Short Summary
Hi friends,
This campaign is about supporting the growth and connection of community. In January 2020, I bought a piece of land in Bastrop, TX with the vision of building a hub for health and family connection – named Bastrop Fitness Project. We are in the homestretch of developing this project and preparing to move three local businesses in to serve the community. In fitness, as in life, I have learned that asking for help makes the push across the finish line that much more possible and enjoyable. By supporting this indiegogo campaign, you would be contributing to the success of small business in Bastrop and providing fuel for us to serve the community where we live, work, and play.
The Back Story
When the world was put on pause in March of 2020, I took it as a gift and an opportunity to locate and convene with existing and emerging business owners that shared my values and vision for transforming a building into a community destination – a place where friends and family would meet to pursue health goals and nurture their self-care practices.
As 2020 went on, I had to come to grips with the realities of permitting, construction, and the rising cost of materials. Many small business owners will tell you that 2020 pushed us to the edge. For me, this meant navigating restrictions as a gym owner, asking for the partnership and patience of our tenants, and praying that all of our businesses could pivot and provide value long enough to outlast the pandemic.
How Your Invest Helps
The funds raised will support all of the businesses under the Bastrop Fitness Project and will be used in three main areas:
1. Expedite the Move
Here are some mock-ups of our new building! We will be located at 303 Martin Luther King Dr, Bastrop, TX, 78602.
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I’m THRILLED to be moving our gym to our own building, but what is even more exciting to me is that doing so will allow us to serve the Bastrop community in a more HOLISTIC way! We are experts in our modality, but we firmly believe that complete health must include restorative practices (like yoga) and work with your life (like childcare).
Over the past year, each small business in our collective has shouldered a number of additional and unforeseen costs as a result of COVID-19. On top of this – moving is stressful and expensive!
If we reach the $25,000 milestone, we will provide each tenant with a moving allowance that would allow them to hire additional hands or purchase additional resources to support their move and build out.
2. Offset Rent Increases
At the start of this endeavor, I worked hard to develop and design a building that could not only meet the needs of our small-businesses but also offered organic opportunities for the community to meet, connect and rejuvenate in our space. The pandemic not only extended our build-time but put us in a difficult position of figuring out how to finish the building during a time when material costs were rising at an unforeseen rate.
I have worked diligently to make decisions that don’t compromise the space for our partners and yet, the result of all of this meant marginal increases to all of our rent.
One of my highest priorities in this campaign to raise enough money to offset any rent increase for our small business partners (tenants) and be able to honor the original rent that they were offered.
The goal of $100,000 would allow us small business owners to move in September 2021 without passing on any additional costs which were incurred because of the COVID-19 pandemic and delays.
3. Fund Community Scholarships
We are eager to grow roots, give back, and enhance the health of our neighbors. The last area of investment where we are seeking support is to start a fund which would allow us to underwrite community scholarships in each of our businesses.
With your help, for each $10,000 we raise, we will fully fund a community scholarship to one of our businesses to a neighbor within our own community!
Meet the Businesses
Bastrop Fitness Project will be home to 3 locally-grown businesses:
Strive Strength & Conditioning
Our mission is to empower people to be happier, healthier, and more successful in life. We’re veteran-owned and community powered. Strive is a family first, a gym second. We coach you how to achieve your goals inside the gym so you can smash your goals outside of the gym. Whatever your health and fitness goals are, our professional coaches and supportive community will help you get there. We teach you, hold you accountable, and cheer you every step of the way. There are the people I'm proud to serve...
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As we expand into the Bastrop Fitness Project, we will also be expanding our business model. Welcome Strive Human Optimization! Training hard means that you need to recover even harder. Training breaks you down and the only way to really achieve your goals is to allow your body to recover and adapt to the stress the training places on it. That’s why we are now adding a full recovery center that features hot saunas, cold plunge baths, and compression therapy. Progress in your goals just got easier!
Body + Shine Wellness
At Body + Shine Wellness (BSW), we aim to make yoga (and related practices) approachable for everyone interested regardless of age, gender, or experience level. We create a fun, friendly, and supportive environment where everyone feels safe, welcome, and never judged. Our practice is light hearted and can fit any student willing to come to their mat. We acknowledge that yoga is a seriously life changing practice, but we remove common stigma and stereotypes and encourage people to enjoy the process.
Our first location opened in Elgin in 2016, and we are excited to expand our community with our second location in Bastrop. We will be offering many types of yoga--including Power/Flow, Slow/Beginner Stretch, Restorative, cYoga, and even heated classes--along with meditation, Pilates, specialized workshops, teacher training programs, and more. We also offer classes online on demand and a virtual retail boutique so you can connect with us anytime, anywhere.
Meet the Owner:
My name is Katy Gassaway. After years of practicing yoga and meditation, in 2014, I decided to take a teacher training course while I waited to take the Texas Bar Exam. I quickly realized that sharing the practice of yoga with others made me happier and more fulfilled than practicing law or anything else ever had. As a serial small business owner for over a decade, it was inevitable I’d want to expand from our original Elgin studio, and I couldn’t have picked a better place than Bastrop. I am so excited to continue growing with this community!
Wild Child
At Wild Child, our mission is to prioritize fitness for local families. We provide a safe, fun, and healthy environment where kids ages 3 to 10 are encouraged to get their wiggles out through active play while parents work out. We combine fitness and fun for children by encouraging movement and energetic play on our giant indoor playground- no screens or TV’s! At Wild Child, we put the Wild back in the Child!
Meet the Owner:
My name is Lexi Grose. I am a young entrepreneur with a passion for fitness, health, and working with children. I have worked as a certified CrossFit coach/trainer at Strive Strength and Conditioning in Bastrop from 2019 through 2021. During my time coaching, I recognized that child care is often a barrier for parents trying to prioritize their own health and fitness. Working with children has always been a passion of mine, and I felt called to pursue this further. Wild child was born as an opportunity to serve the community while encouraging kids and adults to prioritize fitness, healthy living, and fun!
Slated time-line
While things may shift for various reasons, here is our tentative timeline. We will update these dates as milestones are hit and pieces of this move fall into place.
- May 31st (MEMORIAL DAY) Indiegogo launch
- July 2nd Indiegogo Campaign is fully funded!
- September 1st Moving Begins
- September 15th Private opening tour for V.I.P. campaign backers**
- September 30th Official opening
- October 1st Begin production on campaign rewards
- October 20th Shipments of campaign rewards prepped and packed
- October 30th All campaign rewards are shipped out
Other Ways You Can Help
Some people just can't contribute, but that doesn't mean they can't help! Please get creative and share our campaign with YOUR network in the following ways:
- Do you have belong to a Bastrop Facebook group where you could share this campaign?
- Does your church do weekly announcements?
- Do you have a social media following?
- Can you share this with your neighborhood or HOA?
- Do you own a small business have a partnership idea?
And that's all there is to it.
