A local queer-oriented gym in the University Hills area is in danger of closing after a surprise change in what they owed their landlord. According to KDVR, Metamorphosis Fitness opened in 2017 as a safe space for the LGBTQ community. “Even though there are multiple gyms owned by my community in Denver, we are the only one who specifically caters to (the LGBTQ) community; 85% of our members identify as a part of that community,” Styler Ells, owner and manager of Metamorphosis Fitness, tells KDVR. Ells also mentions in that interview that the gym serves as one of the few sober spaces for the LGBTQ community.
Ells tells CBS News that the new management company that has taken over their lease on the space has increased the rent, leaving the gym with a hefty bill to pay. “When we signed a lease in 2017, we had specific conversations about what that would look like, and unfortunately, there was a new management company that took over in the end of 2021,” Ells explains. “Then, starting in 2022, our rent increased by about 30% every month, and so we now have this really large back balance due of common area maintenance charges that, quite frankly, the gym can’t support.” Now the gym owes a back balance of approximately $14,000.
Ells also explains to CBS that the gym charges on a sliding scale to allow people of all income levels to use the space. “Because we are a queer gym, we have a lot of folks that work the service industry. We have a lot of folks who are students,” Ells says. “So, we have a number of folks who pay a portion of the membership, and then the rest of it is either given up, or written off, or if we do have income through donations, we write it as a scholarship. And, so, because of that, our income fluctuates a lot.”
Ells started a GoFundMe campaign to help with the costs on Sunday, and the results seem promising so far. On Sunday, Ells posted an update. “Good morning!” it reads. “We are writing a check for just over half the balance due today to our landlord! We couldn’t have done this without you. Support continues to come in, and we are confident we will make the amount due and keep our space! Your generosity has given us the wind in our sails we had lost, and we are ever so thankful and grateful.” At the time of this writing, the GoFundMe is less than $2,000 from its goal, meaning that there’s a good chance of this story having a happy ending. Feel free to donate a little to put them over the top.
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