Why we opened a gym without a smoothie bar or a single cardio-only member.
Forge opened in 2017 in a converted warehouse with one rule: every piece of equipment gets used, and every coach actually knows your name. No 24-hour unstaffed access, no rows of unused cardio machines — just a floor built around lifting, coached properly.
Nine years and 850 members later, that hasn't changed. We cap our classes on purpose, even when it would be easier to sell more spots.