Sadness rang through part of the Coronado community when the “Closed for Business” signs appeared at the sole laundromat in Coronado. The laundromat had been an important resource for many residents. Even those residents with their own laundry facilities appreciated that the machines could handle large items, like a comforter or bedspread.
And then there was rejoicing as word spread that Coronado residents Liz Merrill and her husband Nick purchased the property, and that the laundromat will now be reborn bigger and brighter.
The facility will have two separate spaces. One space will be a laundry and the other will be a unique circuit-training gym. Residents will be able to start a load of laundry and then head right into their workout next door!
LAUNDRY LOUNGE
In the laundry section there will be new, high-efficiency washers and dryers. Having large capacity washers was a big request. Liz said, “We have two super big units and two more large capacity, plus another seven regular size. All are very efficient and fast.” Liz noted that the Laundry Lounge will have a “very modern feel.”
No more coins! Customers will purchase the use of machines on their own credit or debit cards or they can load up a Laundry Lounge swipe card.
Parking will stay essentially the same, other than modifications as necessitated by city code.
It should be noted that Liz didn’t initially plan to have a laundry section, but when she realized how important the lone laundry facility was to the island, she made a commitment to include it in their design.
Liz and Nick take ownership of the property on Sept. 15. The laundry section of the project’s planned opening is eight weeks after that date.
SWEAT EQUITY GYM
Next door to the laundry will be a unique circuit-training gym. Liz and Nick both have experience as fitness coaches. Nick has over 16 years as a respected fitness trainer. Liz was a high school swim coach in Washington State. Liz and Nick also have a record of success and experience in running a gym. They have a successful gym outside of Seattle. Their Coronado gym will go by the same name and same concept: Sweat Equity Gym.
Liz, excited to bring the concept to Coronado, enthused that the couple “didn’t see anything like their concept in San Diego.” The workouts are 100% circuit-training. Liz described the difference between Sweat Equity and other gyms, saying that Sweat Equity is “not just a machine and go…. every time you come it’s a different experience.” It’s a taught class – six or seven times a day and every day is different. Everyday, however, clients will experience a “full body workout with cardio, body weights and core work.”
At Sweat Equity, folks of all different fitness levels can be training at the same time. Classes are small so that the fitness coach can supervise the workouts for safety and maximum performance. At the Bellevue Sweat Equity facebook page, images and videos of the gym and workouts-in-action can be seen.
As a former high school swim coach, Liz has a particular passion for their teen program. Youth will be able to pick their own music, receive sport-specific training, and feel comfortable with their friends, even if they are new to a gym.
Liz also promises that early-bird specials will be available once they get closer to the opening of the gym. Their goal is to have the gym opened by the first of the year, 2018, at the latest.
Wanting to give back to community they enjoy so much, Nick is currently running a free boot camp at Spreckels Park at 8:30am M-F and 9:00am on Saturday. The gym will be very different than the park workouts, but the workouts offer residents a chance to work with Nick even before Sweat Equity opens.
Liz and Nick have been Coronado residents for a little over a year. They started coming to Coronado about ten years ago for Nick’s birthdays. With Liz, in particular, having grown up in close-knit community, full-time residency in Coronado was always in the back of their minds.
Over the past couple years, they realized that Sweat Equity in Seattle was at a place where is could stand on its own, and they were ready to make the move. In August of 2016, they came down to Coronado and a spent the whole month looking for their new Coronado residence. They closed on their house early this summer and celebrated their first Coronado 4th of July as residents.
They are thrilled to be a part of the community, happy to have added the laundromat to their concept, and are enjoying providing the free worksouts until Laundry Lounge is fully open.
