(From left) Ken LeFevre, Kim Apollony, Rachel Leyco, Jennifer Jackson and Aoife OʼSullivan of VA Fitness Group
For many in Richmond, Row House is more than a gym. The nationwide fitness center chain specializes in low-impact, full-body workout classes on a rowing machine, also known as an ergometer or erg. The Richmond area locations aim to foster a sense of inclusion and community for a range of ages and fitness levels.
Some have found their crew through Row House; others found future business partners. When it was announced that the Short Pump Row House location would be closing, a group of five members and staff joined forces to acquire the gym and manage it through a new company, VA Fitness Group. When the lease of the Short Pump location fell through, they set their sights on the two remaining locations in the area and in May bought the Willow Lawn and Midlothian outposts, which they manage as franchisees.
“Having five members in our group, each with a very different skill set, we found that together we can help revive Row House in Richmond and make it even stronger than it has been in the past,” says Aoife OʼSullivan, a co-owner of VA Fitness Group and Row House instructor.
The new owners emphasize that the workouts offered remain the same as those previously available at Row House. Rachel Leyco, another co-owner of VA Fitness Group, says despite the misconception that rowing requires considerable arm strength, itʼs actually more of a whole-body workout. In class, rowers can see their own split times, or pacing, measured on personal monitors, as well the groupʼs split time on a larger screen at the front of the class, creating an environment that encourages individual and collective achievement.
The Row House studio in Willow Lawn
“Our main goal is to be as inclusive as we can be,” Leyco says. “Anyone can do this workout. It seems intimidating, but once you get in there and you feel the energy, you just get sucked in.”
Classes, which run 30-45 minutes, range from all-rowing options taking place mainly on the erg to sessions that include floor exercises and stretching. At 5:30 p.m. on Fridays, the Willow Lawn studio turns into Club Row House, with dark lighting and upbeat pop hits. The instructor, Jamie Nolan, started taking classes at the Willow Lawn outpost to continue her weight loss journey and became a coach nine months later. “The modality was easy on my body, and the community was supportive of everyoneʼs journey, no matter what they were there for,” Nolan says.
Each member of the ownership team has rowed more than 1 million meters on the erg. However, their success is better measured by the supportive environment theyʼve created, which keeps members returning.
“Our intention is to keep Row House in Richmond, to continue to grow our community, so that we can all be stronger together,” OʼSullivan says. “We love what we have now and just want to see it soar.”
