2 new fitness spaces, including an indoor cycling studio, are opening soon in Raleigh
Two fitness studios are coming soon to Raleigh, with one opening later this November.
At North Hills, indoor cycling studio HomeTurf is celebrating the debut of its brick-and-mortar after months of offering pop-up classes.
And in downtown Raleigh, a Western North Carolina native is bringing a boutique fitness experience to the Glenwood South area with a Volofit franchise.
Here are details on the two new businesses coming to Raleigh.
HomeTurf opens late November at North Hills
HomeTurf, a new fitness studio offering cycling and strength-training classes will open Friday, Nov. 22, at the North Hills Innovation District, founder Julie Ferrer told The News & Observer in a phone call.
The 3,000-square-foot studio’s opening at 540 St. Albans Drive comes after several months of pop-up classes held in Makers Alley, a string of small retail spaces located on the ground floor of Channel House Apartments.
HomeTurf will offer a cycle and sculpt class, with time on the bike and on the mat, along with a strength class and a cycling class.
There won’t be any metrics in class, no screens to show participants how they’re doing. Instead, HomeTurf dims the lights and turns up the music.
“It’s really important to have this place where you could just show up and be you and not worried about a number telling you how you’re doing, where you can just really zone out and focus on the space, the community, the team, and then also the music,” Ferrer said.
Athletics have always been important to Ferrer. She participated in sports growing up and played lacrosse at St. Lawrence University.
After she graduated and started working full time in digital advertising in New York, she started missing the feeling of being part of a team. Then she found SoulCycle. After six years taking the classes, she decided to leave her advertising job and become a SoulCycle instructor.
The COVID-19 pandemic postponed her family’s planned move to Raleigh and closed SoulCycle studios.
“I pivoted and decided, let me try to keep my community together and my team together, and those who I saw on the daily and try to get everyone moving,” Ferrer said.
She created a workout and taught it over Zoom, and the class grew from there. She was making weekly schedules and reaching more than 100 people.
SoulCycle eventually restarted in-person classes, but Ferrer knew she wanted to build her brand — HomeTurf — and continue coaching her own workouts, one day finding a physical space for it.
When her family moved to Raleigh in 2022, she had to leave SoulCycle, which does not have locations in North Carolina.
She worked with Cushman & Wakefield brokerage to find a home for HomeTurf and landed on North Hills. The community feeling and future development plans for the area appealed to her. More specifically, she was excited by the North Hills Innovation District, which is home to woman-owned businesses including Bofemme and TrenLend.
“We’re really excited to be here and excited to just show Raleigh exactly what HomeTurf is all about, and how everybody has an inner athlete,” Ferrer said.
Volofit plans early 2025 opening in downtown Raleigh
Western North Carolina native Dave Roddenberry is bringing the first Volofit franchise to the Triangle, in the heart of downtown Raleigh.
Slated to open late January or early February 2025, Raleigh’s Volofit will be located in a 2,600-square-foot space at 621 Hillsborough St. at Bloc[83], not far from Glenwood Avenue. Bloc[83] is a mixed-use development featuring office space, The Casso hotel and restaurant and retail, including First Watch, 321 Coffee, YogaSix and soon, Simons Says Dip This.
After leaving the military, Roddenberry spent more than a decade working for nonprofits serving veterans and their families, he told The News & Observer in a phone call.
A few years ago, he started looking for a franchise to open. Physical health had long been an important part of his life, and Volofit seemed like a “natural fit,” Roddenberry said.
“The workout is phenomenal. It’s very intentional in terms of changing from day to day,” he said. “So, you know, you walk in the studio, you might see rowers and bikes and battle ropes or something like that. You walk in the next day, all that stuff’s gone. It’s benches and yoga mats and stuff like that.”
Rodenberry also noticed that Volofit also emphasizes making members feel welcome and included in what feels like a “high-end environment.”
The workouts are open to people of a range of ages and fitness levels. People interested in joining the gym can select a membership level based on how often they want to attend classes — whether it’s every day or just a few times a month.
“We just really want to be mindful, especially when somebody’s really starting out that fitness journey,” Roddenberry said. “There’s a lot of energy and excitement. You just want to go and go, but it’s important to not push yourself to injury or to just wear yourself out.”
This story was originally published November 14, 2024 at 9:25 AM with the headline "2 new fitness spaces, including an indoor cycling studio, are opening soon in Raleigh."
