A fitness center that has been offering classes in parkour, aerial silks and other specialized workouts for more than a decade will soon bid farewell to its longtime home in the Alexandria area.
MindShift Gym, previously known as Urban Evolution, announced earlier this month that its last day of business at 5505 Cherokee Avenue in Lincolnia will be March 31. The gym is in the process of relocating to a new facility in Reston that it hopes to open as soon as possible.
“We’re just waiting on occupancy permits to be issued,” a spokesperson told FFXnow.
According to the building permit under review by Fairfax County, the Reston facility will be located on the ground floor of an office building at 11501 Sunset Hills Road near Plaza America.
MindShift will offer facilities and classes in Reston similar to the ones it currently provides in Lincolnia, “but in a newer and updated building,” according to the spokesperson.
“Our reasons for moving included getting closer to metro/public transportation, increasing our accessibility for new community members in the Dulles corridor (Reston/Herndon/Centerville), and into a facility that is more adaptable for corporate team building events,” the spokesperson said by email. “We look forward to expanding our community to your neighborhoods and hope to see you all at an intro training session soon!”
Started in June 2010 at 5402 Eisenhower Avenue “with nothing more than a supporting community and 30% penalty for cashing out our 401K before retirement,” as its founders once said on Facebook, MindShift provides training and facilities for “nontraditional sports,” including parkour, freerunning, aerial silks, dance, gymanstics and circus skills, according to its website.
The business moved to its current, nearly 10,000-square-foot spot on Cherokee Avenue in May 2014, and last August, it rebranded as MindShift Gym before announcing the impending move to Reston in November.
“Ten years ago, we moved from our location on Eisenhower Ave. We had grown enough that we needed a bigger space so we settled here on Cherokee Avenue and made this space our own,” MindShift said in the relocation announcement. “Now, our needs have evolved again and just as before, we are transitioning into MindShift Gym in Reston and we hope to bring our community with us as we expand into new neighborhoods!”
While annual memberships will carry over, the gym advises anyone who can’t make the switch to use up their credits now, since monthly memberships and punch cards can’t be refunded.
Though MindShift still has more than a month left in Lincolnia, a new tenant is already circling its Cherokee Avenue site.
Fairfax County accepted an application on Feb. 18 that would allow the property to be redeveloped as a Sheetz gas station and convenience store, adding it to the dozens of sites nominated for comprehensive plan amendments this year.
A public relations representative for Sheetz confirmed that the Pennsylvania-based chain is interested in opening a store at the site, but said “it is too early in the process to provide further details.”
Sheetz made its Fairfax County debut in 2023 with a grand opening that Aug. 30 at 13840 McLearen Road in the Oak Hill area near Herndon. That location features 20 gas terminals and four electric vehicle chargers.
This story has been updated with comments from MindShift Gym.
