Downtown Business Is Working Out

DOWNTOWN - A regular gym workout isn't pumped up enough for Christine Myers. She opened The Sweat Shop in April so people could glisten with perspiration.

Her kickboxing gym throws in other types of rigorous exercise, including jumping rope and punching a freestanding, 250-pound bag.

"After 30 minutes, people are drenched," Myers said.

The Sweat Shop, 715 N. Franklin St., offers urban views, including office-worker foot traffic, from its 14 tall windows. The Element, a residential tower, is under construction across the street. Downstairs, there's The Hub, the longtime bar and package store filled with the requisite characters.

Myers said she's prepared for the jokes coming her way about going for a cold beer after a workout.

Among her classes and personal training, she offers a 10-week Ultimate Body Shaping Course for $399, which includes boxing gloves, hand wraps and a manual.

For beginners, Myers keeps it simple. Students run a few miles on Bayshore Boulevard and do a cardio workout with Myers recording the results for future comparison.

The Sweat Shop is next to Tampa Theatre in a building dating to the early 1900s. Architect David Bailey and investment broker Camille Renshaw paid $1.4 million for the building in early 2007. They cleaned out the upstairs space and signed The Hub to a 10-year lease.

Myers' 7,000-square-foot space upstairs used to be part of McCrory's five-and-dime store.

As she renovates, she's deciding what to do with all the room. There are four bathrooms, but for now two are open. She plans showers in the others. She also would like to use offices for massage therapy.

That sounds relaxing, but Myers' workouts are anything but - there's a Red Bull vending machine on the premises. Participants work independently with Myers yelling instructions such as "jab cross hook," but she also jumps in to show technique.

"I definitely see results in a few weeks," said Karleen Clark, who drives from St. Petersburg for the noon kickboxing class. "I've had all kinds of gym memberships, but then I lose interest. I don't think I will here."

Melissa Bauer, who works in Hyde Park, said she heard about The Sweat Shop through word of mouth.

"It's very challenging," she said. "You sweat, that's for sure."

Dene Williamson lives in Ybor City and Mairo Burac downtown. They agree it's encouraging to see a new business that offers something different.

"I found the gym through coming to Tampa Theatre," Williamson said, "and, of course, The Hub."

Myers, 31, has been doing martial arts most of her life. With a master's degree in social work, she left a job with LifePath Hospice and has taught classes, including Wau Lum kung fu and tai chi, at studios and health clubs around Tampa.

"I opened this a little earlier than I had planned to have my own gym," she said, "but this space is too amazing to pass up."

IF YOU GO

WHAT: The Sweat Shop

WHERE: 715 N. Franklin St.

INFORMATION: Call Christine Myers at (407) 694-6887 or e-mail sweatshoptampa@hotmail.com.