in 2016, Steward said, and subsequent years were devoted to finding a suitable building and raising money for the project.
The founders set a goal of selling 700 memberships before opening in June 2021. They surpassed that goal by more than 1,000, with 1,700 members on opening day.
Steward said North Mass Boulder’s multifaceted offerings, including the Roam & Stow retail shop and Top Out Cafe, are a key to success.
“I always say, ‘I’m not selling you a gym membership. What I’m selling you is an identity. I’m selling you a place of belonging here at North Mass Boulder,’” he said.
The Box Factory building is part of an area branding itself as the North Mass Creative and Commercial Corridor, less than a half-mile east of the Monon Trail.
North Mass Boulder is considered a trailblazer in the area where Cunningham Restaurant Group opened its Shin Dig concept in 2024 and where multiple apartment developments are planned.
“I’m really proud and honored to have been the anchor tenant that has helped transform that area,” Steward said.
Editor’s note: This report has been corrected with accurate membership numbers for North Mass Boulder’s opening in 2021. Inaccurate numbers initially were provided to IBJ.
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Wonderful transformation for that area and plenty of land to build some apartments. Nice to see the revitalization and reuse of some of these older buildings also.