‘Start from scratch’: Shuttered Vernon Hills furniture store to become athletic club
In the midst of the pandemic on June 26, 2020, a crowd waited outside a strip mall across from Six Flags Great America in Gurnee for the grand opening of Ryse Athletic Club.
It was the start of the fourth phase of reopenings ordered by Gov. JB Pritzker that included health and fitness facilities. The club has been open 24/7 — and grown exponentially in size and membership — ever since.
Now its owner plans to expand further by converting the former Carson’s Furniture Gallery store at 480 Ring Drive in Vernon Hills into a second Ryse club. The 48,000 square foot stand-alone building has been mostly vacant since Carson’s closed in 2018.
“We are extremely busy,” said owner Justin Maki, an area resident and professional bodybuilder. “That's why there's such a need.”
Ryse — Redefine Yourself Shock Everyone — opened in a 10,000-square-foot space in Gurnee that had been a kids inflatables area, a day care center and, decades earlier, a Piggly Wiggly grocery store.
An addition opened in November increased the facility to 27,000 square feet. But with more than 4,000 members, it is often packed and it's time to open a second location, Maki said.
The Vernon Hills village board this week approved a certificate of building and use conversion for the proposal. An architect is scheduled to visit the site Thursday.
“I get to start from scratch and do my own build out,” Maki said, adding that the finished product won't be a typical big box venue.
“I don't want the commercial feel,” he said. “I try to make it feel like a community. It's not just a gym, they (members) create friendships.”
Ryse in Vernon Hills is planned as a “comprehensive wellness destination” including a full-size basketball court, premium fitness zones and training facilities, healthy food to go, athletic retail space, group classes and recovery services, according to information provided to the village.
The conversion aligns with the village’s focus on “health/wellness infrastructure, the mixed use character of the surrounding area and regional trends favoring experiential over traditional retail,” according to the application.
It also will activate an underutilized property near Hawthorn Mall, create 50 permanent jobs with competitive wages, attract patrons who will support adjacent businesses, enhance property value and create sales tax revenue, according to the company.
Traditional retail uses are not viable due to the property's configuration, the application states, and fitness conversions at comparable properties show significantly higher occupancy rates and revenue potential.
According to the village, the size and location of the building limits the number of potential users. It's not visible from Milwaukee Avenue (Route 21) or Townline Road (Route 60) and is nearly 700 feet from the nearest mall entrance.
“I'm hoping to be open sometime in fall this year,” Maki said. “If I aim high and miss, better than aiming low.”