CrossFit gym makes crosstown Tri-Cities move. But don’t look for a giant tractor tire
A Kennewick CrossFit gym has moved to a custom-built space at 2601 S. Union Place in the Southridge area.
CrossFit 12 Stones owers Aryn and Todd Stone and their team of nearly a dozen coaches moved into the expanded gym in early August after outgrowing their original spot near West Clearwater.
Todd Stone, a Kennewick native, and Aryn Stone, from Spokane, opened CrossFit in 2018, a year after they returned to Eastern Washington from Seattle to start a family closer to home.
12 Stones, affiliated with CrossFit, offers coach-led fitness and conditioning sessions, as well as nutrition counseling.
Todd Stone said the CrossFit gym quickly outgrew its original location near Popular Donuts, on North Union near West Clearwater Avenue.
The couple intended to lease new space in early 2020 but backed out of a lease after being spooked by unsettling news about the coronavirus emerging from China.
When the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions eased, the gym business exploded and the Stones revived their search for a spot. Their broker introduced them to Aden Masonry, a Kennewick masonry contractor that also develops commercial buildings.
They were interested in a Southridge area building, but the zoning didn’t allow gyms. When Aden broke ground on a similar building at 1201 S. Union Place, near the Cynergy Center, Costa Vida and Dutch Bros. Coffee, they signed on for a 4,500-square-foot spot.
Their neighbors-to-be include the new south Kennewick location of Red Rail Espresso and a muscle recovery therapy studio and the Tri-City Herald.
Stone said the new gym has more room to offer more classes, including private sessions.
Kids program
The couple is adding a kids program, as well as a “diapers and dumbbells” program for moms and babies. Its 55-and-over class is growing too.
Stone is a Kennewick High School graduate who went to Central Washington University to become an English teacher.
He switched majors, focusing on exercise physiology. He ran the school’s strength and conditioning program and was introduced to CrossFit.
He loved the idea of working with people to get fitness before they’re sick or injured.
“It’s a lot easier for us to keep someone healthy,” he said.
He moved to Seattle and supported himself with training gigs at eight separate CrossFit gym. He and Aryn, who was working in tech, now have a toddler and an infant, and welcome children to accompany parents in their gym.
Fitness coaching
Stone said his Seattle experience informed how he runs his business here.
On the West side, he had to book classes at eight gyms to make ends meet. In Kennewick, he aims to professionalize the job of fitness coach so employees don’t have to scramble across multiple jobs to get by.
CrossFit employs a mix of weightlifting, gymnastics, cardio and nutritional coaching to help people of all fitness levels meet their goals.
One aspect of the CrossFit brand it has not embraced is the oversized tractor tire. Those were a common feature in CrossFit’s early days and clients were often photographed using the tires as part of their workouts.
Stone said they proved unwieldy and eventually, unpopular with clients. They got dirty, harbored spiders. They are next to impossible to dispose of. Even now, though, he said he routinely fields calls from people offering him their old tractor tires.
The 12 Stone gym is an affiliate of CrossFit, which enables it to operate independently with its own designs and looks. It is not a franchise.
Go to crossfit12stones.com.
Fiiz Drinks opens in Richland
Fiiz Drinks, a Utah-based soda franchise, has opened its first Washington state location in Richland, at 3159 Duportail St., near Numerica Credit Union.
The Richland shop is family owned by Aspen and Tyler Tidwell and Tyler’s sister and brother-in-law, Ranae and Matt Rusk. The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 5.
Fiiz offers customized, soda-based drink creations, as well as coffee, specialty beverages and treats. The 2,000-square-foot store seats 20 and has a drive-thru.
The brand launched in 2014 in Bountiful, Utah, and has 77 locations nationwide. Hours are 7 a.m.-10 p.m., Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-11 p.m., Friday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m., Saturday; and 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday.
Go to fizzdrinks.com or call 509-221-1310.
New home for dance studio
Alissa Baker and Alyssa Whittington have moved their competitive dance studio to new quarters in Kennewick..
Creative Minds opened in early August at 8508 W. Gage Blvd., Suite C101.
Creative Minds Dance Studio offers hip hop, contemporary, lyrical and jazz at all levels.
The owners are long-time dancers who decided to form a business and recently completed their initial season.
Go to creativemindsdancestudio.com or follow it on Facebook.
Columbia Center roadwork is done
A year-long project that overhauled a major intersection just south of Columbia Center mall is complete.
The city of Kennewick dedicated the new intersection at Deschutes Avenue and Columbia Center Boulevard after a year of work that disrupted traffic flows.
The project included a new signal to accommodate a right-turn lane a roundabout at the intersection of Deschutes Avenue and Colorado Street, new curbs, gutters, sidewalk, retaining walls, driveways, storm drains and utility trenches. The entire area was repaved.
The project was designed to improve traffic flow around the intersection, which is south of the mall, near Pizza Hut.
Funding was provided through the Benton Franklin Council of Governments, Federal Highway Administration and Washington State Transportation Improvement Board. Ellison Earthworks won the $2.3 million contract.
Send business opening and closing tips to news@tricityherald.com.
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