The Little Gym of Ballwin Closes

In the backyard of St. Louis, which has been called America’s “biggest small town,” a West County gym that prided itself on neighborhood appeal will instead make way for more lucrative developments.

The story of a business closing in 2011 is a . But on the tails of the construction of local mega-gyms such as Lifetime Fitness in Chesterfield, this week’s closure of The Little Gym of Ballwin has residents lamenting the loss of a destination that helped define the community’s character as much as it did their physiques.

The Little Gym, which was entering its sixteenth year of operations, had been leased under Texas-based Weingarten Realty Investors since 2003. Vice President Courtenay Siegfried said his company made several efforts to avoid terminating the gym’s lease, including a rent reduction in 2009.

Little Gym owner Mark Landis, however, said the company’s suggestions were limited to a couple of temporary offers. With overhead costs foreboding, Landis reluctantly decided The Little Gym in the Ballwin Plaza would close its doors, which it did on Sunday.

“What we needed was a long-term solution to renegotiate the lease, however, they were not willing to do that,” Landis said. “I just cannot believe they would rather have zero rent than work out a deal to keep us here. We did our best to survive 2009 and again in 2010 with the high rent rates [and] all the while the center’s vacancy rate continued to increase.”

Workouts Remembered

When classes were in full swing, The Little Gym offered developmental, gymnastic and karate classes for children ages four months to 12 years old, in addition to non-competitive classes for both parents and children. Families from throughout the area were drawn in by those classes, which some say resulted in peripheral benefits for other local retailers.  

Ballwin resident Liz Oeltjen, 32, took her daughter to classes at the Little Gym, and after receiving a notice about the class suspensions, rallied with other concerned parents. The result in part was a petition that attracted 249 signatures in little more than a week, which prompted letters being mailed to the City of Ballwin and Mayor Tim Pogue, she said.

Oeltjen said the main driving force behind their passion to keep the Little Gym in Ballwin alive has been “Mr. Mark’s” uncanny ability to be a positive influence for the children. Sometimes, she said, the benefits of his role as an instructor even extend to serving as a male role model for certain children.

“He has structure in his program,” Oeltjen said. “It was amazing how angelic all of our kids were inside the Little Gym, and how it translated outside the Little Gym. I think it’s magic. I don’t know how else to describe it.”

Landis said he was always drawn to the children who just needed to be given a chance and a little encouragement and always looked forward to seeing them.

“I can't tell you how many kids run in and give me a hug, bring me some art, or have to tell me something really important ... at least to them anyway, and it’s so cool to see how important we are to them,” Landis said.  “The kids don't care that you are having a bad day, they just want to see the teacher they love."

Working Toward a Cool-Down

Kirkwood resident, Ann West, who maintains the “Save the Little Gym” blog site, said a lot of the moms whose kids participate are worried about the surrounding businesses after losing The Little Gym.

“The Little Gym brought a lot of people to that plaza,” West said, adding that she previously had no reason to visit Ballwin, or consequently, spend sales-tax generating money there. “I know a lot of the moms are from outside Ballwin, but they come and do their grocery shopping in Ballwin Plaza.”

Landis said he’s scheduled to meet Thursday with Ballwin Mayor Pogue, Alderman Jimmy Terbrock and other city representatives to discuss possible solutions, which may even incorporate use of The Pointe at Ballwin Commons.

Supporters like West remain optimistic about potential outcomes for The Little Gym's followers.

 “I am really impressed with the grace [owner Mark Landis] has shown thus far,” West said. “It just shows the amazing person he is and the integrity he has. Mr. Mark is what makes the class, and we have to see what he’s going to do.”