For the past few years, fitness studios have exploded in New York City, from tony Pilates studios in Flatiron to gritty crossfit gyms in East Williamsburg warehouses. Many of these small businesses, facing an unprecedented drop in revenue after shutting their doors because of the coronavirus outbreak, wonder whether they’ll survive the pandemic as they struggle to pay their rent and instructors. To make matters worse, the federal paycheck protection program has failed to help the smallest of these businesses, which are often minority- and women-owned. 

The stay-at-home order seems to be doing the most damage to fitness businesses that charged a hefty premium for their classes because they required specialized equipment. That includes cycling studios, boxing gyms, reformer-heavy Pilates studios and many other kinds of high-end fitness concepts that are basically impossible to execute in a New York City apartment… READ MORE @ Commercial Observer

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